Hawthorne’s View on Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter
Abstract: The thesis aims to analyze the reflection of Hawthorne’s view on Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne was an American author of romanticism. Owing to the influence of North American Puritanism in the colonial period, Hawthorne showed his dual view on Puritanism by depicting the leading characters and the environment in the novel. For one thing, he was disgusted by the rules of Puritanism which suppressed the nature of man, treated women unfairly and so on, such as the depiction of characters Hester, Chillingworth; for another, he agreed with the concepts of Puritanism that everyone has guilt, one’s soul can be purified only by self-redemption and so on，such as the depiction of character Dimmesdale. However, Hawthorne expressed his agreements with Puritanism in the novel.
Key Words: Hawthorne; Puritanism; The Scarlet Letter; Characters
霍桑的清教思想在红字中的体现
摘 要：本文旨在分析美国浪漫主义作家霍桑的清教思想在《红字》中的体现。由于受殖民时期北美清教主义的影响，霍桑通过对人物和环境的描写体现了他的双重清教思想：即一方面对清教教条中对人性压抑和对女性不平等对待等内容的厌恶，例如对海丝特和齐灵渥斯的描写；另一方面对人性本恶、只有通过自我救赎灵魂才能得以净化等观点的支持，例如对丁梅斯代尔的描写。然而在小说中主要还是体现了作者对清教思想的赞同态度。
关键词：霍桑；清教主义；《红字》；人物
CONTENTS
Introduction: 1
1.Brief Introduction of Puritanism 2
1.1 Basic Factors of Puritanism 2
1.2 Puritanism's Value of Ethics 2
1.3 Influences on Puritans 3
2.Hawthorne's Life and View on Puritanism 3
2.1 Hawthorne's Life 4
2.2 Hawthorne's View on Puritanism 4
3. The Reflection of Hawthorne's Puritan Thought on the Characters of The Scarlet Letter 5
3.1 The Reflection on the Character Chillingworth 5
3.1.1 The Inequality of Women's Treatment 5
3.1.2 Revenging on Dimmesdale 6
3.1.3 Chillingworth's Redemption 7
3.2 The Reflection on the Character Pearl 7
3.2.1The Symbol of Freedom and Purity 7
3.2.2 The Embodiment of The Nature of Human 8
3.3 The Reflection on the Character Dimmesdale 9
3.3.1 A Hypocritical Puritan 9
3.3.2 Sanctification by Tribulations 10
3.4 The Reflection on the Character Hester 11
3.4.1 An Anti- Puritan Fighter 11
3.4.2 Compromise with Puritanism from Outside 12
3.4.3 Compromise with Puritanism from Inside 13
4. Conclusion 14
Bibliography 18
