Analysis of the Conflicts between the Main Characters and the Social Norms in The Scarlet Letter.doc

分析《红字》中主要人物和社会规范的冲突Analysis of the Conflicts between the Main Characters and the Social Norms in The Scarlet LetterContents111123357791011121213Abstract……………………………………………………………..Key words……………………………………………………………Ⅰ. Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne…………………………………1.1 Early Life and Works………………………………………………………….. 1.2 Later Life and Mature Works……………………………………………. …..1.3 Short Stories……………………………………………………………….…….Ⅱ. Introduction to the Novel………………………………………………..Ⅲ. Social Norms in New England in the 17th Century……………………Ⅳ. Analysis of the Main Characters……………………………………… 4.1 Hester Prynne……………………………………………………………….….. 4.2 Arthur Dimmesdale…………………………………………………………….. 4.3 Roger Chillingworth…………………………………………………………….. 4.4 Pearl…………………………………………………………………………...….Ⅴ. Hathorne’s Thoughts……………………………………………....…..Ⅵ. Conclusion………………………………………………………….……References………………………………………………………………..….摘　要：　　《红字》是19世纪美国著名作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的优秀长篇小说，是一部思想内丰富，底蕴深刻的多元主题作品。

本文通过对17世纪新英格兰的社会规范的陈述，对作品中几个主要人物形象的分析及作品中主人公在不同的遭遇面前所表现出来的不同行为，不同态度以及不同结局的探讨，论述了在当时的社会风俗习惯下，人们的思想冲突和心理活动，反映了严格的宗教制度摧残人性，压抑人的自然要求，造成普遍的思想矛盾和言行不一关键词：社会规范; 主要人物; 性格; 冲突; 思想Abstract: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a multi-thematic novel with abundant inside information and rich content. with a detailed analysis of the portal of the positive characters as well as the negative ones in the novel, this article states people’s conflicts of their thoughts and psychological activities under social norms of that period, reflects strict religious rules devastate human nature, depress people’s natural requirements, cause common conflicts and divergence. Key Words: social norms; main figures; character; conflicts; thoughtⅠ. Introduction to Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne（1804–1864）, American novelist and short-story writer, born in Salem, Massachusetts, is one of the great masters of American fiction. His novels and tales are penetrating explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts.1.1 Early Life and WorksDescended from a prominent Puritan family, Hawthorne was the son of a sea captain who died when Nathaniel was 4 years old. When he was 14 he and his mother moved to a lonely farm in Maine. After attending Bowdoin College (1821–25), he devoted himself to writing. His first novel, Fanshawe (1829), published anonymously, was unsuccessful. His short stories won notice and were collected in Twice-Told Tales (1837, second series, 1842). Unable to support himself by writing and editing, he took a job at the Boston customhouse.Later, Hawthorne lived at the experimental community Brook Farm for about six months, but he did not share the optimism and idealism of the transcendentalist participants (see transcendentalism), and he did not feel himself suited to communal life. In 1842 he married Sophia Peabody, a friend and follower of Emerson, Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, and they settled in Concord. There he wrote the tales and sketches in the collection Mosses from an Old Manse (1846).1.2 Later Life and Mature WorksIn order to earn a livelihood Hawthorne served as a surveyor of the port at Salem (1846–49), where he began writing his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850). Set in 17th-century Puritan New England, the novel delves deeply into the human heart, presenting the problems of moral evil and guilt through allegory and symbolism. It is often considered the first American psychological novel. Hawthorne's next novel, The House of the Seven Gables (1851), takes place in the New England of his own period but nevertheless also deals with the effects of Puritanism.For a time Hawthorne lived at “Tanglewood,” near Lenox, Mass, where he wrote A Wonder Book (1852), based on Greek mythology, which became a juvenile classic, and Twice Told Tales (1853), also for children. At this time he befriended his neighbor Herman Melville, who was one of the first to appreciate Hawthorne's genius. Returning to Concord, Hawthorne completed The Blithedale Romance (1852), a novel based on his Brook Farm experience.A campaign biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce earned Hawthorne the post of consul at Liverpool (1853–57) after Pierce became President. Hawthorne's stay in England is reflected in the travel sketches of Our Old Home (1863), and a visit to Italy resulted in the novel The Marble Faun (1860). After returning to the United States, he worked on several novels that were never finished. He died during a trip to the White Mts. with Franklin Pierce.1.3 Short StoriesAside from his importance as a novelist, Hawthorne is justly celebrated as a short-story writer. He helped to establish the American short story as a significant art form with his haunting tales of human loneliness, frustration, hypocrisy, eccentricity, and frailty. Among his most brilliant stories are “The Minister's Black Veil,” “Roger Malvin's Burial,” “Young Goodman B。