兰州交通大学毕业设计（论文）
An Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
By
Tang Guaiguai
Under the Supervisor of
Zhu Liping
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
English Department School of Foreign Languages
Lanzhou Jiaotong University
June 2015 兰州交通大学毕业设计（论文）
I
摘要
纳桑尼尔.霍桑是美国19世纪浪漫主义小说家.处在美国文艺复兴时期的霍桑，崇尚民主与自由,而同时又不能完全摆脱心灵深处清教思想的束缚。因而他既是一个清教势力的批判者，又是清教思想的继承者。《红字》是霍桑长篇小说的代表作。其突出的艺术特色是其丰富的象征主义，因此被称为第一部象征主义小说. 小说中各种事物的象征寓意都呈现出多义性、系统性、和隐晦性。本文拟从小说红字“A”,这一贯穿全文的意象，主要人物的名字以及场景描写等这三方面来探讨其多重的象征主义。通过分析作品中的各种象征主义来揭示作者的创作意图,从而更好地理解小说的主旨。
第一章主要介绍了霍桑和《红字》及相关研究，并简单解释了象征主义及其作用。主体部分分为三部分，第一部分分析红色字母A随着故事情节发展而具有的不同的象征意义即通奸—痛苦—能干—天使。第二部分详细阐述了四个主要人物名字的象征意义，美丽直率的海斯特，孤僻忧郁的丁梅斯代尔，冷漠无情的奇灵渥斯，以及阳光女孩珠儿。第三部分主要对作品中描述的意象的象征意义具体分析。结语部分总结全文。
关键词：霍桑；《红字》；象征主义
兰州交通大学毕业设计（论文）
II Abstract
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a famous American romantic novelist in nineteenth
century. As in American Renaissance, Hawthorne advocates democracy and freedom,
but at the same time, he is bounded and cannot completely get rid of the deep
influence of Puritanism. Therefore, he is a critic of Puritanism, and is the successor of
Puritanism. The Scarlet Letter is the masterpiece of Hawthorne’s long novel. The
prominent artistic feature of The Scarlet Letter is its rich symbolism; therefore it is
called the first symbolism novel. The symbolism meanings of all kinds of objects in
the novel show the polysemy, motility, and even contradictory.
This paper will explore the multiple symbolic meaning from the scarlet letter
“A”, the names of the main characters and objects that described in the novel.
Through the analysis of various symbolisms, we can reveal the composing intention
of author, and better understanding of the novel's theme. This paper consists of the
three parts including introduction, main body and conclusion.
The introduction part mainly introduces Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter and
the related researches. The main body includes three parts. The first part chiefly
analyses the different symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter “A” that changes with the
development of the story. The second part expounds the symbolic meaning of the four
main characters’ names. Beautiful and candid Hester, unsocial and gloomy
Dimmesdale, cold and detached Chilingworth and sunny girl Pearl. The third part
mainly describes the symbolic meaning of the images that written in the novel, such
as prison, scaffold, and rose-bush and forest. The final part is conclusion.
Key words: Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, symbolism
兰州交通大学毕业设计（论文）
III Contents
摘要 ............................................................................................................................... I
Abstract ........................................................................................................................ II
Contents ..................................................................................................................... III
Chapter One Introduction........................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter ........................... 1
1.2 Literature Review.............................................................................................. 2
1.3 Significance of the Study .................................................................................. 3
Chapter Two The Symbolic Meaning of the Scarlet letter “A” ............................... 4
2.1 Adultery............................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Anguish ............................................................................................................. 5
2.3 Able ................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 Angel ................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter Three Symbolic Meaning of the Main Characters’ Names ....................... 8
3.1 Hester Prynne .................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Arthur Dimmesdale ........................................................................................... 9
3.3 Roger Chillingworth ....................................................................................... 10
3.4 Pearl ................................................................................................................ 11
Chapter Four The Symbolic Meaning of the Objects and Settings ....................... 13
4.1 The Prison ....................................................................................................... 13
4.2 The Scaffold .................................................................................................... 13
4.3 The Rose bush ................................................................................................. 14
4.4 The Forest ....................................................................................................... 15
Chapter Five Conclusion ........................................................................................... 16
References ................................................................................................................... 18
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... 19