《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx
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《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx
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《红字》中的精灵珀尔
TheElf-ChildinTheScarletLetter—Pear
ⅠHawthorne,theAuthorofTheScarletLetter
NathanielHawthorneisarenownedAmericanromanticwriteroffictionin19thcentury,andmanyofhisworktakeNewEnglandasthebackground,reflectingthesocialreality.Heisgoodatutilizingimaginationoftheromanticism,thesymbolismandheartanalysisinordertodescribethesubjects,contrastingcharacter'sinnermostfeelingsanddisplayingthemysticismobscurely.
HawthornewasbornontheFourthofJuly,1804,inSalem,Massachusetts.SomeofhisancestorsweremenofprominenceinthePuritantheocracyofseventeenth-centuryNewEngland.Oneofthemewasacolonialmagistrate,notoriousforhispartinthepersecutionoftheQuaker,andanotherwasajudgeattheSalemWitchcraftTrialin1692.Graduallythefamilyfortunedeclined.Hisfather,aseacaption,diedinDutchGuiana,leavingthewidowandthechildbehind.YoungHawthornewasintenselyawareofthemisdeedsofhisPuritanancestors,andhisawarenessledtohisunderstandingofevilbeingatthecoreofhumanlife.
In1821,HawthornewenttoBowdoinCollege,wherehehadHenryWadsworthLongfellowasaclassmate.HealsodevelopedafriendshipwithFranklin.PiercewhowastobecomethefourteenthPresidentoftheUnitedStates.Fromthe1852to1837Hawthornelivedinsolitudeandseclusion.Hereadwidelyandbecamefurtheracquaintedwithlocalhistory,andbegantopracticewriting.
Allhisworks,however,broughthimneithergreatfamenoranyfortunelargeenoughtorelievehimoftheharassmentofthepoverty.Inhislife,Hawthorneseemstobehauntedbyhissenseofsinandevilinlife.Readinghistalesandromances,onecannotbutbeoverwhelmedbythe“black”visionwhichtheseworksreveal.
Hawthorne’suniquegiftwasforthecreationofstronglysymbolicstorieswhichtouchthedeepestrootsofman’smoralnature.ThefinestexampleistherecreationofPuritanBoston,TheScarletletter.Inthisnovel,eachword,image,andeventworkstowardasingleeffect.Itisacomplexstoryofguilt,itseffectsuponvariousperson,andhowdeliveranceisobtainedforsomeofthem.
HawthornewasconvincedthatromancewasthepredestinedformofAmericannarrative.ItisnotonlythepovertyofmaterialsinAmericathatledhimtotreatthephysicalpassionsobliquelyandtoavoidviolatingthehumanheart.OutofhispuritanscruplescamehisanxiousdesirenottooffendthePuritantaste,hisearnestwish“topresentundercircumstances……ofthewriter’sownchoosingorcreation,”toavoidcommittingaliterarycrimeofanysort.Inshort,totellthetruthandsatirizeandyetnottooffend:
thatwaswhatHawthornehadinmindtoachieve.HereliesHawthorne’sawareness,asLeslieFiedlerobserves,themodernwriter’sawarenessthat,iftruetohimself,hecannotproduceabookwhichhisfathersandhisneighborswouldapprove.Theanguishofthissituation,Fiedlergoesontotellus,Hawthorneseeswithgreatclarity,knowingthatinbecomingawriterofthefirstrankhehasalsobecome“acitizenofsomewhereelse.”ThisisindeedaninsightfulremarkonHawthorne.
Hawthorne’sinfluencehasbeengreat.HewasaccordedduerecognitionbyhiscontemporaryJamesRussellLowellinthelatter’sAFableforCritics.HechangedHermanMelville’soriginalschemeofhisMobyDick.TheJamesianPsychologicalrealismnayhavetakeitscuefromHawthorne’ssoul-searchingworks.OtherrealistslikeWilliamDeanHowellslearnedtouseHawthorne’sfictionasthebenchmarkfortheirnovel-writingpractice.InthiscenturyWilliamFaulknerandsomeGothicnovelistsclearlyshowtheirindebtednesstohim.IfHawthorne’sreputationisstillrising,itisindeedasitshouldbe.
WiththepublicationofTheScarletletterin1850,NathanielHawthornebecamefamousasthegreatestwriterlivingthenintheUnitedStates,(asindeedsomecriticsputit)andhisreputationasamajorAmericanauthorhasbeenontheincreaseeversince.TheScarletLetterwasNathanielHawthorne’smasterpiece.Amongallofcharacters,Pearlwasthemostmysteriousandhadsomeoriginalfeaturesinhercharacter.
ⅡPearl’sCharacter
Asanindependentindividual,Pearlwasaqueerchildwithstrongbeauty.Sometimesshecouldbepurelikealittlepeasantgirl,butsometimesshealsocouldbegorgeouslikeaprincess.Hesterdressesherdaughterinacrimsonvelvettunicofapeculiarcut,whichisbeautifulinarich,sensuouswaythatstandsincontrasttothestiffnessofPuritansociety.Indeed,thenarratorexplicitlytellsthereaderthatPearlis“thescarletletterendowedwithlife.”ThenarratortellsusthatHesterhascreatedan“analogybetweentheobjectofHester’saffectionandtheemblemofherguiltandtorture.”ThisreinforcesthecontradictorynatureofboththeletterandPearl,forjustasHesterbothlovesandfeelsburdenedbyPearl,herthoughtsregardingthescarletletterseemalsotocontainatouchoffondness.Certainlyherattitudetowarditisnotoneofuniformregret,andshemayevenharborpleasantassociationswiththedeedsthatthelettersymbolizes.Thesinitselfisbothaguiltyactandanactofaffection,aproblematiccombinationofloveand“evil.”ButPearlalsoistheproblematiccombination.
1.1IntelligentandSensitive
Pearlisquiteyoungduringmostoftheeventsofthisnovel—whenDimmesdalediessheisonlysevenyearsold—andherrealimportanceliesinherabilitytoprovoketheadultcharactersinthebook.Sheasksthemtopointquestionsanddrawstheirattention,andthereader’s.Ingeneral,childreninTheScarletLetterareportrayedasmoreperceptiveandmorehonestthanadults,andPearlisthemostperceptiveofthemall.
Pearlhassomeveryspecialqualitiesdifferentfromcommonchildren.Sheisveryintelligentandsensitive.
Mother,saidlittlePearl,thesunshinedoesnotloveyou.Itrunsawayandhidesitself,becauseitisafraidofsomethingonyourbosom….Itwillnotfleefromme,forIwearnothingonmybosomyet!
Pearlisfrequentlyawareofthingsthatothersdonotsee,andheresheprescientlyidentifiesthescarletletteronhermother’sbosomwiththemetaphorical(andinthiscasealsoliteral)lackofsunshineinhermother’slife.Becausesheisjustachild,Pearloftendoesnotunderstandtheramificationsofthethingsshesees.Shefrequentlyrevealstruthsonlyindirectlybyaskingpointedquestions.Thesequeriesmakehermotheruncomfortableandcontributetothetext’ssuspense.
Noteverwill,mychild,Ihope,saidHester.Andwhynot,mother?
askedPearl,stoppingshort…Willitnotcomeofitsownaccord,whenIamawomangrown?
Pearllivesplayinginthetidepoolsdownonthebeach.Pretendingtobeamermaid,sheputseelgrassonherchestintheshapeofan“A,”onethatis“freshlygreen,insteadofscarlet.”Pearlhopesthathermotherwillaskherabouttheletter,andHesterdoesinquirewhetherPearlunderstandsthemeaningofthesymbolonhermother’schest.Theyproceedtodiscussthemeaningofthescarletletter.PearlconnectsthelettertoDimmesdale’sfrequenthabitofclutchinghishandoverhisheart,andHesterisunnervedbyherdaughter’sperceptiveness.
HerePearlisassuming,aschildrenoftendo,thathermotherisrepresentativeofalladults.Herquestionsuggeststhatshethinksthatallgrownwomenwearascarletletteroritsequivalent.Surely,Pearlhasnoticedthattheotherwomenintowndon’twearscarletletters.But,onamorefigurativelevel,herquestionsuggeststhatsin,thatwhichthescarletletterisintendedtorepresent,isaninevitablepartofbeingamaturehumanbeing.
ItisPearlwhopointsoutmanyofthesedisturbingandsignificantimages.Accuratelysensingthesinisterauraoftheplace,shetriestoescapeoutofawindow.Mostimportant,sheshunsWilsonandclingstoDimmesdale,exhibitingwhatwewilllaterunderstandasaprofoundsubconsciousinsight:
herinstinctleadsherawayfromtherepresentativeofher“heavenlyfather”andtowardshertrue“earthly”father.Herimpulsealsoreflectsontherelativecharactersofthetwomen.Wilson,asshesenses,isnottobetrusted,whileDimmesdale,althoughherefusestoacknowledgehisguilt,willultimatelyremainloyaltoherandhermother.
2.2DefiantandRebellious
Pearl’sverybeingseemstobeinherentlyatoddswiththestrictrulesofPuritansociety.PearlhasinheritedallofHester’smoodiness,passion,anddefiance,andsheconstantlymakesmischief.Hesterlovesbutworriesaboutherchild.
Pearlhasdefiantandrebelliousmannerisms.Toher,shealwaysrealizesthatsheisfacingahostileworld–Puritanism.Sosheshouldbuildupherownwillpowerandstrengthinordertodefeattheenemyinthefuture.That’swhyPearlalwayscreatedenemiesbutnevercreatedfriendswhenshewasplaying.
WhenPearlisveryyoung,itseemsthatshehasunderstoodthesolitudesituationandrealizesherownspecialpositiondifferentfromotherchildren.Pearlistheelf-childofnaturelivingwithherownrules,couldnotbeastrictbyanyPuritanism.Sheisdefiantandrebellious.
WhenthenarratordescribesPearlasan“outcast,”heunderstatesPearlisan“impofevil,emblemandproductofsin,shehadnorightamongchristenedinfants.”Pearlherselfisawareofherdifferencefromothers,andwhenHestertriestoteachheraboutGod,Pearlsays,“IhavenoheavenlyFather!
”BecausePearlishermother’sconstantcompanion,she,too,issubjecttothecrueltiesofthetownspeople.
ThechildrenofthetownspeopleareascruelastheirparentsintheirtreatmentofHesterandPearl.Intheir“play,”theunderlyingattitudesofthecommunityarerevealed.ThePuritans-in–trainingmakebelievetheyarescalpi
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