Abstract

There has been a long history of research on The Scarlet Letter at home and abroad which focuses mainly on four aspects of religion, symbolism, feminism, and nature. Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a masterpiece of Puritan literature. And in this novel, we can see that good and evil can be transformed into the opposite form under certain conditions. Protagonist’s character and behavior in The Scarlet Letter has interpreted the boundaries between good and evil.
My thesis is divided into three parts. The first part briefly introduces The Scarlet Letter, including the background of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the theme of The Scarlet Letter; the second part deals with the symbolic images of scarlet and black in The Scarlet Letter, including the positive and negative symbolic meanings of scarlet and black, and the change of the meaning of the scarlet letter A as well; the third part analyzes the symbolic images of scarlet and black embodied in Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Pearl in The Scarlet Letter.
This thesis aims to help people have a more profound understanding of The Scarlet Letter on the one hand, on the other hand, help people gain a new perspective of learning this masterpiece.

Key word: The Scarlet Letter; scarlet and black; Symbolic images

摘  要

国内外对红字的研究有很长的一段历史,主要是从宗教、象征主义、女性主义、自然等方面展开研究。霍桑的《红字》是一部反映清教思想的作品，在这部小说中，我们可以看到善恶在一定条件下是可以转化的。《红字》通过主角的性格和行为诠释了善与恶的界限。
本论文分为三部分，第一部分简要介绍《红字》,包括纳撒尼尔•霍桑的背景和《红字》的主题。第二部分主要阐述《红字》中红与黑的象征意象, 包括红与黑所代表的积极和消极意义，以及红字A的象征意义的转变。第三部分着重分析《红字》中红与黑的象征意象在主人公海斯特•普林，亚瑟•迪梅斯代尔，罗杰•齐灵渥斯和珠儿性格和行为中的体现。
这篇文章一方面旨在帮助人们更加深刻地解读《红字》，另一方面，帮助人们从一个新的视角来研究这一杰作。

关键词：《红字》；红与黑；象征意象