The distinct features of American romanticism is to moralize and edify rather than to entertain. There are New American experience, including the exotic landscape, the frontier life, the westward expansion, the myth of a New Garden of Eden in American.
Hawthorne wrote many books, including The Blithedale Romance, Mosses from an old Manse, The House of Seven Gables, The Marble Faun, The Scarlet Letter and three short stories: The Minister's Black Veil, Young Goodman Brown and Dr. Rappacini's Daughter.
The Scarlet letter is a story about rebel or compromise, and about women's right and freedom. The theme is changing from crime to atonement and then to Renaiscence.The protagonist Hester is a forbearing, laborious, tough, intelligent, capable woman. Hester is released from prison. She thinks about the future spread out before of her, knowing she will become a symbol of female passion and frailty for the entire town. She makes a living by marvelous neddlework. Everywhere Hester goes she is met with reminders of her adultery. Perhaps those who are the most judgmental should suffer the same punishment she suffers, however at the same time a part of her believes that there is no greater sinner than herself.
Though she has been cast out of society, Hester remains very much in the world, whereas Chillingworth and Dimmesdale at the very center of society, are totally immured in their self-absorption. In her inner integrity and her outer responsiveness, Hester is a model and counterstatement (against social injustice).
Arthur Dimmesdale, the Hester's lover, like Hester Prynne, is an individual whose identity owes more to external circumstance than to his innate nature. The reader told that Dimmesdale was a scholar of some renown at Oxford university. His past suggests that he is probably somewhat aloof, the kind of man who would not have much natural sympathy for ordinary men and women. However, Dimmesdale has an unusually active conscience. The fact that Hester takes all of the balance for their shared sin goads his conscience and his resultant mental auguish and physical weakness open up his mind and allow him to empathize with others. Consequently, he becomes an eloquent and emotionally powerful speaker and a compassionate leader, and his congregation is able to receive meaningful spiritual guidance from him.
Ironically, the townspeople do not believe Dimmesdale's protestations of sinfulness. Given his background and his penchant for rhetorical speech, Dimmesdale's congregation generally interprets his sermon allegorically rather than as expressions of any personal guilt. This drives Dimmesdale to further internalize his guilt and self-punishment and leads to still more deterioration in his physical and spiritual condition. The town's idolization of him reaches new heights after his Election Day sermon, which is his last. In this death, Dimmesdale becomes even more of an icon than he was in life. Many believe his confession was a symbolic act, while others believe Dimmesdale's fate was an example of divine judgement.
Roger Chillingworth is less of a character and more of a symbol doing the devil's bidding small, thin, aged, slightly deformed, with one shoulder higher than the other. He is very selfish and devotes himself revenging others. As Hester says old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's facaulty of transforming himself into devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office.
网友评论