Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. As a great romantic novelist, Hawthorne is outstanding in handling application of symbolism. The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne's most important symbolic novel. And in the novel, Hawthorne has used symbols skillfully to explore themes of legalism, sin, and guilt, as well as the future of Puritanism. The thesis is of great significance in its efforts to help the reader with a clear understanding of the Puritan society and values in the nineteenth century through the illustration of symbols in the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, symbolism runs through the whole novel. The most important symbol is the scarlet letter itself. The color of scarlet and the letter “A” symbolize “sin”, “passion”, “love” and “angel”. Besides, the name of the four major characters in the novel: Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth and Pearl also have their own symbolic meanings. Some other objects that are described in the novel such as the rosebush, prison and sunshine are all endowed with a deep symbolic significance. The thesis will explore the usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter from the three aspects mentioned above and analyze Hawthorne’s skillful use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.

Key Words: The Scarlet Letter  symbols  the scarlet letter “A”  names of characters  other objects

摘 要

纳撒尼尔•霍桑是十九世纪美国伟大的浪漫主义小说家。作为一位伟大的浪漫主义小说家,霍桑对象征主义手法的运用可以说是独具匠心。长篇小说《红字》是霍桑重要的象征主义代表作品。在这部作品中，作者巧妙运用了象征主义手法，加强了作品的艺术效果。霍桑熟练的运用象征手法暗示了罪恶，愧疚和清教主义的特征。本论文有助于帮助读者对小说中十九世纪清教社会和价值观有更深层的了解。整篇作品象征主义手法贯穿始终。其中，最重要的要数红字“A”本身的象征意义。它不仅以各种各样的形式出现，并且其象征意义不断变化，从“通奸”到“爱情”甚至“天使般的” 。此外，小说中四个主要角色：海丝特,丁梅斯代尔，齐灵沃斯,珠儿也都有其各自的象征意义。小说中描述的景物和场景，例如监狱、阳光、玫瑰花园等等也都寓意深刻。本文正是从以上这几个方面着手，探究作者在小说《红字》中对象征主义手法的巧妙运用。

关键词: 《红字》 象征 字母“A” 角色名字 其他景物

1 Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the nineteenth century. His masterpiece The Scarlet Letter takes an important place in world literature, and it is regarded as “the first symbolism novel in America” (Rubinstein, 1988, p.23). In the novel, Hawthorne has used symbols skillfully to explore themes of legalism, sin, and guilt, as well as the future of Puritanism. And it is also a sample in which American Romanticism adapted itself to American Puritanism.