Nathaniel Hawthorne′s Religious View in The Scarlet Letter

1、霍桑的宗教思想在紅字中的體現(xiàn) nathaniel hawthornes religious view in the scarlet letter contentsabstract, key words.1introduction to the author.21 the authors fame.22 the authors growth and main works.2 introduction to the story. .31 the content of the novel.32 the theme.3 background.31 social atmosphere in the 17

2、th century.32 the religious development in america, especially puritan.53 main characters.6 analysis of different characters.7analysis of major characters and display of the authors religious thoughts.81 puritanism.81.1family.81.2education.91.3work101.4theology.111.5civil rights.142 obedience.143 re

3、volt16 conclusion.17 references.18nathaniel hawthornes religious view in the scarlet letter 摘 要：紅字使美國(guó)作家霍桑譽(yù)滿全球，作者在作品中宗教思想的體現(xiàn)貫穿始終、無(wú)處不在，在一定程度上是同時(shí)期美國(guó)社會(huì)的反映。本文從作者的多種宗教思想的體現(xiàn)，即：清教徒思想（包括從家庭、 教育、 工作、 神學(xué)、民權(quán)等方面）、服從宗教、權(quán)威的意識(shí)和反抗的態(tài)度，以及從不同的人物性格中分析等方面入手，研究紅字中的作者宗教思想的體現(xiàn)。 同時(shí)，對(duì)作者的生平和主要作品，以及同時(shí)代美國(guó)的社會(huì)背景和宗教思想的發(fā)展進(jìn)行介紹，使我們能更好地

4、了解作者的宗教思想在作品中的體現(xiàn)。 關(guān)鍵詞：紅字 宗教思想 服從 反抗abstract： the scarlet letter makes the american writer nathaniel hawthorne known all around the world. hawthornes religious view was displayed so greatly that it to some degree is a reflection of the american society at the contemporary time. this paper researches

5、the authors religious thoughts in this novel from the following aspects: puritan（including family, education, work, theology, civil right and so on）;obedience to the religion and authority; revolt to the religion and authority. readers can have a clear view on the authors religious thought when the

6、main characters are analyzed in the novel. at the same time, they can get a general knowledge of the authors growth and his main works, of the background of the american society and the development of the religion at that period. all of these can help readers have a better understanding of the autho

7、rs religious views, which are displayed in the novel. key words: the scarlet letter religious view obedience revoltnathaniel hawthornes religious view in the scarlet letterintroduction to the author this paper mainly deals with the authors religious thoughts reflected in the novel. before we discuss

8、 it, we must have a general understanding of the author. 1 the authors famenathaniel hawthorne was the first american novelist to develop truly native and american settings, characters, and even plots in his works. 1 the internal conflict in hawthornes characters is often moral in nature and should

9、be read in the puritan context. thats why hawthornes characters-such as goodman brown, reverend hooper, ethan brand, and john endicottare obsessed with sin. no matter in what age or country hawthornes characters exist, they are puritans. this characteristic was due in large measure to his family and

10、 the training he received as a child. 2 the authors growth and main workshawthornes two earliest american ancestors had been political and civil leaders in salem, massachusetts, where hawthorne was born on july 4th, 1804. after nathaniels father, a sea captain, died in surinam, dutch guiana, in 1808

11、, the boy was brought up principally by women and filled with tales of his puritan ancestors.hawthornes childhood was a lonely one. crippled during his childhood, he spends most of his early years in a small village in maine. it was not until he went to bowdoin college in brunswick, maine, that he b

12、egan to associate with his own contemporaries. after his graduation from bowdoin, hawthorne returned to salem, leading a rather lonely existence for twelve years. he did publish one novel, fanshawe (1828), anonymously, which he later tried to withdraw from publication. in 1837 hawthorne published se

13、veral of these stories and sketches which filled his notebooks with descriptions of new englanders of all classes, accounts of important incidents and events; some of which had previously appeared in magazines, newspapers, and other publications under the title twice told tales. when he was forty-fi

14、ve years old, hawthorne started writing novels. beginning with what is generally considered his masterpiece, the scarlet letter (1850), he followed with the house of the seven gables (1851), and the blithedale romance a year later. each of these novels was set in new england. in this period of his g

15、reatest productivity he also wrote books for children: the wonder book (1852), tanglewood tales (1853), another collection of short stories, and the snow image and other twice told tales (1851). in 1853 hawthorne went to italy, which became the background for his last completed novel, the marble fau

16、n, written in 1860. he returned to the united states that year and settled down once more in concord. the four remaining years of hawthornes life saw a gradual decline in his health and writing ability. he published one more book- our old home (1863-about england) and began four more novels which he

17、 never completed. on may 19th, 1864, he died in his sleep in plymouth, new hampshire, while on a trip there with franklin pierce, and was buried in sleepy hollow cemetery in concord. 1 introduction to the story.novel the scarlet letter written by nathaniel hawthorne, published in 1850. it is conside

18、red a masterpiece of american literature and a classic moral study.1 the content of the novelthe novel is set in a village in puritan new england. the main character is hester prynne, a young woman who has borne an illegitimate child. hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, roger chillingw

19、orth, returns to new england very much alive and conceals his identity. he finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter a on her dress as punishment for her adultery. chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding the identity of his wifes former lover. when he learns that the father of hesters chi

20、ld is arthur dimmesdale, a saintly young minister who is the leader of those exhorting her to name the childs father, chillingworth proceeds to torment the guilt-stricken young man. in the end chillingworth is morally degraded by his monomaniacal pursuit of revenge; dimmesdale is broken by his own s

21、ense of guilt, and he publicly confesses his adultery before dying in hesters arms. only hester can face the future bravely, as she plans to take her daughter pearl to europe to begin a new life.2 2 the themethemes of this story include: hypocrisy, nature of evil, social pressures to conform, aliena

22、tion, a womans place in society, struggle between righteousness and sin, destructive results of guilt and revenge, supernaturalism, maternal love, betrayal, self righteousness, faith and love above obedience to moral law and social custom. background1 social atmosphere in the 17th century.relationsh

23、ips between men and women were very constrained and that is what made adultery such a bad sin in the eyes of everyone in the community. religion seemed to govern over all, people would look up to reverends and the community believed that fate was their destiny. public discipline and punishment were

24、used to discourage everyone else from committing the same crime or sin as the offending criminal did. the communities was to follow the beliefs of god and to do their duties the best they could, yet were there to criticize and punish all who disobeyed the religion or laws. in 17th century boston eve

25、ry thing was very strict and everyone was expected to follow the laws, which makes hesters sin such an excellent example of the beliefs of that time period. the beginning scene shows the weight of values and morals upon society in the 17th century and how public punishment was not only used as punis

26、hment but as a way to discourage others from committing the same crime. the community was the key in this punishment because it helped alienate hester and further her pain. the punishment brings forth hesters underlying pain. this pain only breaks surface once, yet throughout the whole story hester

27、must deal with the shame and emotional pain of the scarlet letter.since religion was such a key part of their lives, anyone who did disobey their god was looked down upon. what made religion ironic in this story was how everyone looked up to a reverend that had committed the same sin as someone they

28、 looked down upon severely. the reverend knows his sin and wants to be punished with hester and pearl, yet not until what he calls judgment day. in the 17th century, puritans believed that there was a stern god who had decreed in advance the fate of each person for all time. therefore, there was not

29、 much people felt they could do to become a better person in gods eyes but do his biding with their jobs. to increase their chances of getting to go to heaven the townspeople would often get one step closer to god by getting close to a religious leader, which was bad for arthur dimmesdale who was pr

30、obably farther away from god than everyone else because of his sin. relationships were looked upon, as something sacred and a woman should be loyal to her husband. once you married it was considered a horrible offense if you were unfaithful to your spouse. “they have not been bold to put force the e

31、xtremity of our righteous law against her. the penalty therefore is death.3 a townsman explains that the penalty is death for her crime (showing the harshness of the 17th century), yet that the other party in the affair must have played a strong role in tempting her, so they just sentenced her to th

32、e letter on her chest and three hours on the scaffold.women still did not have that many rights, so anything hester said in her defense would have just have been ignored. relationships were not supposed to be broken unless by divorce, even if the husband was at the bottom of the sea-where hesters hu

33、sband was believed to be.through relationships, religion, community, discipline and punishment the reader can get a better understanding of what was expected of towns people in the 17th century. the scarlet letter shows the pain and suffering a woman went through when she broke her marriage, and dis

34、obeyed her religion. she then was sentenced to a public punishment to be humiliated, tormented, and alienated by the community around her. 4the fate driven religious society in 17th century boston would not accept sin of any kind and the punishment for adultery was death. instead, the community bran

35、ded hester prynne with the letter a for the rest of her life and made her stand in front of the whole community as an example for everyone that sin and corruption was not accepted in their society 2 the religious development in america, especially puritanismthe puritans (and other early colonists)pu

36、ritans were a group of religious reformers who arrived in massachusetts in the 1630s under the leadership of john winthrop (whose death is recounted in the novel). the religious sect was known for its intolerance of dissenting ideas and lifestyles. the puritans came in much greater numbers - twenty

37、thousand between 1628 and 1638. like the pilgrims, they were also calvinists. unlike the pilgrims, they had tried to reform (purify) the church of england and then all of england according to their interpretation of gods word (thus their name, puritans). they had failed in their attempt and so sough

38、t to try again in america. like the pilgrims, they were mostly middle-class folk, although some highborn gentlemen joined them. they were solid merchants, farmers, and craftsmen. also like the pilgrims, they possessed a very high level of education and mental sophistication. their pastors could read

39、 several languages and were the intellectual leaders of society, preaching long sermons that plumbed the depths of christian theology and applied the bible to all of life.in christian history, the puritans (and pilgrims) believed that gods word could shed light on practically all questions that face

40、 us in our daily living. in the bible they found principles of conduct for individuals, families, and entire communities.the initial reason for the puritans to leave their homes was the treatment they had to suffer from in their native england. they were brutally persecuted and were not allowed to p

41、ractice their religion, because they said that the beliefs taught by the anglican church were against the bible. we learn that hawthorne feels ashamed for his ancestors deeds, and that he sees them and the puritan society as a whole with critical eyes. consequently, both open and subtle criticism of

42、 the puritans practices is applied throughout the novel. hawthornes best subjects and his clearest vision were derived from the new england puritan pastthat long memorable list of themes, historical events, and significant men who lived their lives in the early colony. the past gave to hawthorne a v

43、alid artistic subject matter and an opportunity to use his imagination fully. he preferred themes drawn more from a puritan preoccupation with guilt so puritan is the authors concern in almost most of his works.in the scarlet letter, hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian puritan society as an

44、 analogue for humankind in general. the puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under extreme -pressures. hester, dimmesdale, and chillingworth, while unquestionably part of the puritan society in which they live, also reflect universal experiences. hawthorne speaks specifically t

45、o american issues, but he circumvents the aesthetic and thematic limitations that might accompany such a focus. his universality and his dramatic flair have ensured his place in the literary canon.3 main characters(1) hester prynne hester is the books protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter

46、 that gives the book its title. the letter, a patch of fabric in the shape of an “a,” signifies that hester is an “adulterer.” as a young woman, hester married an elderly scholar, chillingworth, who sent her ahead to america to live but never followed her. while waiting for him, she had an affair wi

47、th a puritan minister named dimmesdale, after that she gave birth to pearl. hester is passionate but also strongshe endures years of shame and scorn. her alienation puts her in the position to make acute observations about her community, particularly about its treatment of women.(2) pearl hesters il

48、legitimate daughter pearl is a young girl with a moody, mischievous spirit and an ability to perceive things that others do not. for example, she quickly discerns the truth about her mother and dimmesdale. the townspeople say that she barely seems human and spread rumors that her unknown father is a

49、ctually the devil. she is wise far beyond her years, frequently engaging in ironic play having to do with her mothers scarlet letter.(3)roger chillingworth “roger chillingworth” is actually hesters husband in disguise. he is much older than she is and had sent her to america while he settled his aff

50、airs in europe. because native americans capture him, he arrives in boston belatedly and finds hester and her illegitimate child being displayed on the scaffold. he lusts for revenge, and thus decides to stay in boston despite his wifes betrayal and disgrace. he is a scholar and uses his knowledge t

51、o disguise himself as a doctor, intent on discovering and tormenting hesters anonymous lover. chillingworth is self-absorbed and both physically and psychologically monstrous. his single-minded pursuit of retribution reveals him to be the most malevolent character in the novel.(4)reverend arthur dim

52、mesdaledimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in england as a theologian and then immigrated to america. in a moment of weakness, he and hester became lovers. although he will not confess it publicly- he is the father of her child. he deals with his guilt by tormenting himself physically and ps

53、ychologically, developing a heart condition as a result. dimmesdale is an intelligent and emotional man, and his sermons are thus masterpieces of eloquence and persuasiveness. his commitments to his congregation are in constant conflict with his feelings of sinfulness and need to confess.(5)governor

54、 bellinghamgovernor bellingham is a wealthy, elderly gentleman who spends much of his time consulting with the other town fathers. despite his role as governor of a fledgling american society, he very much resembles a traditional english aristocrat. bellingham tends to strictly adhere to the rules,

55、but he is easily swayed by dimmesdales eloquence. he remains blind to the misbehaviors taking place in his own house: his sister, mistress hibbins, is a witch.(6)mistress hibbinsmistress hibbins is a widow who lives with her brother, governor bellingham, in a luxurious mansion. she is commonly known

56、 to be a witch who ventures into the forest at night to ride with the “black man.” her appearances at public occasions remind the reader of the hypocrisy and hidden evil in puritan society.(7)reverend mr. john wilsonbostons elder clergyman, reverend wilson is scholarly yet grandfatherly. he is a ste

57、reotypical puritan father, a literary version of the stiff, starkly painted portraits of american patriarchs. like governor bellingham, wilson follows the communitys rules strictly but can be swayed by dimmesdales eloquence. unlike dimmesdale, his junior colleague, wilson preaches hellfire and damnation and advocates harsh punishment of sinners.(8)narratorthe unnamed narrator works as the surveyor of the salem custom