论《红字》的清教观.docx
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论《红字》的清教观.docx
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论《红字》的清教观
PuritanisminTheScarletLetter
Abstract
TheScarletLetter,NathanielHawthorne’srepresentativework,isaclassicalnovelinAmericanliteratureinthe19thcentury.ThenoveldisplaysPuritanism’sgreatimpactonpeople'slifeandthought.Thisthesiswillgiveapictureofpuritans’lifeandideologythroughtheanalysisofthePuritantownBostonandsomerelatedcharacters,andintroducehowthecommunitiesinthetownaredeeplyinfluencedbyPuritanism.Meanwhile,byanalyzingthemaincharacterHester,thethesiswillpresenttheharshnessandthestrictpunishmentinPuritansociety.InPuritancommunities,whoevercommitsasinwillbepunished.ThethesisalsopresentsHawthorne’sattitudetowardsPuritanism.Ononehand,heappreciatesthePuritanthoughtandvalue;ontheotherhand,hecondemnsthenegativeimpactofPuritansocietyonpeople’sspirit.
KeyWords:
Puritanism,NathanielHawthorne,TheScarletLetter,Boston,Hester
论《红字》的清教观
内容提要
霍桑的代表作〈〈红字〉〉是19世纪美国文学史上的一本古典小说。
〈〈红字〉〉表现了清教主义传统在人们思想上和生活上的烙印,使人们对18世纪的美国社会有了一定的了解。
在当时,一切都受到宗教的束缚,宗教有着神圣不可侵犯的权威。
本论文通过对一些主要人物和波士顿小镇的分析向人们展示了清教徒的思想和他们的生活方式。
交代了小镇上人们深受清教主义的影响。
通过对主人公海丝特等人的分析揭示了清教社会的严酷以及严厉的刑罚制度。
任何人无论谁犯了错都要受到惩罚。
霍桑在一定程度上也受到清教主义的影响。
一方面他肯定了宗教思想与价值,另一方面批判了清教社会对人的精神的负面影响。
关键词:
清教主义;纳撒尼尔·霍桑;〈〈红字〉〉;波士顿;海斯特
Chapter1
Ⅰ.Introduction
A. Puritans
NathanielHawthorne’sTheScarletLetterwaswrittenin18thcentury.ThesettingofTheScarletLetterisinthe17thcenturyinBoston,America.BeforeproceedingtotheanalysisofthePuritanisminthenovel,somefundamentaldefinitionsneedtobeestablished.WhowerethePuritans?
WhendidtheyarriveintheNewWorld—America?
Howabouttheirideologyandlifestyle?
Howabouttheauthor?
Puritanisthenamegiveninthe16thcenturytothemoreextremeProtestantswithintheChurchofEngland.TheseProtestantsthoughttheEnglishReformationhadnotgonefarenoughinreformingthedoctrinesandstructureofthechurch.Theywantedtopurifytheirchurch.Inthe17thcenturymanyPuritansimmigratedtotheNewWorld,wheretheysoughttofoundaholyCommonwealthinNewEngland.“ThePuritansdidnotallowreligiousdissent(holdingdifferentreligiousbelief).Theyinsistedthathighposition,andachievementsweresignsof‘eternalgrace’,thatis,favourofGod,andtheywantedtoforceGod’swillontherestofmankind.Puritantraditionalsoinvolvedarespectforlearningwhichledtotheestalishmentofschoolsandthespreadofliteracy.”[1](P238)Puritanismremainesthedominantculturalforceinthatareaintothe19thcentury.
B. NewEngland
Accordingtohistoricaldata,in1620,theEnglishMonarchy,aseagertoberidofthePuritansasthePuritansweretoberidoftheKing,grantedagroupofPuritansachartertomakeasettlementintheEnglishcoloniesthatisnowtheNewEnglandofAmerica.TherewereeconomicincentivesforthePuritantomovetotheNewWorld,includingeconomicupheavalinEuropeandtheprospectofmakingaprofitinAmerica,buttheirchiefincentivewasreligious:
theywouldbeabletopracticetheirreligionfreely.Soinlatefallsome103settlerssailedontheMayflowerandarrivedinNewEngland.Thenin1628,provokedbyKingCharlesI’sincreasingintolerance,anothergroupofPuritansformedabusinesscorporation,theMassachusettsBayCompany,forsettlementoftheNewWorld.TheyarrivedonCapeAnn,justnorthandeastofwhatisnowcalledBoston.Thirteenyearslater,about1,000Englishsettlers,largelythePuritans,hadimmigratedtotheBostonarea.By1643,thereweresome20,000inthegeneralareaoftheMassachusettsBayColony,makingBostonthelargestandthemostprosperousPuritantowninAmerica.
ConsideringthelargenumberofallthesePuritansettlers,theirwidedistributionandtheirstrongfaith,religiousanddailylifeinthenewAmericancolonies,especiallyinBoston,wasmainlyofPuritancolor.Inaddition,religiousdoctrinebecamecivillaw,andtheruleoftheleaderswasabsolute.WhilethewholeofNewEnglandwaslargelyPuritan,itisthosewhosettledinandaroundBoston,whoinfluencedAmericancultureprofoundlyandofwhomNathanialHawthornewrote.
C. Puritansideologyandlifestyle
Ontheotherhand,PuritanideologyisveryimportantforPuritansfortheydesignedtheirlivesafterthat.Thepuritansbelievedinthemajesty,righteousnessandsovereigntyofGod.Theyregardhimasomniscientandomnipotent.Incontrast,allhumanbeingsweredepravedsinners.TheybelievedthatGodhadpredestinedsomeofthesefallencreaturesforthegiftofsalvation.Thisstatusoftheelectedornon-electedsignifiedGod’schoosingofthosetowhomthegraceofsalvationwastobeoffered.ThePuritanstookthescripture,andthesermonsasGod’sownwords,whichtheyinterpreted,followingtheworksoftheFrenchPeterRamus,inthemostaccurateway,andexpectedallPuritanstolivestrictlyfollowingtheseparameters.Itdidnotmeanthatsinnerscouldsavethemselves,buttheelectcouldimprovetheirsouls.TwoofthemainpointsofPuritantheologyarethecovenantsofgraceandwork.ThecovenantofgracerequiredafaithinGod,andthatGodhimselfgavetheelecttograsp.Thecovenantofwork,onthecontrary,dependedonlyonhumanaction.AlthoughthePuritansbelievedinpredeterminationtheydidnotwaittheirGod-givenfate.Theyspenttheirwholelifetryingtofindouttheirdestiny,whetheritmightbeheavenorhell.Work,evenifitdidnotguaranteesalvation,wastheirwaytoexpresstheirfaithandtoshowtheirhopeforheaven.Everyonewhodidnotworkwasdeprivedofthehighmoralityandagoodlife.
However,Puritanspaidmuchattentiontotheireducation.TheythoughtthatonlythosewhowereabletoreadtheBiblewouldfindreligioustruth.TheBiblewasreadandinterpretedveryaccuratelyandstrictly.Andthistruth,thatwastobefoundbyaccurateinterpretation,wassynonymouswithagoodlife.AlthoughthePuritanshavebeenverystrictinreligiousway,ontheotherhandtheycouldbequitetolerant.Thegradeoftolerancewasdependenttotheextentoftheappropriatething.Forexampletheycondemnedthedrunkard,butnottheconsumptionofalcoholitself.Andtheydidnottaboosexuality,aslongasitwassexualitybetweenhusbandandwifeandnotextramaritalsexuality.ButthestrictPuritancodewasfarfromtolerant.RelationshipbetweenmenandwomenwasveryconstrainedandthatarewhatmadeadulterysuchabadsinintheeyesofeveryonewhointhecommunitybelievedthattheirfatewascontrolledbyGod.Publicdisciplineandpunishmentwereusedtodiscourageeveryoneelsefromcommittingthesamecrimeorsinastheoffendingcriminaldid.ThecommunitywastofollowthebeliefofGodandtodotheirdutiesthebesttheycould,yetweretheretocriticizeandpunishallwhodisobeyedthereligionorlaws.
Churchwasthecornerstoneofthe17thcenturylifeinNewEngland.Everythingwasverystrictandeveryonewasexpectedtofollowthelaws.Itwasagainstthelawnottoattendchurch—wheremenandwomensatonoppositesidesthroughlongservices.ThePuritanlifestylewasrestrainedandrigid:
Peoplewereexpectedtoworkhardandrepresstheiremotionsoropinions.Individualdifferenceswerefrownedupon.Eventhedark,somberPuritandresswasdictatedbythechurch.
D. Hawthorn’sfamilybackground
AsoneofthemostinfluentialRomanticnovelistsinAmericainthe19thcentury,“NathanielHawthorne’sworksmostlydescribethepeople’smentalattitude,thoughtcontradictionandlifetragedyunderCalvinisticpressurebythecruelclericalismdominationinthecolonialperiod.HawthornewasbornonJuly4,1804inSalem,Massachusetts.Salem,hishometown,haseverbeentheplacewherePuritanismforcesarerampantandseveralgenerationsofhisancestorsarefanaticPuritans;therefore,therichPuritanismthoughtfromhisfamilyhasdeep-rootedeffectonHawthorne.BecausePuritanismitselfownsthecomplicatedstatethatpositivismandnegativismarecoexistent,HawthornehasdoubtfulorreligiousattitudetoPuritanism.Hawthorneisinclinedtoconservationinpoliticalthought,andholdspessimismforfuture.Ononehand,heassailsPuritancriminalbehaviorssuchasreligiousfanaticismandimpermissibilitytoheresy;ontheotherhand,hetakesthereligiousbasiccreedasthecriteriontocognitionandjudgment.”[2](P65)Thecontradictivementalityistypicallyanddeeplyrepresentedinhismasterpiece“TheScarletLetter”.HisfamilywasofPuritanbeliefforgenerationsandhadbeenprominentintheareasincecolonialtimes.HawthorneknewBibleverywellandwenttochurchfrequently.Whenhewasfour,hisfatherdiedonavoyage,butmaternalrelativesrecognizedhisliterarytalentandfinancedhiseducation.AsaboyhewenttotheEastSalemChurch,whichwasdescribedas“onthevergeofUnitarism”.DuringhisstudyintheBowdinCollege,amonghisclassmatesweremanyoftheimportantliteraryandpoliticalfiguresoftheday:
writerHoratioBridge,futureSenatorJonathanCiley,HenryWadsworthLongfellow,andfuturePresidentFranklinPierce.TheseprominentfriendssuppliedHawthornewithgovernmentemploymentintheleantimes,allowinghimtimetobloomasanauthor.Later,whenheservedasaConsulinEngland,heattendedservicesataUnitarianchurchinLiverpool.But,itcouldnotbemoretypicalforaPuritanthathecouldnotgetalongwiththereligiousritualsandceremonies,like,forexample,funerals.HesimplyhadthesePuritanaversionsthatalreadycausedthePuritanstosplitfromtheAnglicanChurch.Hesimplelywantedtohaveasmallregularincomethatwouldallowhimtoforgeteverything,whichwasnotimportanttohim.
Therichloreoffamilyandlocalhistoryprovidedmuch
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