Hawthorne-and-the-black-vision

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1、ABSTRACTHawthorne was a great and ambivalent writer in American Literature, this essay aims to analyze his unique writing perspectiveBlack Vision, a way he uses to explore the Puritan society. He shows it by hidden in his never changing main theme in most of his workssin and evil in humans soul. The

2、 main purpose of the essay is to explore Hawthornes technique in expressing his black vision in his works. This essay just picks up his most famous novel The Scarlet letter to analyze in detail. Chapter one talks about the history, literary background and Hawthornes life. This is the background of f

3、orming the black vision. Chapter two is about other writers and critics comments and criticizes about Hawthorne; and the relationship between Hawthorne and Melville who was deeply influence by Hawthorne and motivated by him to recreated Moby Dick. Chapter three is to reveal Hawthornes outstanding wr

4、iting style: using black vision to mock and criticize the dark side of the society and religion. Chapter four analyzes the usage of his black vision in The Scarlet Letter. It is mainly analyze the three main characters: Hester, Dimesdale, Chillingworth in detail. Chapter five is a conclusion about t

5、he whole essay. From this study it is easy to tell that in most of Hawthornes works, the main theme is always about sin, evil and guilt. And due to his unique black vision, Hawthorne had achieved an enormous statue in American literature world.Keywords: Hawthorne, Black Vision, Original Sin推荐精选摘要 霍桑

6、是美国文学史上一位伟大的小说家，本论文旨在分析他独特的写作视角黑暗视角，这是他探索美国清教社会的一种方式；他用他大多数的作品主题：罪恶和邪恶就在人的内心，来展示了他的黑暗视角。本论文探讨他如何用独特的写作方式来表达黑暗视角，并选取了他最出名的小说红字来进行分析。第一章讲述的是美国浪漫主义的历史和文学背景，霍桑的生活经验，这些就是使他形成黑暗视角的原因。第二章讲的其他作家对霍桑的评论， 以及霍桑对麦尔维尔的影响并促使他重新创造白鲸。 第三章是揭示霍桑出色，与众不同的写作风格作品中的黑暗视角， 并用其来嘲讽和批判社会的不公以及宗教对人的荼毒。第四章是分析霍桑在红字中对黑暗视角的运用；主要是详细分析

7、作品中的三位主人公：海斯特，丁姆斯戴尔和裘灵窝斯。第五章是对整篇论文的总结。这次的研究显示霍桑大多数作品主题都是关于原罪，罪恶和邪恶。正因为霍桑的独特的黑暗视角，使他在美国文学界赢得了不朽的位置。关键字：霍桑, 黑暗视角, 原罪推荐精选CONTENTSChapter One Hawthorne and American Romanticism .41.1 American Romanticism.4 1.1.1 Cultural Background.41.1.2 Political Background and Economic Development.51.1.3 European Rom

8、anticisms Influence .51.2 Hawthornes Life Experience. 61.3 Hawthornes Education7Chapter Two Hawthorne and Other writer.82.1 Comments and Criticizes. 82.2 Hawthorne and Moby Dick.9Chapter Three The Black Vision.103.1 Ways of Black Vision.103.2 Black Vision and Puritanism.113.3 Black Vision in Works.1

9、2Chapter Four Black Vision in Hawthornes Works.134.1 Brief Description about The Scarlet Letter.134.2 Characters Presentation in The Scarlet Letter.144.2.1 Hester.14 4.2.2 Dimmesdale.16 4.2.3 Chillingworth.17Chapter Five Conclusion18推荐精选Selected Bibliography .20Chapter One Hawthorne and American Rom

10、anticism 1.1 American RomanticismLiterature of American Romanticism is from the end of 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War, it also called the American Renaissance. It was a rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism. For romantics, the feeling, intuitions and emotions were more impo

11、rtant than reason and common sense. They emphasized Individualism, placing the individual against the group. They affirmed the inner life of the self and cherished strong interest in the past, the wild, the remote, the mysterious and the strange. 1.1.1 Cultural Background The literature term “Americ

12、an Romanticism” was first applied to the writers of the 18th century in Europe who broke away the formal rules of the classical writing. When it was in American literature it referred to the writers of the middle of the 19th century who stimulated the sentimental emotions of their readers. They wrot

13、e of the mysteries of life, love, birth and death. The romantic writers expressed themselves freely and without restraint. They wrote all kinds of materials: poetry, essays, plays, fiction, history, works of travel and biography. It reached its peak with the appearance of the major authors of the 19

14、th century such as Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson in poetry, and Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville in fiction.推荐精选1.1.2 Political Background and Economic Development.The early 50 years in 19th century, is the shaping period in American independent culture and literature. Aft

15、er Americans independence, everything in are in a livelihood both in political, economical and psychological. Jacksons democracy and political equality had become the new nations ideal. The spread of industrialism, the sudden influx of immigrants, and the “pioneers” pushing the frontier further west

16、all these produced something of an economic boom. A positive and creative nation and the people in it are eager to have their own literature to show up their new experiences and pursuits. The nations cheerful attitudes, the flow of time and the motivated power of it force the outbreak of Romanticism

17、. 1.1.3 European Romanticisms Influence Foreign culture and ideology had aroused the spread of American Romanticism. The revolution of Romanticism which affected England and Europe had played an important role in the growth of American literature in early 19th century. The influence of European and

18、English literature can not be denied. Like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, George Noel Gordon Byron and Robert Burns had their incomparable retightening to American independent novel and poetry. Especially English Romanist Samuel Taylor Coleridges influence to Emerson, Allan Poe, Hawtho

19、rne and Melville was extremely obvious; typically by his prose Biographia Literaria and Aids to Reflection which play a dominant rule in American advanced comment and debated literature.推荐精选1.2 Hawthornes Life ExperienceHawthorne was born at July 4th, 1804, in an established family at Salem, Massach

20、usetts. His grandfather William Hathorne followed the chief Winston Rope migrated to North America in 1630. Since William had made some prominent victories he became an excusive officer. He was a sinner in history: he had persecuted the puritans that once he tied a puritan who was named Ann Colman t

21、o a carriage and whipped him. Hawthorne had mentioned it in his work “Main Street” and the foreword of “The Scarlet Letter”.Hawthorne was interested in the history of the family very much; when he was a little boy he read books which recorded the anecdotes and deeds about his ancestors. With a clear

22、 critical mind, Hawthorne felt a great deal of guilt and he considered seriously about what responsibility he should take for the sins of his family. Hawthorne was not so compliment with the behaviors of his grandfathers, therefore he came to realized that sins and evils was born in humans mind, and

23、 came to recognized that the center of life is about darkness. The theory about original sin of Puritanism had deeply impressed him. After he was grown up, he changed his last name “Hathorne” to “Hawthorne”. That is nothing more than indicated a change of generation. Hawthorne was a shy man who like

24、 to be alone and always keep silence most of the time. This related to his childhood environment. His father who was a captain of a business ship died during a trip in Caribbean Sea. With no choice he and his family had to live in grandpas house, which makes him self-abased. The whole family keep th

25、emselves inside the house and seldom to go outside, they went outside when the dark had come only. His sisters talk very little; the whole family lives a life like ghost. The lonely person hates loneliness, and they always keep themselves insolated with society and afraid of far away from it推荐精选 at

26、the same time. In Hawthornes later years he address the people who behaved far away from society as an “unforgivable sin”, it was actually the result of authors changing mind. The “ghost” life had weakened Hawthornes sense of reality, instead, added up his imagination. The zone between “real world”

27、and “paradise” had become a free world for his mind to hover. In early 1864, Hawthorne became weaker and weaker, and dies in a restaurant in May 19th in his travel. 1.3 Hawthornes Education When Hawthorne was 6, he already read Pilgrims Progress. The first book he purchases was Faerie Queene. He rea

28、d Godwin and Scotts novels, his favor of history and mystery become much greater. It had been considered as his nature to tell that the world is the cover of fable story. In 1821, Hawthorne attended to Bowdoin College, as a school-mate with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce who later be

29、came the 13th president of American. Hawthorne was indifference with his college life and refused to devote himself to the study. But he did read a lot. The most benefitial part he gained from college was that he learned to think independently and built up the spirit of skeptical and the direction o

30、f his writing. After graduated in 1825, he went back to Salem, and started his reclusive life for 12 years. During this period Hawthorne had never been far away from Salem, he kept writing and strict to his works. To the works he was not so satisfied he will burned it with no hesitate. Hawthorne was

31、 one of the writers who burned their own works most. This is the result of his insistence to the art of writing.推荐精选Chapter Two Hawthorne and Other Writers2.1 Comments and Criticizes The primary significance of Hawthornes major works dwells in the interest and consistent vitality of his criticism of

32、 life. Donald Ringe in Hawthornes Psychology of the Head and Heart wrote that: “Hawthorne used the vivid and detailed language to describe humans heart, some of his works was indeed sort of reappearance of humans inner world.” Richard Harter Fogle wrote that: “Hawthorne explored an interesting human

33、 psychology through his exploration of the dark side of human consciousness.” The appearance of the heroes in his works was very original and with a great deal of symbolism. It can also say that his heroes were not existed as an individual, but a symbolism of some kind of humans psychological realit

34、y. Many writers and critics including Henry James were complained that Hawthornes heroes were not a fresh human being at all.Leo Spitzer declaimed in Essays on English and American Literature: “Even though some of Hawthornes symbols were fantastical, they represented an anachronistic moral standpoin

35、t of Hawthorne himself.” Hawthorne lived in an age when the dynamic influence of Puritanism was gone and the impact of Romanticism and Transcendentalism was largely felt among the intellectuals, and thus he made his efforts to explore the root of all kinds of social evils which appears in a social b

36、ackground less religious and more industrialized. He believed the inner world of man is the source of social evils. His mystical novel is the deepest and most psychological of any of the 19th century.推荐精选Hawthornes romance had not only created the American new literature style but also built a solid

37、 foundation to Henry Jamess Psychological Realism. Hawthorne defined the romance as the “neutral territory” between imagination and reality, dream and awake. This description had changed the critics skeptical attitude in 19th century. 2.2 Hawthorne and Moby DickWhen Hawthorne was alive, he was consi

38、dered as the greatest novelist in American in the time. He was an outstanding example of the Native American literature. Hawthornes influence has been so great even changed Herman Melvilles original scheme for his Moby-Dick.In 1850, Hawthorne moved to Wino town where he lives next to Melville. The t

39、wo great writers began their unusual friendship, and left a good story to the history of literature. Melville was attracted by the dreaming magic in Hawthornes works, especially by his exploration of “the darkest part in the darkness” conceal deep inside human soul.Melville read Hawthornes books and

40、 was deeply impressed. There was an obvious shock of recognition on the part of Melville. Against the background of New England Transcendental optimism concerning man and the world, Melville saw in Hawthorne the one American who was expressively aware of the evil at the core of American life. He fou

41、nd Hawthorne understands of evil, the black vision, unusually fascinating. The tragedy opinion in life of Hawthorne had deeply influenced Melville, and then a significant change came about in the original design of Moby Dick, about one third of which he had completed when the two men met. The book w

42、hich would otherwise have been another of Melvilles exotic whaling tales was now rewritten into the world classic that we read today. It was dedicated to Hawthorne.Melvilles neutral judgments to Hawthorne also inspired the future writers and the critics推荐精选The Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick are the fl

43、owers growing on the American Transcendentalist soil. They are the dark flowers of the original sin.Chapter Three The Black Vision3.1 Ways of Black VisionWhere there is sun, there is shadow. When Emerson and Thoreau upheld the superpower of human, Whitman singing opts to human, Hawthorne and Melvill

44、e was suffering the sin in human. Hawthorne looks around the world with black grasses, the more sins they saw, and the darker the world is.Hawthornes tone had been similar to the German writer J L Fieck and E T A Hoffman and New York writer Allan Poe. That die, grave, ghost and black veil shuttle in

45、 and out. Fate, evil and love were wandering around the character all the time.The central subject of Hawthornes works is human soul. It is in his exploration of humans soulespecially the dark side, that Hawthorne reveals his criticism of life. He was deeply affected by his family and the society; i

46、t is hard for him to get rid of the impacts of the theory of Puritanism. The opinion of human was born to be guilty had been a symbol in Hawthornes works. None of his work can deposed of the exploring the humans indispensable guilt and its impact to the individual and society. There were lots of gho

47、sts and spirit in Hawthornes works, but those things was not created to scared people, but to explore the evil and unfaithful thing in history.The raising of American short story writers Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville marked the mature of Western short s

48、tory. In the area of short story, Hawthorne explored humans psychological conscious by allegoric and parable novel and Allan Poe by horror fiction.推荐精选3.2 Black Vision and PuritanismHawthorne was not a crazy, blind religious worshipper. In fact, he was not a Puritan, but he, with sensitive mind, was

49、 so absorbed about his forefathers guilty. Then he devoted himself to the study of the history of New Englands colony, built a great interest in Puritanism and though a lots of human nature. Hawthorne explored Puritanism with his calm, brilliant mind and gained a unique understanding. During the exp

50、loring, he experienced the ignorance and intolerance of the Puritan religious, the hypocrite and cruel of its rulers. Thats why many of Hawthornes work were critic the religious fanaticism and senates what had ruin and depressed human nature. The impact of Puritanism not only reveal in Hawthornes co

51、ncern about the theme of original sin and the ever lasting guilt, but his creative writing skills. The Puritan emphasis that Bible was the code of religious interpretation, and every queries in senates and creeds could find its answer in it. Thus the narrative writing skills and theory had become th

52、e follow object to the puritan writers, and Hawthorne was one of them. In order to achieve its purpose on spreading the senates and values about Christian, the Bible was good at using metaphor and contrast, tales and legends. Which Hawthorne had absorbed and developed, he had used the way of symboli

53、sm many times to strengthen his views and appeal. Like in The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter A was the important symbol throughout the whole story; and it sublimated the themethe transition from Adulterer to Angel. Also the scene description, the name of the characters and their appearance were

54、the represent of the use of symbol. At the same time, as the influence of mysticism, Hawthorne considered the objective material world as the feint, and the essential of it was ghost. Therefore he tried to use symbol to reveal the conceal meaning in writing. In order to dig out the “evil inside ever

55、yone” he was favor at writing the horror of super-nature, the weird of environment, the dark, abnormal of psychological activities. So in Hawthornes works, the history of colonial society was just a backdrop, the exploration of human推荐精选s situation and fate was the main plot. 3.3 Black Vision in Wor

56、ksIn the foreword in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne estimated the persecution in the forefathers would inherited to the sons and grandsons, the spots of blood will deeply stick to their fathers stones, if the stones did not turned into dust. The ancestors show up as ghosts, but they were not scared.

57、The terrified things were what they had done! Hawthorne was very disgusted to his fathers sins, but he never denied he had taken some of their characters with him. The guilty stains of human nature are the theme in his writing. The theme of The Scarlet Letter is that it is useless to hide guilt in o

58、rder to avoid punishment. In the book, adultery is not the main focus, just as the novel is not really a love story.In Hawthornes mind, the evil was lived in humans soul. Like his story The Ministers Black Veil, a loved pastor shows up with a black veil in his face, and he was abandoned and separate

59、d by his loving fellows. Before he was died he cried “I look around me, and lo! On every visage a black veil!” the “black veil” was a mask people use to cover the evil inside them. With the cover of “black veil” everything was ghostly. And Hawthorne was the one who wearing the invisible “black veil”

60、. so that he could built up his unique black vision and wrote the excellent fictions.Most of his work deals with evil one way or another. In The Scarlet Letter, all elements of his thinking and aesthetics seem to find an adequate expression.推荐精选Chapter Four Black Vision in Hawthornes Works4.1 Brief

61、Description about The Scarlet LetterThe novel The Scarlet Letter published in 1850; the one Hawthorne declaimed “whether it is totally a hit or a failure” won him a great reputation, and was greatly appraised by the critic and readers. This is a book deals with sin, the supernatural, and New England

62、 past. Hawthorne shows a great interest in the issue of guilt, and The Scarlet Letter deals with sensational material of human beings: adultery, because he is ambitious to explore the result of sin, the effect of guilt, pride, egotism and isolation on human conscience.The Scarlet Letter is a masterp

63、iece of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was set in 17th century Puritan Boston, tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin and guilt.The plot of The Scarlet Letter is as below: an aging English scholar sends his beautiful young wife, Hester Prynne to make their new home in New England. When he comes over two years later he is bewildered to see his wife in pillor