论反讽艺术在《红字》中运用
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最新美国小说《红字》含混的写作手法-精品美国小说《红字》含混的写作手法《红字》是象征大师纳撒尼尔·霍桑的代表作,其丰富的隐义和微妙的表现手法成为了人们永恒的话题,下面是一篇相关的,欢迎阅读参考。
引言纳撒尼尔·霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorne,(1804—1864)是美国浪漫主义时期重要的作家之一,他与梭罗、惠特曼一起开创了美国本土的新天地。
评论家爱伦·坡(Edgar Allan Poe)曾高度赞扬了他的创新精神,“他的小说属于的最高层次,一种服从于非常崇高级别的天才的艺术”。
他的代表作《红字》,想象丰富、写作手法独特,标志着美国长篇小说创作的一个重大突破。
他无疑是美利坚民族第一位无可争辩的伟大的小说家。
《红字》自发表以来,国内外从未间断过对它的评论,正如他自己所认为的那样,像《红字》这样的小说需要代代相传的阅读才能显示其价值。
总体来看,学者主要从它的主题、原型批评、女性主义批评、心理批评、等多方面展开研究,或从跨学科领域切入文本。
兰德尔·斯图尔特(Randall Stewart)对《红字》的高度评价经受了历史的考验,他的《霍桑传》是关于霍桑的批评史中最经典的专着。
笔者认为《红字》最大的特点是含混性(ambiguity),也是该小说经久不衰的原因。
“含混”一词最早源于拉丁文“ambiguitas”,其原意为“更易”(shifting)或“双管齐下”(acting both ways)。
在普通用法中,它一般用来指涉“文本的错误”,即“本想明确具体表意时却表达地含混多义”。
威尔弗雷德(Wilfred L Guerin )认为,“含混”就效果而言,是指“意义的模糊性、游移性和歧义性”;就方法而言,“常常是故意采用的一种表达方式,以便产生多种可能的解释,从而丰富作者所要表达的意义,加强戏剧性效果和审美效果。
”1930年,威廉·燕卜荪(William Empson,1906—1984) 在他的巨作《含混七型》中将“含混”细分为七种类型。
论霍桑《红字》中的象征手法摘要:美国著名作家霍桑的《红字》被称为美国第一部象征主义小说,在这部优秀的作品中,作者运用了丰富的象征手法,深化了小说的主题,增强了作品的感染力以及表现力。
对于作者如何熟练地运用象征手法,值得我们深入探讨。
本文主要从红字“A”、场景、人物、人物名字、鲜花等方面,对象征手法的运用进行分析,旨在为相关研究者提供借鉴。
关键词:《红字》霍桑象征手法寓意霍桑是美国浪漫主义作家之一,其长篇小说《红字》发表于1850年。
1848年正好在纽约召开了美国第一届妇女权利大会,会上提出了男女平等、财产权等问题。
因此,这部长篇小说内容涉及婚外情以及激进的女性主义思想,大胆地挑战和颠覆了当时基督教的价值判断。
与此同时,霍桑《红字》中运用的象征手法,不仅对许多作家作品的创作产生了重要影响,同时还影响了现代派文学的象征主义。
此外,在现代作品创作过程中,对霍桑《红字》象征手法的分析进行探讨,对我国现代文学的发展具有重要的现实意义。
一、象征主义和象征手法概述象征主义一词源于希腊文,原意并不是指象征主义,几经演变以后,被引申为可以用某种观念或事物代表符号或者物品。
在文学界,“象征主义”这个名称第一次是出现在1886年诗人让·莫雷亚斯发表的《象征主义宣言》中,也标志着象征主义流派的产生。
实际上,象征主义在未被提出之前,许多作家在作品中就大量运用象征主义这种创作方法。
象征派主张创作作品不要直接、客观、如实地描写所见事实,而是通过利用特定形象,表达作者的精神世界以及观念。
19世纪末,英国发生了文学艺术活动,扩大了象征主义的影响,推动了20世纪美学的发展。
象征主义不仅被运用到文学界,还应用到戏剧、绘画等创作中。
在文学界,象征手法是创作的一种重要手法,主要是借助某种具体形象来表现思想情感。
在文学创作中,恰当地运用象征手法,可以使作品立意深远、主题深刻,给读者留下咀嚼回味的空间。
霍桑所创作的《红字》,大量运用了象征的手法,有比较明显的象征,也有许多隐晦的象征,其对象征手法的运用影响了《白鲸》的作者麦尔维尔、法国的波德莱尔,而且影响了一批美国卓有成就的作家,如海明威、菲兹杰拉德、福克纳等。
【《红字》中表现手法的运用与展现】愚公移山运用了什么表现手法霍桑,美国19世纪影响最大的浪漫主义小说家。
一个思想保守、洞察敏锐,并将一切社会问题的根源归之于人自身罪恶的作家。
他的创作想象丰富,浪漫气息浓厚,善于结合具体环境,运用象征手法来展示人物的内心世界和灵魂历程。
在霍桑的代表作《红字》中,作者运用了丰富而赋予技巧的表现手法来展现作品的深刻内涵。
一、象征手法首先,霍桑在《红字》中运用了丰富的象征主义手法(通常以双关的形式出现)。
书名《红字》本身为此书定下了基调。
女主人公海丝特胸前戴红字A,公开地表明她犯了清教的“第七戒”通奸罪,是奸妇、淫妇。
然而,读者最终会发现,A不仅代表“Adultress”(奸妇),而且也代表“Able”(能干)、“Angle”(天使),在海斯特女儿珀尔眼中,A则代表着她家中不可缺少的那部分――她的父亲“Atrhur”(亚瑟)。
第一章末尾的玫瑰花是一种象征,它象征着自然对人是仁慈的,尽管人待人并不仁慈。
绞刑台是清教的司法或执法的象征。
衣着讲究的贝林厄姆总督是整个殖民地的领导和权力的象征。
打扮得花枝招展的珀尔,是海丝特罪行的活的象征。
海斯特说过:“她是我的幸福!是珀尔叫我还活在世上!也是珀尔叫我受着惩罚!她就是那个红字。
”珀尔这名字也是双关语,意为以极大的代价购买来的珠宝。
丁梅斯代尔胸前那“红色小标志”象征着这位不幸的牧师的悔恨与良知。
对他来说,天空中A字形的红色流星象征着通奸的行为。
对全体教徒来说,丁梅斯代尔则代表人间的一切美德。
另一方面,希宾斯老夫人却是与森林里可怕的魔鬼有关的一切陌生魔法的象征。
二、浪漫主义《红字》中运用的浪漫主义文学手法是霍桑独特的一种艺术手法。
当然,霍桑融合代表浪漫主义的某些通常的办法,如冒险的行为、英雄人物或独特的背景等。
他甚至涉及某些日常生活中被认为非常遥远的神秘的时间、场面和思想。
在《红字》中,霍桑选择稍微远离公路的地方作为故事的背景。
这样,他想象中的人物在这儿可以自由自在地扮演各自的角色而不必过多地与真人真事相比较。
小说《红字》的写作手法《红字》是美国作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的一部著名小说,讲述了17世纪普利茅斯殖民地一个女子因婚外情而被判绞刑,她腰间戴有刺绣的红字A作为耻辱的标记,她在社会上受尽了排斥和歧视,但仍然坚强地生活下去的故事。
这部小说在文学史上有着重要的地位,因为它不仅具有文学价值,还在一定程度上反映了当时美国社会的现实,是一部具有深刻思想和独特写作手法的作品。
下面我们将对《红字》的写作手法进行分析。
《红字》采用了双层时间结构的叙事手法。
小说开头通过第三人称的叙述介绍了故事的背景和主要人物,接着以第一人称叙述的方式展开了故事,讲述了女主角海斯特·普林的遭遇和心路历程。
这种双层时间结构的叙事手法,使整个故事显得更加丰富有趣,读者通过主人公的视角更加深入地理解了她的内心世界。
《红字》在描写细节上十分丰富。
作者通过繁复的描写和细致的刻画,使得小说中的角色、场景和情节显得生动逼真。
在描述海斯特·普林的红字A时,作者写道:“妇人的外套于是合合捐在一起,好象是在原处丢弃了一团财宝,变了形状后的金子。
凭话图画者的想象,精明又有技术的女人准是用了多种色丝编成那个字母,而且安排得居然使它显着和引人注目。
”这样生动的描写使读者仿佛看到了海斯特·普林背上那个刺绣的红字A,增加了故事的真实感和吸引力。
《红字》还采用了象征手法。
在小说中,红字A不仅仅是一个简单的标记,更是作者用来象征人性的标记。
在那个时代,宗教信仰和道德规范对人们的束缚非常严格,而海斯特·普林之所以受到如此严厉的惩罚,正是因为她违反了这些规范。
红字A成为了她的负罪标记,也成为了整个社会对她的歧视和排斥的象征。
通过这一象征手法,作者不仅展现了主人公的悲惨遭遇,更深刻地探讨了人性、宗教和道德的关系。
《红字》在叙事结构上采用了非线性的叙述方式。
故事并非按照时间顺序展开,而是通过回忆和闪回的方式逐渐揭示主人公的过去和内心世界。
顺从即反抗:论《红字》中海斯特的形象作者:黄艳妮来源:《校园英语·下旬》2016年第04期【摘要】霍桑的经典作品《红字》内涵丰富,其包含的象征主义、浪漫主义色彩均吸引了大批研究者对其侧目。
本文通过分析小说中女主角海斯特的反抗精神,说明霍桑对历史的重构即是对现实的言说,霍桑通过海斯特传达了自己的人生领悟。
【关键词】《红字》霍桑反抗《红字》是美国19世纪文学家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的经典作品之一,自《红字》问世以来,关于分析海斯特反抗精神的成长过程、反抗结果这类的研究成果丰硕。
但就反抗而言,言行合一的抗议是反抗,默默无闻的行动是反抗。
本文在分析海斯特对清教教条和虚伪人性的反抗时,认为就算在顺从中,海斯特也在用行动进行着反抗。
在反抗的历程中,海斯特经历了叛逆、顺从、超越的过程,但无论是叛离,还是顺从,其目标都是一致的——反抗。
一、隐藏于尘埃中的红字《红字》的前言题为《海关》,原文约有一万五千字,内容包括了霍桑本人的生平经历,作者在前言中介绍了创作小说的背景:霍桑在海关担任税务署的稽查官期间发现了很多年前一个稽查官的小包。
小包中除了一些私人文件外,还有一件绣工繁复的绣品:A字,这吸引了作者的注意。
《红字》的主人公海斯特·白兰真实生活在几十年前的新英格兰地区,她的故事广为人们传诵。
霍桑的创作,根据他自己的描述,并没有“把自己局限于老稽查官写的那六七大页材料里”,而是在思想和情感方面“给我自己充分的自由”。
因此,霍桑创作的《红字》不是对历史的复现,而是对逝去生活的诗化,他借助想象挖掘历史上的素材,将历史与现实结合起来。
作为一名浪漫主义小说家,霍桑充满了叛逆性,文学于他,不再是模仿生活的工具,而应有自身的规律和价值。
浪漫主义作家诺伐利斯宣称“我们已不再生活于一个被普遍接受的观念形态所控制的时代”,于是,在《红字》中,霍桑塑造的女主角海斯特就是他反抗压迫、追求自由的代表,寄寓着他对人生的哲理性思考。
说服艺术:《红字》中的叙事策略《红字》是美国作家纳撒尼尔•霍桑的代表作之一,是一部描绘17世纪新英格兰清教徒社会生活的小说。
小说中的叙事策略被广泛认为是其成功之一,通过细致的描写和精湛的叙事技巧,霍桑成功地塑造了一个鲜活的社会背景和深刻的人物形象,吸引了众多读者。
本文将探讨《红字》中的叙事策略,以此展示说服艺术在文学作品中的运用。
霍桑通过精心构建情节,巧妙地展现了主人公海斯特•普林的内心矛盾与挣扎。
整部小说贯穿着海斯特•普林、赫斯特•白欧丝和罗杰•钱利三个主要角色之间的复杂关系。
在这些人物之间的交互中,霍桑通过塑造丰富的对话和心理描写,使读者深入了解这些人物的内心世界。
海斯特•普林的内心挣扎和自责,赫斯特•白欧丝的坦率和无私,以及罗杰•钱利的复仇与悔悟,都在情节的推进中得到淋漓尽致的展现。
读者通过这些细致而真实的描写,能够更好地理解这些角色的行为和决定,从而对整个故事的发展产生更大的共鸣和情感投入。
霍桑在《红字》中巧妙地运用了叙述者的角色,为故事赋予了更深刻的意义。
故事的叙述者是一个名叫“定罪的大街”的无名之辈,他在故事中扮演了旁观者和评论者的双重角色。
故事的开始就是由这个叙述者介绍了赫斯特•白欧丝以及她胸前绣着红字A的情节,他以一种诡异而又充满神秘感的口吻,为整个故事埋下了悬念。
在整个故事中,叙述者不仅向读者展示了清教徒社会的苛刻和偏执,还评论了其中的善恶对立和人性的复杂性。
通过这一叙述者的存在,霍桑成功地使故事的主题和意义得以呈现,同时也增加了故事的层次和趣味。
霍桑在《红字》中运用了夸张和象征手法,进一步强调了故事的主题和意义。
手稿拿在《红字》中的主题是宗教、罪恶以及个体与社会之间的冲突。
为了更好地揭示这些主题,霍桑在人物、情节以及环境描写上使用了大量的夸张和象征手法。
海斯特•普林身上绣的红字A,就是一个充满象征意义的形象,代表了罪恶与羞耻,也代表了个体与社会的冲突。
作者对清教徒社会的描写也是夸张而又生动的,使得读者对这个特殊时期的社会景观有了更加清晰的把握。
论《红字》中象征手法的运用作者:戴晓婧来源:《成才之路》2010年第17期小说《红字》(The Scarlet Letter)是美国文学史上杰出的浪漫主义小说家纳撒尼尔·霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorne)的代表作。
自1850年问世以来,一直备受读者的青睐,它所蕴藏的思想价值与艺术成就无疑使它成为整个美国浪漫主义小说中最有声望的权威作品。
值得注意的是在创作过程中,霍桑不很注重客观事物的描述,而是力求表现某一现象或某一事件的象征性寓意。
这种浪漫主义的写作手法在小说《红字》中更是被表现得淋漓尽致。
综合起来,该小说的象征寓意体现在以下几个方面。
一、红字A的象征红字A在这部小说里有着丰富多彩的内涵,它贯串着书中许多情节,又与小说中四个主角有着千丝万缕的联系。
红字A与海丝特·白兰(Hester Prynne)的命运是紧紧连在一起,在不同时期红字A有着不同的象征意义。
最初,红字A被小镇上人们视为“通奸”(Adultery)的缩写,羞耻的招牌,每个人都认为红字是海丝特通奸罪的象征;同时,“A”是海丝特的情人亚瑟·狄梅斯迪尔(Arthur Dimmesdale)的首字母,又是法语爱情(amour)的首字母,因此,“A”还代表女主人公海丝特心中澎湃起伏的情感(Affection),由此可见,“A”也象征崇高伟大的爱情。
随着海丝特给予村民们的帮助、慷慨和关心,在众人眼中红字变成了能干(Able)的象征,美德的标志;最后,随着剧情的发展,海丝特逐渐走向觉醒和成熟,在心底顽强地与清教统治相对抗,因而“A”又有了坚忍不拔的女斗士(Amazon)的意义。
所有这些变化,都足以表明红字A对海丝特所产生的巨大作用:它既规范了她的行为,培养了她的美德,又压制了她的天性,增添了她的痛苦。
红字A的象征功能的丰富性和复杂性,不仅体现在女主角海丝特身上,同时也显现在狄梅斯迪尔和珠儿(Pearl)身上。
论《红字》中的象征主义的运用文献综述专业:英语师范班级:11级(1)班作者:柴保玲指导老师:胡红霞摘要:霍桑的成名小说《红字》描绘了17世纪新英格兰的社会风貌,暴露了在请教主义统治下的社会黑暗。
这部小说体现了作者高超娴熟的写作手法,尤其是象征手法的运用,赋予读者对文章深层次的思考与联想。
本文客观公正地归纳了有关的《红字》中象征主义的分析研究现状,并且指出了相关研究的不足之处,点明了本选题的研究意义。
关键词:红字;象征主义;“A”;霍桑“象征”是文学创作的一种艺术表现形式,它借助具体形象来表现抽象意义,将无限的深意寄于有限的事物,从而给读者营造出无穷的联想和想象空间。
纳撒尼尔·霍桑是十九世纪美国伟大的浪漫主义小说家。
作为一位伟大的浪漫主义小说家,霍桑对象征主义手法的运用可以说是独具匠心。
《红字》中霍桑很好地将自己多义、模糊、矛盾的创造思想寄寓象征这一文化创作手法中,赋予了各种主体以丰富的象征意义,强调了象征主义的内在精神性。
象征手法的运用,使得他的作品在今天仍具有强烈的感染力,并在文学史上处于永久不衰的地位。
整篇作品象征主义手法贯穿始终。
其中,最重要的要数红字“A”本身的象征意义。
它不仅以各种各样的形式出现,而且其象征意义不断变化,从“通奸”到“有能力的”甚至“天使般的”。
此外,小说中四个主要角色:海斯特,丁梅斯代尔,齐灵沃尔斯,珠儿也都有其各自的象征意义。
小说描述的景物和场景,例如监狱,森林,玫瑰花园等等也都寓意深刻。
本文正是从这几方面着手,探究作者在小说中对象征主义手法的巧妙运用。
笔者主要通过网络(主要是中国知网)、书籍、报刊等各种途径,查找了将近60篇相关研究评论,根据自己的兴趣方向和对这一论文的想法对这些文章加以筛选,选出了20篇有直接参考价值的论文进行研读。
通过中国知网,笔者发现在早期中外评论家主要是从海斯特的性格、心理、她的命运悲剧为主题,从社会和时代出发解析苔丝悲剧命运的原因。
浅谈小说《红字》中的多重象征意义纳尼尔·霍桑是美国19世纪伟大的浪漫主义小说家。
他的长篇小说《红字》是其最杰出的代表作。
霍桑在小说中多次运用象征手法,从而使小说中的人物、场所、其它景物以及贯穿小说始终的红字A都带上了特殊的象征意义。
该小说深刻剖析了罪与罚的宗教意识以及其对人性道德本质的深刻影响。
标签:《红字》“A”人物;场景;象征意义1.红字“A”的象征意义1.1霍桑在《红字》中用了大量的象征,小说以“A”开头又以“A”结尾,全部内容包含在这个字母中,人物的命运,情节的发展都与之息息相关,所以红字“A”代表了小说本身。
象征意义最为典型的红字“A”,顾名思义是红色的 A 字,首先映入我们眼帘的便是耀眼的红色。
红色是一种能引起人们无限联想的颜色,于是小说中红色展示出了各种丰富的内涵:红色是血与火的颜色,是热烈情欲的象征,海丝特和丁梅斯代尔抑制不住青春的冲动和对对方的爱慕,最終成为上帝的罪人,一个妇女丧失了贞节,一位牧师辱没了自己的使命,受到惩罚。
红色还是生命、力量和热情的象征。
海丝特与丁梅斯代尔之间的爱情是纯洁的,美丽的,热烈的,然而在严峻的清教思想的统治下,象征爱情和生命之源的红色被愚昧的社会当作耻辱的标记戴在海丝特胸前,以示惩戒。
让大家觉得讽刺的是:海丝特胸前耀眼的红字,就如同她心头熊熊燃烧着的一团火焰,在严寒和冷酷的社会环境中带给她温暖;在死一般地孤独和寂寞中给她以生的希望和勇气。
虽然遭到社会的迫害,世人的唾弃,她却没有屈服,她几乎是昂首挺胸走出层层困境,以无声地沉默和坚强的信念反抗着令人感到窒息的精神压迫。
她坚定地相信,一个更光明的时期一定会来临,人们将会获得真正的爱情和幸福。
1.2就红字“A”本身而言,它并没有神秘的色彩,第一次出现在人们面前,它仅仅是一个耻辱的符号,A字是通奸(Adultery)的缩写,作者霍桑是这样对它进行描述的:“在她(海丝特)衣服的胸部,出现 A 形的字,那是精美的红布制成的,四周有金线织成的细工刺绣和奇巧花样。
《红楼梦》反讽艺术管窥
王海燕
【期刊名称】《河海大学学报:哲学社会科学版》
【年(卷),期】2000(002)001
【摘要】表达独特主题内涵的需要和自觉的艺术创新意识,是《红楼梦》创造性
地运用大量反讽技巧的原因。
反讽运用于小说总体结构,“梦”、“幻”框架将小说现实世界笼罩在超现实世界中,表达了深刻的悲剧意识;反讽运用于人物塑造,出现了贾宝玉、林黛玉等空前新异深刻的性格;反讽还为《红楼梦》美学风格注入新的“色素”,也增加了叙事单元的意蕴涵量;反讽扩大到最大规模,形成“主题的反讽”,它赋予作品的思想以“令人着迷的深度”。
成功的反讽运用为《红楼梦》艺术素质的提高作出了重要贡献。
【总页数】8页(P35-42)
【作者】王海燕
【作者单位】河海大学人文学院,江苏南京210098
【正文语种】中文
【中图分类】I207.411
【相关文献】
1.《金瓶梅》与《红楼梦》寓意、反讽艺术比较 [J], 张军
2.四大奇书与《红楼梦》中人物刻画的反讽艺术 [J], 郑莉
3.《红楼梦》人物命名艺术管窥 [J], 江尚权;高文普
4.从《疯狂动物城》管窥英文电影的反讽艺术 [J], 宋颖
5.《红楼梦》反讽艺术初探 [J], 卢兆泉
因版权原因,仅展示原文概要,查看原文内容请购买。
说服艺术:《红字》中的叙事策略《红字》是美国作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的代表作之一,以新英格兰殖民地时期的宗教压迫和道德束缚为背景,描述了女主人公海斯特·普林的悲惨遭遇。
在这部小说中,霍桑巧妙运用了各种叙事策略,通过细腻的描写和隐喻的运用,成功地说服读者对主人公的同情和对宗教束缚的批判。
本文将分析《红字》中的叙事策略,探讨其说服艺术的运用。
《红字》中运用了叙述者的视角选择,通过第三人称叙述揭示了主人公海斯特·普林的内心世界和遭遇。
在小说中,叙述者对于主人公的性格特点、内心挣扎、外部压迫都有详细的描写,使读者更容易对海斯特·普林产生共鸣与同情。
通过这种叙述策略,读者可以更加真实地感受到主人公的艰难遭遇,加深了对她的同情和理解。
叙述者还在整个故事中保持了一种客观的立场,让读者更容易产生共鸣,进而被说服。
霍桑在小说中精心设置了一系列象征性的隐喻,通过这些隐喻巧妙地表达了对宗教制度的批判和对人性的关怀。
海斯特·普林佩戴的红字"A"象征着她所受到的道德谴责和社会排斥,红字成为她内心挣扎的具体体现,也成为了对社会道德观念的一种批判。
小说中的野性、自然景色和野兽等元素都被赋予了象征性的意义,表达了对清教徒的禁锢和对人性的解放。
这些隐喻不仅使小说更加丰富多彩,也让读者更加深入地思考宗教压迫下的人性困境,进而对主题和主人公产生共鸣。
通过对小说结构的设置和情节的安排,霍桑成功地在读者心中建立了一种悬念和紧张感,进而影响了读者对故事和人物的情感态度。
在整个小说中,海斯特·普林的命运始终是一个悬念,读者在不断地猜测和琢磨她的命运,以此激发了对她的关注和同情。
小说中的情节安排巧妙地引发了读者的情感共鸣,比如海斯特·普林与阿斯特丽德的爱情故事,海斯特的女儿p.尔的真实身份等,这些情节都成功地触动了读者的情感,使其更容易产生对主人公的同情和关怀。
谈《红字》中的象征艺术【摘要】:霍桑的《红字》把无限的深意寓于有限的事物中,通过象征引领读者进入另一个世界。
首先,象征的多义性。
其次,象征的整体性。
【关键词】:《红字》象征多义性整体性纳撒尼尔·霍桑是美国文艺复兴时期的著名作家。
他深受清教意识、超验哲学和神秘主义影响,使其作品十分隐晦,意义含混。
其代表作《红字》充分体现了霍桑象征主义手法运用的高超技艺,该书被称为美国第一部象征主义小说。
霍桑的《红字》把无限的深意寓于有限的事物中,通过象征引领读者进入另一个世界。
本文就作品的象征手法作一些尝试性探究。
首先,象征的多义性。
赋予一种事物丰富多样的象征意义,从不同角度不同层次审视,出现不同或完全相反的象征意义。
最典型的是红字a的含义。
红色是血与火的颜色,象征着生命、爱情、温暖与希望。
小说中红色象征了海丝特与丁梅斯代尔之间纯洁、美好的爱情。
海丝特胸前耀动的红色,又如一团熊熊烈火在愚昧冰冷的社会环境中给她以温暖,在死一般的孤寂和绝望中给她以生的希望。
红色是情欲的象征。
“它自然地发生,又迅速蔓延,能带给人无上的快乐如入天堂;然而如果火势太大太猛,不加以控制,它又可以演变成一种能摧毁一切的灾难性力量玩者自焚其身,如下地狱。
”(p.122)[1]海丝特和丁梅斯代尔在爱情的驱使下,放纵了自己的情欲,一个丧失了贞洁,一个辱没了自己的使命,他们都成了上帝的罪人。
这里红色又是罪恶的象征。
在西方传统上水性杨花的女人穿的是红色的衣服,异教徒的偶像也常被画成红色。
从此,红色就带上了淫荡、堕落的含义。
给海丝特带上红色的a字就等于给她贴上了“荡妇”的标签。
海丝特胸前带着红色的a字,而丁梅斯代尔在胸口刻着一个血字a。
他们一次次登上刑台使人联想到祭坛上的祭品以自己的鲜血甚至生命昭示着一条解脱罪孽,走向天堂的光明大道。
正是有了这丰富多彩的象征意义,红色才在深刻地反映了作者思想和认识的同时,又取得了含蓄蕴藉的艺术效果。
字母a,它的象征意义与红色相比更加丰富多彩。
对于霍桑小说《红字》中象征手法的运用的思考简洁【期刊名称】《科技信息》【年(卷),期】2010(000)027【摘要】<红字>,一部关于爱情、清教、复仇的美国经典浪漫主义文学作品,无疑是文学史上的一大巨作.小说的主题是"罪恶".它向我们展示了主人公"净化"心灵的历程.通过自己的善行和努力,主人公改变了自己在人们心中的形象,甚至将原来耻辱的、表示"通奸"的标志"A"字,变成了德行的象征,赢得人们的尊敬.在他的小说中,霍桑让各人物自由自在地扮演各自的角色.而这些人物又在"真实"与"非真实"之间,用最生动的形式演绎了人世的种种,于是形成了他文学手法最显著的写作特征,即是对象征手法的运用,并由此引起了读者的关注与共鸣.在此小说中,不同事物也有着其各自的象征意义,这些都是霍桑浪漫主义艺术手法的具体表现.也正是由于对此象征手法的运用,<红字>成为美国文学史上最早也是最重要的浪漫主义文学作品之一.<红字>为美国文学的发展和繁荣立下了不朽的功勋.霍桑在世界文学殿堂上一直占有重要地位.【总页数】3页(P537-538,505)【作者】简洁【作者单位】丽江师范高等专科学校外语系,云南,丽江,674100【正文语种】中文【中图分类】I1【相关文献】1.深远的象征寓意--霍桑小说《红字》写作手法分析 [J], 孙莉娜;刘凤阁2.霍桑在《红字》中的象征手法探析 [J], 郭瑞芳;张春辉3.试析西方小说中象征手法的运用——霍桑的《红字》经久不衰的魅力 [J], 周毅4.论霍桑《红字》中的象征主义手法 [J], 严娟5.论霍桑《红字》中的象征主义手法 [J], 严娟;因版权原因,仅展示原文概要,查看原文内容请购买。
论《红字》中的象征手法作者:江咏来源:《文存阅刊》2017年第06期摘要:小说《红字》是19世纪美国浪漫主义作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的代表作,它以深邃的主体和出色的艺术手法形成了其独有的文学风格,其中最为突出的艺术特征就是象征手法的运用,而红字“A”的象征意义贯穿整部小说。
本文就从小说《红字》中的象征手法为切入点来对其进行研究分析,看看作者是如何将象征手法应用其中并实现其多重象征寓意的。
关键词:象征手法;揭露罪恶;反映现实;《红字》纳撒尼尔·霍桑是19世纪美国著名浪漫主义作家。
纳撒尼尔·霍桑所生活的时代恰逢美国文艺复兴时期,这就使得他深受清教意识、超验哲学和神秘主义三种思想的影响。
因此,他的大多数作品都是基于道德题材,以深刻的象征和细致入微的心理描写对于“人性恶”这一主题进行深刻揭示。
小说《红字》是纳撒尼尔·霍桑最杰出的代表作,这篇小说是作者创作思想和艺术特色的突出反映。
其中,小说《红字》中所使用的象征手法成为了美国象征主义小说的开山鼻祖。
小说《红字》中的象征手法使得不同的读者获得了不同的体验,即便是评论家们在面对这部小说时也会由于对于其象征手法使用的不同理解而赋予不同的结论,而这归根结底就是因为这部小说通过象征展示出来的模糊性含义以及小说由此所表现出的多元性主题所形成的[1]。
象征手法是文学作品中一种艺术手法,它对于那些具有抽象意义的事物进行具体事物形象化的表现,从而使得读者可以获得较为实在的感受性和体验性。
小说《红字》中所应用的象征手法很多,例如:“文明社会的黑花”是监狱的代表,象征着罪与罚;“蔷薇花”象征着道德——美与善;“刑台”象征着清教社会残酷(这个象征在小说中是反复使用的象征之一,如珠儿、丁梅斯代尔等都与刑台有关);“森林”象征着黑暗世界和邪恶世界,“森林”也象征着荒野(小说中,海丝特在森林中徘徊游荡是其精神上的“荒野”)。
此外,在小说中很多人物也是象征,例如:清教社会的象征是通过小说人物贝灵汉洲长、威尔逊牧师、绅士太太来实现的;而小说中的海丝特是一个非常重要的任务,她具有多重象征意义,一方面,她的“负罪行善”代表了人道主义色彩,另一方面,她认为她“所做的事自有其神圣的一面”,这就代表了其勇敢大胆的一面;而其身前的“红字”即代表她是罪犯也代表她在抗争;珠儿代表着其母亲的罪恶,同时她也是纯洁无暇的代表,更是人类美好的象征;丁梅斯代尔通过在自己的胸口上刻画上“A”字来代表着他隐藏着的罪恶,一方面,他有罪恶但没有勇气承认,另一方面,他虚伪而又煎熬,是一个矛盾体;齐灵沃斯也是罪恶的象征,他无休止地对于丁梅斯代尔进行着心灵折磨。
说服艺术:《红字》中的叙事策略
《红字》是美国作家霍桑所创作的一部小说,描写了公众羞辱一位私通者的故事。
这个故事的叙事策略是通过对女主角海瑟尔·普林的形象刻画和对主题的深度揭示来说服读者。
首先,海瑟尔·普林是这个故事最重要的角色,她的形象刻画起着至关重要的作用。
海瑟尔是一个被群众斥责和排斥的人。
她在小镇上招致恶名,被公开指责。
然而,霍桑从她的内心深处无限接近了她,使读者能够感受到她的悲痛和绝望,从而理解她的行为背后的情感。
这种揭示女主角角色内心的真实情感的剖析,加强了读者对她的同情和理解,并使其更容易接受这个故事所传达的主题。
另外,霍桑运用了多个叙事策略来帮助读者深入理解主题。
首先是前缀与后缀,不断强调和增强一些关键词。
例如,小说一开始就将字母“A”赋予了一种象征义,这使得字母“A”成为了整个故事的主题和核心,而其他的关键词也得到了同样的待遇。
其次,霍桑对人物形象的刻画方式是多样化的,通过选用不同的角度和透镜,作者刻画了不同的人物形象,从而深化了读者的理解。
最后,作者在描绘场景和氛围时巧妙地利用了暗示和隐喻,这大大提高了读者通过细节理解小说故事中隐含的意思。
总之,《红字》通过塑造女主角的形象和主题的深度揭示来说服读者。
对于读者来说,当他们读完这个故事时,他们可以理解故事背后的悲剧和教训,并从这个故事中得到重要的启示。
浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter1 Aim and SignificanceNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the nineteenth century He is deeply influenced by Puritanism consciousness Transcendental philosophy and mysticism As a result instead of giving the objective description of the world he always gives a symbolic meaning to an objective thing to express his true understanding of the world trying his best to discover the hidden meaning through the symbols Therefore if we want to deeply understand Hawthornes writing style it is essential for us to make a thorough research on the symbols and symbolism in his works The Scarlet Letter is Hawthornes masterpiece which makes him well known around the world and it is also one of the most remarkable works in American literature This novel with an everlasting glamour mainly lies in Hawthornes skillful handling of symbolism From the title to the arrangement of the plot then to the description of the characters and objects the author uses only a few words to express rich meanings which leaves us much room for imagination The author of the paper develops a deep interest in The Scarlet Letter after having finished reading this novel What strikes the author most is the scarlet letter A It runs through the whole novel and manifests in various forms at different time places and scenes Furthermore the meaning of the scarlet letter A becomes richer and more complicated as the plot further develops2 Main Methods and Ways of StudiesThe research into the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter can make readers deeply understand Hawthornes writing style First by way of exploring the various symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter A to different characters and the changing symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter A at different time places and scenes the thesis can help readers have a better understanding of the rich meanings of the letter A in the novel and the process of moral growth of the main characters Second the research into the symbolic meanings of the characters names various objects in the novel and the symbolic meanings of Pearl can make readers deeply understand Hawthornes unique artistic writing characteristics the profound social significance revealed by the novel and the authors writing aimsNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century As a great romantic novelist Hawthorne is outstanding in handling application of symbolismThe Scarlet Letter is Hawthornes most important symbolic novel which is the best work of Hawthorne and one of the indubitable masterpieces of American Literature And it is this novel that makes Nathaniel Hawthorne known all around the world In this work Hawthorne uses the symbolism so skillfully that it enhances the artistic effects of his work greatly In The Scarlet Letter symbolism runs through the whole novel The most important symbol is the scarlet letter itself Not only does A manifest in various forms but also it has changing meanings from adultery to able even angelic in the novel Besides the name of the four major characters in the novel Hester Prynne Arthur Dimmesdale Roger Chillingworth and Pearl also have their own symbolic meanings Some other objects and natural surroundings that are described in the novel such as the jail the forest the rose bush and so on are all endowed with a deep symbolic significance The author of the thesis will explore the usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter from the three aspects mentioned above and analyze Hawthornes skillful use of symbolism in The Scarlet LetterKey Words the scarlet lettersymbolismHester PrynnePearl纳撒尼尔·霍桑是十九世纪美国伟大的浪漫主义小说家作为一位伟大的浪漫主义小说家霍桑对象征主义手法的运用可以说是独具匠心长篇小说《红字》是霍桑重要的象征主义代表作品无疑也是美国文学浪漫主义时期最著名的作品之一也正是这部巨著使得霍桑誉满全球在这部作品中作者巧妙运用了象征主义手法加强了作品的艺术效果整篇作品象征主义手法贯穿始终其中最重要的要数红字A本身的象征意义它不仅以各种各样的形式出现并且其象征意义不断变化从通奸到有能力的甚至天使般的此外小说中四个主要角色海丝特丁梅斯代尔齐灵沃斯珠儿也都有其各自的象征意义小说中描述的景物和场景例如监狱森林玫瑰花园等等也都寓意深刻本文正是从以上这几个方面着手探究作者在小说《红字》中对象征主义手法的巧妙运用关键词红字象征海丝特·普琳珍珠AcknowledgementsThis thesis is the product of the author and the supervisors three months of efforts It has been repeatedly revised under the guidance of Professor XXX It was the joint efforts of both the author and the teachers in Foreign Languages Department I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Professor XXX and the teachers who have helped the author in the process of the thesis writing I will also give my thanks to my classmates and friends who have helped me revise the thesis Last but not least I will give my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging meContentsIntroduction 11 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A 311 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A 3111 Adultery 3112 Alone and Alienation 4113 Able Admirable and Angel 512 The Scarlet Letter and the Strictness of Puritan Society 52 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters 621 Hester Prynne 622 Arthur Dimmesdale 723 Roger Chillingworth 824 Pearl 93 The Symbolic Meanings of the Objects in the Novel 12 Conclusion 15Bibliography 16IntroductionNathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem in 1804 He was born in a prestigious New England family closely related with Puritan church his ancestors attended the persecution of people belonging to different churches such as Quakers When he was born his family declined He was aware of his ancestors misdeeds and thus "blackness of Hawthorne" formed He thought that the reason of his familys decline is his ancestors misdeeds And he didnt agree with the optimism held by Transcendentalists towards human nature He wrote lots of works on everlasting evil side in human nature Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin College Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce the 14th American presidents were his classmates After graduation he lived in seclusion and wrote Later he worked in the US Custom House After Pierce became president he was asked to be the consular in Liverpool and Italy Hawthornes masterpiece includes his short story collections Twice-Told Tales Moses from an Old Manse and novels The Scarlet Letter The House of Seven Gables The Blithedale Romance The Marble FaunHawthornes writing skills can be summarized as follows Hawthorne seems to be influenced a lot by the sin and evil in his sense He believes evil exists in human heart all the time For example in the novel The Scarlet Letter the minister Dimmesdale tries to pretend how pure and pious he is He wants to cover up the evil in his mind Not only Dimmesdale wants to do like this but also all the people in the world because we are only human beings And the evil just likes a mark that exists in our mind when we are born And in Hawthornes mind people who commit a crime must be punishedbecause people can get experience from this way And also he supports people to tell the truth and not to offend Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century and is considered to be the first greatest American fiction writer in the moralistic tradition Hawthorne is outstanding in literature skill especially in handling symbolism His work---The Scarlet Letter is notable for its symbolism and is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American literatureThe story begins in seventeenth-century Boston which is under Puritan command The husband---an old and ugly scholar sends a young woman named Hester Prynne ahead to America However for many years he himself doesnt 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 Hesters Pregnancy the secret is finally discovered Hester and Dimmesdale love each other But their love is forbidden in that strict society It is sinful Due to this fact Hester is punished by society with a letter A on her chest which is considered to be an evil a shameHester is brave enough to face the cruel society She is always with a mind of courage She has been alone with her child for so long a time with little communication Hester has to wear the letter A day by day seven years as for punishment and ill fame However Hester is a kind-hearted woman and is always ready to help other people in the community without expecting any thanks Later people in the town no longer view the scarlet letter A as a punishment but rather as representing her great strength and bravery and they say it means AbleBut Arthur Dimmesdale his sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his wife and daughter in the daylight He is too weak to admit his sins He suffers from mysterious heart trouble seemingly caused by psychological distress Whats worse he is an advisor to the townspeople about their sins After Mr Dimmesdales death no one changes more in appearance than Roger Chillingworth All his strength and energy has been used to harm his patient This unhappy man has made his aim in life to add to the suffering of the young minister When the evil old man no longer has such a purpose the devil takes him back to the hellThe Scarlet Letter is a cultural allegory in which the author indirectly tells the future of Puritanism The Scarlet Letter is a sample in which American Romanticism adapted itself to American Puritanism The theme of the story should1 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A11 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter AIn this novel the scarlet letter A changes its meanings for many times This change is very significant It shows growth in the characters and the community in which they live At the very beginning the letter A is regarded as a kind of sin or evil Then with the development of the story it becomes a symbol of alone and alienation of the female character Hester Finally it becomes a symbol of able admirable and angel111 AdulteryIn the novel the letter "A" worn on Hesters bosom is a symbol of her adulteryagainst Roger Chillingworth Putting the letter A on her bosom and letting her show to the public is the puritan way of treating her as a criminal for the crime of adultery Hester is looked down upon as if she is some sort of demon from hell that commits a terrible crime This letter is meant to be worn in shame and to make Hester feel unwanted This is the common way to explain the symbolic meaning of the letter The color of scarlet is the symbol of blood and desire Hester and Dimmesdale cannot control their love for each other and become the criminals of God A woman loses her purity and a holy minister is punished for bringing shame to his holy occupation Red should be regarded as the symbol of love and life but under the control of the Puritan strictness Hester has to wear the scarlet letter A in order to be regarded as a symbol of shame and punishmentHere she said to herself had been the scene of her guilt and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment Brown2002 Hester is ashamed of her sin but she chooses to face the reality rather than escape from it Many people may choose the way of leaving for some other places where nobody knows of her sin However Hester is brave enough to continue to live her life which shows great strength and integrity of her112 Alone and AlienationThe scarlet letter A also symbolizes Hesters lonely life in New England Hesters social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful past She has to live in such a community regardless of others ironical words and with great courage and ability It had been built by an earlier settler and abandoned because the soil about itwas too sterile for cultivation while its comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrants Hester comes to have a part to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity" Chase 1957 However there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it Every gesture every word and even the silence of those with whom she came to contact implied and often expressed that she was banished and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind She stood apart from moral interests seemed to be the sole portion that she retained in the universal heart" Hester has no friends in the world and little Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life In other peoples eyes Hester is a criminal and most of them regard communicating with her as a shameful thing Therefore the scarlet letter A is also a symbol of alone and alienation113 Able Admirable and AngelThe letter was the symbol of her calling Such helpfulness is found in her so much power to do and power to sympathize - that many people refuses to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification Rubinstein 1988 We can see that the meaning of the scarlet letter A changes from adultery to being able angel and admirable At the beginning people living in the town looked down upon the woman because of her crime But later they find that Hester is so skillfully in needlework and she always help the poor and sick without expecting any return or thanks She is unselfish and always ready to help others considerately and patiently People in the town then realize her noble nature and change the view on her Do you see that womanwith the embroidered badge It is our Hester – the towns own Hester – who is so kind to the poor so helpful to the sick so comforting to the afflicted Hawthorne 1994 The people in the town soon begin to regard the letter A as a badge served to ward off the evil This is a kind woman who should not shoulder the shame and be looked down upon by others Hester is an angel sent by God to the people in the town And she should win the respect and sympathy of others instead of being punished by having to show her crime to the public by wearing the scarlet letter People and the author of the novel really admire her pure nature and abilityThe three changes in the scarlet letter are significant they show the progressive presentation of her sin her lonely life and her ability Hester is an admirable woman who experiences more emotional torture than most people go through in a lifetime12 The Scarlet Letter and the Strictness of Puritan SocietyThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the scarlet letters to symbolize he harshness of Puritan society showing how they branded sinners for life Although Puritan society is unforgiving towards the sinful scarlet letter their strictness improved the bearers of the sin The scarlet letter was also an example of how Puritan society will always remember the sin When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter-and none failed to do so they branded it afresh into Hesters soul Hawthorne 1994 A letter A but freshly green instead of scarlet was created by her showing how Hawthorne made a jest at the punishment Puritans put upon Hester And the scarlet letter was also a toy to Pearl something that she enjoyed Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter to depict his feelings of the exaggerated emotions of the puritans and theirdramatic punishments The author of the paper thinks that the symbolism in this novel is used quite skillfully The technique Hawthorne uses makes his novel more artistic2 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters21 Hester PrynneHester Prynne is one of the most important characters in The Scarlet Letter Hester is the symbol of love beauty kindness and truth She was described by Hawthorne like this The young woman was tall a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale she had dark and abundant hair so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam and a face which besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes Harold 1990104 It is true that Hester is beautiful and attractive in appearance But the most precious part of the character lies not only in her kindness toward other people but also in her great courage of facing her love Her love for the minister Dimmesdale is pure and true This is the reason that she refuses to speak out the name of her partner in sin but takes over all the punishment by herself Instead of running from the hostile colonists Hester withstands peoples insolence and pursues a normal life She proves her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and provides community service Hesters sin gives her sympathetic knowledge of the sin in other hearts Even though the people she tries to help often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them Xia199634 She continues her services because she actually cares At last the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as the cross on a nuns bosom which is not small accomplishmentHester is the homophone of the word haste At first she gets married to Roger Prynne an ugly man who gives his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge Not having got the news about her husband who should have arrived by ship from England she falls love with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl for which she is condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter "A" which stands for adultery However the author of the paper thinks that it is natural and understandable Hester has the freedom to pursue the true love of her deep heart and the happiness of the life The punishment of puritan society is somehow too harsh on a woman who is led by human instinct She doesnt love her husband and when she falls in love with Dimmesdale she is tortured physically and mentally for her sin The strictness of Puritan society accounts for Hesters sympathetic fate and Dimmesdales tragedy22 Arthur DimmesdaleArthur Dimmesdale is a young minister whose initials are AD which also stands for adultery Obviously he should take part in the punishment for Hester He loves Hester deeply and is the father of Pearl but he is not brave enough to admit their relationship Only in the forest or in darkness he can show his passion and love for Hester So the word Dimmesdale also has symbolic meanings Dim means dark and weak and dale means valley so the name here is actually a symbol of the dim-interior of the clergyman The scarlet letter A in his heart symbolizes his condemn to himself in his deep heart Meanwhile it is also the symbol of the mental control of the Puritanism If thou feel it to be for thy souls peace and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation I charge thee to speak out the name of thyfellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer Fan200356 He feels that he will never been seen the same as before in front of God and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to Gods good graces He hates his hypocrisy to sin but dares not tell the truth that he is the fellow-sinner of Hester When he finally decides to expose the truth and tell his followers of how he deceives them his fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passes away without any secrets At the end of the story the writer put the morals that press upon the readers from the poor ministers miserable experience into one sentence Be true Be true Be true Show freely to the world if not your worst yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred Hu1997 89 As a man Dimmesdale couldnt even relate to and shouldered the obligation He is not brave enough to admit the truth However his tragedy is also the result of the strict puritan society and the psychological tie of the local religion23 Roger ChillingworthAnother main character Roger Chillingworth is a man of complicated nature and abnormal psychology The words chilling and worth compose the surname Chillingworth Chilling comes from the word chilling which means this man is a merciless avenger He is calm and kind in appearance but keeps evil intentions All his strength and energy has been used to avenge This unhappy man has made his aim in life to add to the suffering of the young minister When the evil old man no longer has such a purpose the devil takes him back to the hell He is really an unforgivable criminal According to the explanation of the Christian and the Romantic period theunforgivable crime means to infringe on others soul and feelings in order to know about their reaction toward something Chillingworth intends to look into the young ministers heart depending on some knowledge of medical science and miracle ways in religion He pretends to be the young minister true friend moves close to him in order to torture and devastate Dimmesdales heart His curiosity and intention of avenge make him become the symbol of monster and evil Due to his abnormal psychology he also becomes a victim in the story This character symbolizes the great influence of the sin on people Chillingworth married Hester a woman with youth and beauty deluding him with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girls fantasy He married Hester not because he loved her but because he wanted to light a household fire in his lonely and chilly heart He is a bookworm who spends his best time in libraries and shows no love to his young wife It is he that has destroyed Hesters flower like youth and indirectly leads to Hesters tragedy After he discovers that his wife bore another mans child Roger gives up his independence His life center has become punish the man who seduced his wife For seven years he digs into the ministers heart with pleasure He searches the ministers thoughts he causes the poor minister to die daily a living death He searches into the ministers dim interior for a long time and turns over many precious a tread and as wary an outlook as a thief entering a chamber where a man lies only half asleep or if it may be broad awake with purpose to steal the very treasure which this man guards as the apple of his eyes When he finally found the scarlet letter "A" on the bosom of the minister he busted out a ghastly rapture When he does these he is turning from a victim to a sinner Hu199745Chillingworth also symbolizes that the avengers life is worthless When he finds his wife betrays him he devotes all his time and energy to seeking revenge He forgets that he needs to lead a new life of his own Therefore he is the victim of his own abnormal action After Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world All his strength and energyall his vital and intellectual force seemed at once to desert him in so much that he positively withered up shriveled away and almost vanished from mortal sight like an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun He dies less than a year later because he has nothing left to live for24 PearlPearl is one of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the novel This character throughout the story develops into a dynamic symbol which is always changing Pearl is a source of many different kinds of symbolism Firstly she is the symbol of her mothers sin or the symbol of the scarlet letter Pearl is also a symbol of valuable thing with high price And we can understand that Pearl is the beautiful and precious crystallization of her parents true love For the mother Hester Pearl is love rather than burdenThe most significant symbolic meaning of Pearl in the novel is her association with the scarlet letter "A" At the beginning Pearl is the symbol of her mothers shame and crime She is like the scarlet letter A on Hesters bosom showing to others that she is a woman committing the crime of adultery Pearl really is the scarlet A on Hesters chest showing to others that she is a woman committing the crime of adultery WhenHester stood fully revealed before the crowd it is her first impulse to clasp Pearl closely to her bosom not so much by an impulse of motherly affection as that she might thereby conceal a certain token which was wrought or fastened into her dress Pearl is the scarlet itself which is endowed with her life And in most peoples eyes she is Hesters burden and shameMeanwhile Pearl also symbolizes her parents true love She is the crystallization of her parents true love Xia 199678 The author describes in the novel that Pearl likes the scarlet letter so much So we can see that the close relationship between little Pearl and the scarlet letter Their common nature is that they are both the crystallization of love and the hopeful future of humankindPearl is a very beautiful girl There was fire in her and throughout her she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment Hester named her daughter pearl as being of great worth purchased with all she had She is her only important treasure Although Hester has so much trouble foe having Pearl she still feels that Pearl is her treasure Pearl is the most important part of her mothers life If she had never been come into this world Hester would have never been found guilty of adultery and thus never would have had to wear the scarlet letter A on her chest However if Pearl is not in her life she will lose the courage of going on her life and almost have committed suicide It is Pearl who brings hope and joy to Hesters life and gives her mother the courage to live After Hester gets the permission to still keep Pearl at her side Mistress Hibbins invites her to go to the forest to meet the Black Man together with her But Hester refuses and says with a triumphant smile I must tarry at home and keep watchover my little Pearl Had they taken her from me I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest and signed my name in the Black Mans book too and that with mine own blood Hawthorne 199498 It is Pearl that saves Hester from the Satans snarePearl also symbolizes moral in this novel The moral she is meant to teach is that Hester and Dimmesdale should fully commit their sin and then take the responsibility for their sin The first thing Pearl see in her infancy is the scarlet letter causing her mother intense agony at the shame it generated in her Later she plays a game when she throws flowers at her mother and jumps around in glee every time hitting the scarlet letter Diao2000204 She also makes her own letter A to wear When she finds Hester removes the scarlet letter from her chest in the forest Pearl starts screaming and convulsing and refuses to cross the stream until Hester reattaches the letter She is really a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she has done wrong With Pearl at her side Hester will never escape the punishment of her wrong deedMoreover Pearl is the person who eventually makes Dimmesdale admit to his crime She constantly asks why the minister keeps putting his hand over his heart and figures it out that it is for the same reason that her mother wears the scarlet letter Her role as a living scarlet letter is to announce to the whole world whom her guilty parents are After Dimmesdale manages to keep the mother and daughter together in the governors hall Pearl responses amazingly She takes his hand and places her cheek against it This simple gesture is full of meaning because it implies that Pearlrecognizes Dimmesdale as being connected to her Meanwhile Pearls stand of urging the minister to commit his sin is firm When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where Hester suffered her public humiliation several years before he meets Hester and Pearl who have been at Governor Winthrops deathbed taking measurements for a robe he invites them to join him on the stand When all three hold hands Pearl asks Dimmesdale Wilt thou stand here with mother and me tomorrow noontide Dimmesdale answers Not so my child I shall indeed stand with thy mother and thee one other day but not tomorrow Hawthorne 1994 Pearl laughs and attempts to pull away her hand until the minister promises to take her hand and her mothers hand at the great judgment day When they later meet in the forest Hester says to Pearl He loves thee my little Pearl and loves thy mother too Wilt thou love him Pearl says Doth he love us Then asks Will he go back with us hand in hand we three together into the town The answer is not now Hawthorne 199444 So when Dimmesdale impresses a kiss on her brow before they leave the forest Pearl broke away from her mother and running to the brook stooped over it and bathed her forehead until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off At the end of the novel when the minister climbs up the scaffold with the help of Hester and Pearl confessing his sin to his followers Pearl kisses his lips She accepts her father finally Pearls role as the living scarlet letter is over and Dimmesdale who finally takes responsibility for his sin has learned the moral which she is meant to teach3 The Symbolic Meanings of the Objects in the NovelIn The Scarlet Letter most of the objects that are described in the novel have。
论反讽艺术在《红字》中的运用摘要霍桑是美国文学史上最伟大的小说家之一。
本文着重阐述了霍桑在他最重要的小说《红字》中如何运用反讽手法刻画人物形象:通过主人公的善与美,批判了清教徒的丑与恶,鞭挞了资本主义发展时期美国社会法典的残酷、宗教的欺骗和道德的虚伪。
关键词:反讽纳撒尼尔·霍桑红字中图分类号:i106.4 文献标识码:a一作者作品简介纳撒尼尔·霍桑(nathanial.howthrone,1804—1864)是美国19世重要的浪漫主义小说家。
他的作品几乎都以新英格兰殖民时期的生活为背景。
早期移民大部分是信奉加尔文教的清教徒。
浓厚的宗教气氛,阴郁灰暗的情调,确实就是当时当地风俗人情的特点。
霍桑的作品主要刻画人们的思想冲突和心理活动,同时表现了宗教在人们思想上和生活上的烙印,宗教对人的精神的摧残,对人性、人权的压抑,造成了人的精神世界的复杂矛盾。
《红字》是霍桑的代表作,他以殖民时期的严酷教权统治为背景,描写了北美殖民地新英格兰发生的一个恋爱悲剧。
全书以耻辱的红字为线索,通过女主人公海丝特·白兰的悲惨遭遇,反映了加尔文教(清教)殖民地统治的黑暗。
故事虽然是个悲剧,但作者霍桑运用了反讽等写作手法,使小说对当时的社会进行了无情的鞭挞。
二“反讽”定义“反讽”一词源于古希腊,其古典时期有三种含义:1、佯装无知。
在阿里斯托芳的喜剧里,总有一个这样的角色,他在自以为高明的对手面前说傻话,但最后证明这些傻话是真理,从而使对手认输。
2、苏格拉底式的反讽(对方在他的请教和追问下不觉露出破绽)。
3、罗马式反讽(字面意义与实指意义不符或相反),人们称俄狄浦斯王是“万全的人主,聪慧的神明”,然而却不知他处在何处,他是怎样降生的。
20世纪到新批评理论中,反讽得到了进一步阐发。
艾略特、瑞恰兹、燕卜荪都谈到过反讽。
新批评“反讽”理论的主要阐述者是布鲁克斯。
他对反讽作了比较详备的解释,用他的说法:“语境对一个陈述语的明显的歪曲,我们称之为反讽”。
显然,这是一个非常宽泛的定义。
例如“阳光灿烂的日子”,这句话在一定的语境下可以与它的字面意义相反。
语境能使一句话的含义颠倒,这就是反讽。
“反讽”概念的目的仍然是揭示语义在文学文本中的复杂变化。
根据新批评“复义”概念,文学文本的基本特征是语义朦胧和语义多重。
“反讽”这一语言现象正好符合这一文学定义。
正因为这个原因,“反讽”就成为新批评最常用的概念之一。
反讽型环境表现形式也有三种:“环境与人的冲突”;“人物对环境的无视和漠视”,“环境对人物的嘲弄”。
据以上定义我们可以发现霍桑在小说里对反讽的运用。
三反讽在《红字》人物描写中的运用1 反讽在描写海丝特·白兰时的运用海丝特·白兰原是一个纯朴、天真而美丽的姑娘,而她的丈夫,无论是从形貌、性格还是从道德品质方面,都不能与她匹配。
但她在到达美洲后便与丈夫失去了联系,后来又与一位年轻牧师私通,并生下了一个女孩。
波士顿的当权者认为海丝特违背了神圣的宗教,对她施以当时最严厉的刑罚——胸前佩带一个红色的a字,a 即“adultery”(通奸),在市场上的刑台上示众,企图羞辱她。
但海丝特用无言的行动破坏了他们的阴谋,她挣脱了宗教、法律加在妇女身上的枷锁,赢得了性爱自由,得到生理及精神上的满足。
海丝特通过自己的努力,证明妇女并不是“弱者”,她是一位自主的人,可以寻求到自我解救的方法。
在小说结尾时,我们发现她是一个充满希望和幸福的女人。
作者在描写此人物时,在很多地方都运用了视点反讽的手法,即通过异常叙述者的独特视角与惯常视角的相异形成反讽意蕴,如:“海丝特站在那个耻辱的幻术圈中,那惩罚她的狡猾残忍的判决,像是把她永远钉在那里,而在这时候,那个令人赞羡的宣教士,正从那神圣的祭坛上俯视着他的听众——他们就连最内在的精神都受了他的支配。
这个教会中的神圣的牧师!这个市场上戴红字的妇人!谁会不恭敬到这种地步,竟敢于猜想在他们两个人的身上是有着同样烧灼的烙印!”这段文字利用牧师那高高在上的地位,令人敬佩的伟大形象,与戴红字的、站在刑台旁的海丝特形成鲜明的对比,这就是对社会、对政教合一的清教制度的极大讽刺。
作者还运用了罗马反讽(字面意义与实指意义不符或相反),或者说是话语反讽,即通过误用话语的语用规则生成反讽意味。
《红字》里的“a”字在清教徒的教规里本来象征“adultery”(通奸),但经过白兰的努力,最后a字实际上被人当作了天使(angel)、能干(able)、敬慕(adored)的意思。
另外,白兰虽然身受羞辱,但面对迫害和嘲弄,她勇敢地站出来。
为了爱情,为了心爱的人不受耻辱,她独自承担了“她的心脏被投在街上,让他们所有的人来践踏”的痛苦。
经历了七年的孤独、痛苦的磨难后,海丝特仍然斗志昂扬。
对海丝特大胆追求纯洁的爱情、争取性爱自由,对黑暗的社会做出无言的反抗的描写,作者正是运用了反讽型环境中的“人物对环境的无视和漠视”这一写作技巧特点。
2 反讽在描写牧师时的运用牧师亚瑟·丁梅斯代尔是《红字》中最富于讽刺性和矛盾性的人生,善与恶突出地集中于这一形象,他生活在爱情与宗教冲突之中。
反讽型环境里的“环境与人的冲突”在他身上得到了突出体现。
运用于丁梅斯代尔的反讽性在于,他伪装成完美的布道师,一旦公开认罪,就会把他的不完整公示于众,他的高傲和虚荣心不允许他这样做,所以他采取了自欺的方式。
更具有讽刺意味的是,当海丝特站在示众台上,受到总督和神父的严厉训诫时,她的情人,道貌岸然、德高望重的牧师亚瑟·丁梅斯代尔竟也劝她说出情人的名字,坦露自己心中的罪恶:“……我责令你说出与你同伙的罪人和难友的姓名!不要出于对他错误的怜悯与温情而保持沉默,海丝特,相信我的话,虽然他要从崇高的地位跌下来,跟你站在一起,站在刑台上,但这样也比终生隐藏罪恶之心要好受些……”作者运用戏谑反讽,即通过戏拟性文本与母本间表层语码的相似及深层语码的逆忤制造反讽意义。
这一辛辣的对比、伪善的谎言,向我们展示的是,人们心中至高无上的道德标准的虚伪性,宗教的褊狭性,社会的不公平性。
海丝特带着猩红的“a”字,公开地忏悔,取得思想上的净化与力量,而丁梅斯代尔却一直隐瞒遭受的一切痛苦,这皆起因于他内心深处的“恶”。
特别是当海丝特劝说牧师和她一起带着他们的私生女珠儿私奔时,他却坚持把私奔的日子订在他做完庆祝上帝选择日的祷文后,以期上帝能拯救他,这就进一步揭露了他本人和宗教的伪善,进而对当时的社会道德进行了有力的抨击。
另外,丁梅斯代尔与很多普通人一样思想处于各种矛盾之中,因此,他也陷入了现实的痛苦煎熬之中。
作为一个仍不能彻底摆脱宗教毒害的牧师,他认为自己有罪,为此他私下自我惩罚,鞭打自己至伤痕累累,更残酷的惩罚是内在精神上的,如他所说的那烙在他心中的红色的a字,令他总也不得安宁。
作为一个当地深受众望的牧师,现实的惩罚又使他一直怯于公开承认自己就是那位“通奸者”,他活在虚伪之中,这无疑是对他的又一重心灵折磨。
最终,丁梅斯代尔没按照海丝特的计划出逃,而是在众目睽睽中登上了那个示众的刑台。
面对众多惊愕的面孔,公开承认了自己的“罪行”,吻了自己的女儿,死在海丝特怀里。
从以上分析可以看出,丁梅斯代尔内心世界几个阶段的转换,由神圣的牧师转为“有罪”的人,再从矛盾“有罪的人”转为敢于面对现实的人。
3 反讽在描写医生齐灵渥斯时的运用罗杰·齐灵渥斯是海丝特的丈夫,他本是个普普通通的医生。
他有着一张缺乏生气的“苍老、白晰、瘦削的具有学者模样的男人的面孔”,虽具有超常的洞悉别人灵魂的不可思议的观察力,但“眼睛已经昏花了”的他是属于书斋和修道院的人物,而不属于活生生的现实生活;而且他有残疾,“左肩略高于右肩”。
齐灵渥斯在内在品质上缺乏人性,自私、冷酷而又阴险。
虽然我们不知道他以前的生活,但完全可以通过他在妻子犯了“通奸罪”之后的表现来分析他的灵魂。
在整部小说中,他本应是一个值得同情的人物,因为在这次事件中,他毕竟是个受害者。
但当妻子在示众台上被人们的污言秽语淹没的时候,他没有因此而找到自身的不足,从而理解妻子的不幸,进而承担起自己该承担的责任,显示出人文关怀,而是选择“决不愿和她一起站在耻辱台上示众”。
这说明在齐灵渥斯的心目中,根本没有把妻子当作一个平等的、生动的人,而是当作了自己的一件附属物,他只意识到自己受损害而根本不考虑妻子的处境。
非但如此,极端的报复欲望同时在齐灵渥斯的心中升腾。
文中描通过海丝特描写了她眼中齐灵渥斯的变化:“她看明白在过去的七年间这个老人是发生了怎样的变化,使她既震惊又骇异。
那倒并不是说他已经老了很多;虽然老年的迹象已经显露出来,但以他的年龄而论还不算太老,而且他像是还保持着一种强悍和敏捷。
但是他从前留给她的最深刻印象,是一个理智好学的安祥沉默的容貌,现在已经完全不见了,换上一种锐利搜索、几乎凶恶、而又小心翼翼地戒备的神情。
他似乎故意要用一种微笑来掩饰这种表情,但是那微笑却更露出他的虚伪,有一种非常嘲笑的神情在他的面孔上忽隐忽现,使旁观的人把他的阴险看得更清楚。
”作者在这里运用了语调反讽,通过叙述语调与叙述内容及表达意旨的乖离产生反讽效果。
齐灵渥斯从瘦弱的书生、无辜的受害者到报复者、到罪人,这是一个极大的讽刺。
也正体现了反讽型环境里的“环境对人物的嘲弄”。
四小结以上就是作者运用反讽型环境这一写作手法对小说《红字》中三个主要人物的心理及身份转化的描写。
海丝特·白兰从美丽的外表到有罪的行为,受到公开的惩罚,但她坚强地度过了多年的耻辱生活,终于使胸前的红字标志从有罪变成了德行的标志,成为圣者、天使;牧师从受人尊敬的人到内心受到谴责的罪人,耗尽了自己的精力和才华,最后才敢于忏悔,洗清自己的耻辱,在死亡中获得道德上的解脱,成为殉道者;而海丝特的丈夫从一个无辜的受害者,由于一心报复,被心中的“恶”所驱动,如同魔鬼一般,成为不可原谅的罪人。
霍桑是美国文学史上一颗璀璨的星星,他运用象征手法和辛辣的讽刺,把人物内心的矛盾展示出来,把人物的性格描写得淋漓尽致,他开创了一个写作先河。
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