Hester Prynne ---- Resurrection
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2008-11-25 00:34 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

A theSIS
SUBMITTED TO the DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
OF --------------------UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF the REQUIREMENTS
FOR the DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS

BY
----------------------------
CLASS: 3   GRADE: 2002
SUPERVISED BY
---------------------------
June 2006

 

Contents
Chapter One: Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne…………………………………...P1
Chapter Tw Depravity---the Origin of the Scarlet1 Letter…………………………..P2
Chapter Three: Hester Prynne’s Resurrection --- From Suffering and Redemption to Salvation……………………………………………………………………………...P5
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….P10
References…………………………………………………………………………..P11
Hester Prynne---Resurrection
Abstract: the Scarlet Letter makes the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne known all around the world. Hawthorne is a pious2 Christian3, and is deeply influenced by the theology. He’s so much indulged in the religious doctrine4 that people can find the reflection of the God almost everywhere in his works. After reading The Scarlet Letter, one is mostly impressed by the spirit of The Bible the story depicted5. The book chiefly discusses sin and how to atone6 for it. Hester Prynne is the heroine of the fiction. This paper researches her fate to illustrate7 the influence of The Bible to Hawthorne. Hester Prynne commits adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her breast. At the beginning, she encounters all kinds of sufferings, both from the society and from her own soul. However, she realizes her sin and tries her best to atone for it. And she dose not choose to avoid her fault. Finally, through her endeavor, God forgives her. In short, sin and atoning8 for sin, that is the purpose of this paper.
 
Chapter One: Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne
With the publication of The Scarlet Letter in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne became one of the GREatest writer at that time and built his reputation as a major American author. Since that time on, people began to take great interest in all aspects of his life and a great many biographical and critical studies had been written about him and his works. He is also becoming more and more popular and familiar with Chinese readers. Since the Chinese translation of The scarlet Letter appeared in 1950s, scholars and readers in this country have shown an ever-increasing interest in his works.
Hawthorne was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were big shots in seventeenth-century New England, which was under the control of Puritanism. One of them was a colonial magistrate9, notorious for his participation10 in the persecution11 of Quakers, and another was a judge at the Salem Witchcraft12 Trail in 1692. Gradually, the family fortune declined. Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain, who died in an accident and left his mother and him behind to struggle to live for themselves. Young Hawthorne was quite aware of the misdeeds of his Puritan ancestors, and this awareness13 made him believe that evil was at the core of human life. To some extent, Hawthorne wrote some of his books, such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gambles to try to make up for the sin of his ancestors.
Hawthorne’s writing skills can be concluded as follows:
Firstly, all his life, Hawthorne seems to be indulged in his sense of sin and evil in life. Reading his books, one cannot but be overwhelmed by the black vision which these books reveal. Evil exists in the human heart all the time. For instance, in the short story, “ Earth’s Holocaust,” we can find that, though all symbols of tradition and the past have been burned in the bonfire of the life of the New World, the source of evil---the human heart, remains14 intact. Everyone possesses some evil secret as tales like “ Young Goodman Brown” set out to prove. Everyone tries to cover up its innermost evil in the way the minister Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter tries to pretend how pure and pious he is. Evil seems to be man’s birthmark. This point of view is just as what The Bible describes people’s original sin.
Secondly15, to Hawthorne, sin will surely get punished, one way or another. As a matter of fact, he was said to be always troubled by the thought that the decline of his family’s fortune had something to do with the sins of his Puritan ancestors. Hawthorne deeply believes that “the wrong-doing of one generation lives into the successive ones”(The House of the Seven Gambles). It is also interesting to note that Hawthorne believes that evil educates. What Hawthorne seems to prove is that man can get experience from the crime which brings about the disaster.
In short, to tell the truth and yet not to offend, that is all Hawthorne tries to achieve in his works.

Chapter Tw   Depravity---the Origin of the Scarlet Letter
the story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, which is under Puritan command. A young woman, named Hester Prynne, is sent ahead to America by her husband---an old and ugly scholar. However, for many years, he himself doesn’t arrive. Obviously, it is possible that he has been lost in the sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester and a young local minister called Arthur Dimmesdale fall in love with each other. They commit adultery secretly. Because of Hester’s Pregnancy16, the secret is finally discovered.
According to the Bible, everyone is sinful. That is the opinion of the original sin: when God creates the world, He first creates a man called Adam and then a woman called Eve. They live happily in the Garden of Eden. God tells them that they can eat every kind of fruit in the garden except those on the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Instigated17 by the serpent, the two can not control their curiosity and violates God’s order and eat the fruits from that particular tree. That enrages18 God. From that time on, they become sinful and are expelled from the Garden of Eden. However, sin doesn’t stop. It is passed from generation to generation by reproduction of Adam and Eve. All successive generations are their descendants and therefore inherit their sin. So at the time one is born, he/she bears evil and has the root of committing crime.
According to the principle of the original sin, Hester Prynne is not an exception. She is also the offspring of Adam and Eve. The inside of her flows their bloods and she of course inherits their original sin. Thus she is a sinner from the beginning of her life.
Are there any other standards to judge whether a person is sinful?The answer is positive. The criterion should not be the common custom. Instead, it should be the God’s standard. Because according to the common custom, it is very difficult to judge sometimes. Everybody is a mixture of virtue19 and evil and the emphasis of everyone’s selfish desire is quite different. Some cravenly fear death, some cling to woman’s charms, some seek only profits and some hanker after reputation. Some are frank and honest and others sly and cunning. Therefore it is hard to decide who is right and who is wrong. Furthermore, the common custom is relative and changing. For example, twenty years ago, to commit adultery was enough to ruin a person’s fame. However, in today’s society, cohabitation before marriage is universal. Besides, although some people display higher moral standards than others, they still can’t get rid of selfishness and avoid committing crime. If we adopts the criterion of the common custom, although we know that we are not innocent, we will comfort ourselves that we may be worse than some people, but still better than others.
Thus we can only use God’s criteria20 to decide whether or not a person is sinful. God’s criteria are The Ten Commandments and The Seven Deadly Sins.
the Ten Commandments:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol21 in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse22 the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses23 his name.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony24 against your neighbour.
You shall not covet25 your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
(Exodus2,14)
the Seven Deadly Sins: a)Pride; b)Lechery; c)Envy; d)Wrath; e)Sloth; f)Glutton
Obviously, according to these criteria, Hester Prynne is quite sinful. She is sinful because she disobeys God by committing adultery. When Chillingworth --- Hester Prynne’s husband sent her to the New World, although there was no love at all between the couple, she shouldn’t forget that she had already got married. She had a husband, who was just missing at that time. However, she could not control her vicious desire and had a love affair with the minister --- Dimmesdale. That’s not forgivable according to Catholicism. That’s insult to God. That’s betrayal! In such a situation, Hester Prynne forgot God’s instruction and was completely degenerated26. She is a blaspheme to God.
So from the very day of her crime, Hester Prynne has to bear all the sufferings that follow. Every sin must be punished. All our behaviors and deeds can’t pass away easily. Our wrong-doings are hateful in that they not only deprave ourselves, but also offense27 others and especially God. Hester’s behavior is disgraceful and she is looked down upon by others. Furthermore, her adultery affronts28 God. God is just and fair. God will not forgive your fault carelessly. According to Tom Waltson, the nature of sin is evil:
Firstly, sin fouls29 people; sin is not only a flaw, but also a contamination. Sin to soul is the same as rust30 to gold. It is just like a blemish31 on a beautiful thing. The Bible compares sin with “plague”(1King, 8, 38). Sin fouls God’s image and stain the pure of soul. It makes God “GREw weary of” the sinners (Zechariah,8,11); and when “you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled32 yourselves, and you will loathe33 yourselves for all the evil you have done”(Ezekiel,20,43). Apostle Paul said in2 Corinthian, 7, 1 that “everything … contaminates body and spirit”.
Secondly, Sin makes God worry. “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”(Ephesians, 4, 30). Sin is deliberately34 an affliction to God. God doesn’t like sin because sin makes God be insulted. So to worry God is a big crime.
Thirdly, sin is contrary to God. A sinner trends on God’s principle and violates God’s decree.
Fourthly, sin brings evil. Sin is like the Trojan horse (The GREeks sieged Troy for many years without result. One day, they got an idea. They pretended to retreat, leaving a huge wooden horse, in which a number of Greek heroes had hidden themselves. The Trojans, who were too happy to reflect on the situation, brought the horse inside the city as a war trophy35. In the following night, the Greeks came out and attacked the unsuspecting and celebrating Trojans, and finally conquered Troy), which has a common outlook and terrible things inside.
Lastly, sinners who don’t repent36 will die out. Unrepentant sin brings about “ the second death”(Revelation 20,14)



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 scarlet zD8zv     
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的
参考例句:
  • The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
  • The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了,深红的颜色变成了绯红,绯红又变为浅红。
2 pious KSCzd     
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的
参考例句:
  • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
  • Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。
3 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
4 doctrine Pkszt     
n.教义;主义;学说
参考例句:
  • He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
  • The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。
5 depicted f657dbe7a96d326c889c083bf5fcaf24     
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
  • They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
6 atone EeKyT     
v.赎罪,补偿
参考例句:
  • He promised to atone for his crime.他承诺要赎自己的罪。
  • Blood must atone for blood.血债要用血来还。
7 illustrate IaRxw     
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图
参考例句:
  • The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
  • This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。
8 atoning 0d625a69f2d0eee5ccc6413a89aa5db3     
v.补偿,赎(罪)( atone的现在分词 );补偿,弥补,赎回
参考例句:
  • A legacy from Mrs. Jennings, was the easiest means of atoning for his own neglect. 詹宁斯太太的遗赠,是弥补他自己的失职的最简单、最容易的方法。 来自辞典例句
  • Their sins are washed away by Christ's atoning sacrifice. 耶稣为世人赎罪作出的牺牲,洗去了他们的罪过。 来自互联网
9 magistrate e8vzN     
n.地方行政官,地方法官,治安官
参考例句:
  • The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
  • John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。
10 participation KS9zu     
n.参与,参加,分享
参考例句:
  • Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
  • The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。
11 persecution PAnyA     
n. 迫害,烦扰
参考例句:
  • He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
  • Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。
12 witchcraft pe7zD7     
n.魔法,巫术
参考例句:
  • The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
  • All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。
13 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
14 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
15 secondly cjazXx     
adv.第二,其次
参考例句:
  • Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二,动脑筋提出自己的见解。
  • Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次,需要确定所作用的载荷。
16 pregnancy lPwxP     
n.怀孕,怀孕期
参考例句:
  • Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
  • Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。
17 instigated 55d9a8c3f57ae756aae88f0b32777cd4     
v.使(某事物)开始或发生,鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The government has instigated a programme of economic reform. 政府已实施了经济改革方案。
  • He instigated the revolt. 他策动了这次叛乱。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 enrages 5e325a6bb92fa279315afe5ace3fca2f     
使暴怒( enrage的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • That is exactly what enrages and frightens the Sunnis. 但这个点子带点垂死挣扎的味道:伊朗早已深植于伊拉克的逊尼派,这恰恰是逊尼派又惊又怕的原因。
  • He often stabs people in the back, which enrages me. 他就会背后放冷箭,真让人火大。
19 virtue BpqyH     
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力
参考例句:
  • He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
  • You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
20 criteria vafyC     
n.标准
参考例句:
  • The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
  • There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。
21 idol Z4zyo     
n.偶像,红人,宠儿
参考例句:
  • As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子,他是父母的宠儿。
  • Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。
22 misuse XEfxx     
n.误用,滥用;vt.误用,滥用
参考例句:
  • It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能,使我深感不安。
  • He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。
23 misuses fc4589550dc7faed88759d2800d65d17     
n.用错,滥用( misuse的名词复数 );误用者v.使用…不当( misuse的第三人称单数 );把…派作不正当的用途;虐待;滥用
参考例句:
  • He misuses his horses by giving them loads that are too heavy. 他给它们过重的负荷来虐待他的马。 来自互联网
  • He often misuses his authority to tyrannize his underlings. 他常用手中的职权凌轹下属。 来自互联网
24 testimony zpbwO     
n.证词;见证,证明
参考例句:
  • The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
  • He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
25 covet 8oLz0     
vt.垂涎;贪图(尤指属于他人的东西)
参考例句:
  • We do not covet anything from any nation.我们不觊觎任何国家的任何东西。
  • Many large companies covet these low-cost acquisition of troubled small companies.许多大公司都觊觎低价收购这些陷入困境的小公司。
26 degenerated 41e5137359bcc159984e1d58f1f76d16     
衰退,堕落,退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The march degenerated into a riot. 示威游行变成了暴动。
  • The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track. 铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄,成了一条崎岖不平的小径。
27 offense HIvxd     
n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪
参考例句:
  • I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
  • His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。
28 affronts 1c48a01b96db969f030be4ef66848530     
n.(当众)侮辱,(故意)冒犯( affront的名词复数 )v.勇敢地面对( affront的第三人称单数 );相遇
参考例句:
  • How can you stomach their affronts ? 你怎么能够忍受他们的侮辱? 来自辞典例句
  • It was true, acknowledgment in most cases of affronts was counted reparation sufficient. 的确,大部分的无理举动,只要认罪就时以算做足够的赔偿了。 来自辞典例句
29 fouls 30fac9075e8722a717059ab4a5ae092f     
n.煤层尖灭;恶劣的( foul的名词复数 );邪恶的;难闻的;下流的v.使污秽( foul的第三人称单数 );弄脏;击球出界;(通常用废物)弄脏
参考例句:
  • The player was sent off the field because of fouls. 这名运动员因屡屡犯规而被罚下场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Jones was ordered off in the second half after repeated fouls. 由于屡次犯规,琼斯在下半场中被责令退出比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 rust XYIxu     
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退
参考例句:
  • She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
  • The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。
31 blemish Qtuz5     
v.损害;玷污;瑕疵,缺点
参考例句:
  • The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
  • He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。
32 defiled 4218510fef91cea51a1c6e0da471710b     
v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 );污染;弄脏;纵列行进
参考例句:
  • Many victims of burglary feel their homes have been defiled. 许多家门被撬的人都感到自己的家被玷污了。
  • I felt defiled by the filth. 我觉得这些脏话玷污了我。 来自《简明英汉词典》
33 loathe 60jxB     
v.厌恶,嫌恶
参考例句:
  • I loathe the smell of burning rubber.我厌恶燃着的橡胶散发的气味。
  • You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时,你会厌恶油腻的气味。
34 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地
参考例句:
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
35 trophy 8UFzI     
n.优胜旗,奖品,奖杯,战胜品,纪念品
参考例句:
  • The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
  • He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。
36 repent 1CIyT     
v.悔悟,悔改,忏悔,后悔
参考例句:
  • He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
  • Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。
TAG标签:
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片