浅析《红字》中珠儿所具有的矛盾特性_英语论文

On the Contradictory Features of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter

摘要

霍桑是美国文学史上心理分析小说的开创者，其代表作《红字》更是因其生动的人物描写备受瞩目，享誉文坛。本文试图以《红字》为文本，主要在珠儿与海斯特、丁梅斯代尔、奇灵渥斯三个人物的关系基础上，通过探究人物与人物之间，人物与文章背景之间的联系，结合已有的学术论著，进而浅析珠儿这一角色在文本中体现出来的矛盾特性。珠儿既是海斯特的精神支撑又是心灵折磨；珠儿既是丁梅斯代尔虚伪面具的揭露者又是其认罪坦白的推动人；同时对于齐灵渥斯，珠儿既是复仇的起点线又是爱的终结。文章从人物形象出发，就其双面艺术表现和叙事手段方面进行描述，同时分析了这些特性与文章发展的关系。霍桑的小说在一定的社会背景下，对每个人物都有细致深刻的描写，通过对珠儿这一角色的进一步剖析，有利于加深对霍桑心理分析的认识，促进霍桑研究的进一步开展。

关键词：红字；珠儿；矛盾特性；关系

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne is the pioneer of American psychoanalysis novels. And his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, has attracted much attention for its vividly drowned characters. This thesis attempts to take this novel as the text, on the basis of the relationship between Pearl and Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and unify the current academic works so as to analyze the contradictory features of Pearl displayed in this novel. Pearl is playing the role of the spiritual stay as well as mental torture to Hester; to Dimmesdale, Pearl is the debunker of sin as well as the motivity to confess; and to Chillingworth, the existence of Pearl is the starting point of revenge as well as the finish line of love. From the image of the characters, this thesis describes them from both artistic expressions and narrative characters, as well as their connection with the development of the novel. Hawthorn’s novel has a detailed and profound description of its characters in certain social background. After some research of the role of Pearl, it will further our understanding of American psychoanalysis as well as Hawthorne himself.

Keywords: The Scarlet Letter; Pearl; contradictory features; relationship

Contents

Introduction 5

1. The contradictory features of Pearl in her relationship with Hester Prynne. 6

1.1 Pearl being the spiritual stay as a daughter 6

1.2 Pearl being a mental torture as the symbol of sin 7

2. The contradictory features of Pearl in her relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale. 8

2.1 Pearl being a debunker of his hypocrisy 8

2.2 Pearl being the motivity of his ultimate confession 9

3. The contradictory features of Pearl in her relationship with Roger Chillingworth. 10

3.1 Pearl being the starting point of his revenge 10

3.2 Pearl being the finish line of his love 11

4. The contradictory features of Pearl herself. 13

4.1 A wild and rebellious little elf 13

4.2 A pure and naive child 14

Conclusion 15

Bibliography.................................................................................................................16

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................17