Nathaniel_Hawthorne霍桑.pptVIP

★Theme of The Scarlet Letter To escape the bondage of religion either on people’s spirit or on people’s natural desire. The theme of the story should be the moral, emotional and psychological effects or consequences of the sin on people. ★Symbol（象征） Generally speaking, a symbol is anything which is used to represent something other than itself. In literature, it is most often a concrete object which is used to represent something broader and more abstract---often a moral, religious, or philosophical concept or value. . Symbols in the novel The scaffold（绞刑台） : a Symbol of penitence（赎罪） and God’s platform on the Day of Judgement Prison : a symbol of isolation（隔离） and alienation（异化，疏远） The Rose Bush : a constant reminder of salvation and hope to all the prisoners. The Forest : her inability to find happiness or warmth; hope Dark color: -her dull, gloomy life Bright color-the child’s free spirit Stream : the symbol of line between evil and pure. Symbols in the novel (name ) Hester Prynne : 1) sounds like Hestier, who is a very beautiful goddess, and sister of Zeus, in Greek mythology; 2) a homophone of hasty Arthur Dimmesdale: 1) AD-adultery; 2) a “symbol of dim sum house” of the pastor（牧师） Roger Chillingworth :1) chilly-a ruthless （无情的）avenger; 2) avenger’s life is worthless. Symbolic meanings of the letter “ A ” A at first it is a token(象征) of shame, “ Adultery” but then the genuine(真正的） sympathy and help Hester offered to her fellow villagers changes it to “ Able”. Later in the story, the letter “ A “ appears in the sky, signifying “ Angel” , it may also represent Adamic, an archetypal（原型的） vice suggestive of “ original sin”（原罪） ★Symbolic meanings of the letter “ A ” Adultery Able Angel Admirable Alone Adamic Avenge Alone Alienation… * Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) “Like EdgarAllan Poe, Hawthorne took a dark view of human Nature.” American novelist and short story writer， the first greatest Ameican fiction writer in the moralistic tradition