生态女性主义下的霍桑小说三部曲解读(2)
1.1 The Scarlet Letter -- psychological crime confessionThe Scarlet Letter is a novel in a historical setting -- the new Ireland under thegovern of Puritanism in 1800s. As the subtitle for this book “Romance” indicated, itdescribes an exceedingly sentimental but forbearing love with a tragic ending. Elmer(1990) remarks Hawthorne in The Custom-house that “he describes a space betweenmaterialism and ‘dreaminess’ that he calls a neutral territory, somewhere between thereal world and fairy-land, where the Actual and the Imaginary may meet, and eachimbues itself with nature of the other”.The female character Hester Prynne, a married woman, who commits guilty ofadultery with priest Master Dimmesdale of noble character and high prestige. She issupposed to wear the scarlet letter “A”on the breast of her gown for whole life longand receive public humiliation. While Hester’s deformed husband changes his nameinto Roger Chillingworth in order to begin his evil revenge, priest Dimmesdale hasalways been enduring his inner suffering, the fear of the punishment of sin andSatan’s surrounding (here refers old Roger). Hester is always a positive female figureshaped in this novel. Not only she possesses incomparable, inborn beauty and noble,but she “struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity” (Hawthorne 1878).Throughout the book, Hawthorne successfully create the contradiction betweenthe puritan oppress to female and female’s revolt against it; between the male’sexploitation towards woman and woman chooses not to conform their rules and brief.The forest in this novel has a strong symbolism. Hester throws away her scarlet letterthere, his daughter Pearl seems to be inosculated as a whole with everything in there,even Priest Dimmesdale finds his disappeared happiness. As in the novel “I seem tohave flung myself--sick, sin-stained, sin sorrow-blackened--down upon theseforest-leaved, and to have risen up all made a new and with new powers to glorifyhim that hath been merciful!”(Hawthorne 1878). This is nature’s power.1.2 The Birthmark -- a tragic perfectionThe birthmark is contained in Hawthorne’s short story collection: Mosses froman Old Manse (1846 edition). Many of famous tales including Rappaccini’ s Daughter are also collected in it. Thus, this story collection is an unqualified noontide ofHawthorne’s allegories creation which focus on human’s negative side. The stories inMosses from an Old Manse may have something in common in the term of subject. AsWineapple (2001) said in his thesis, The Birth-Mark, is like many tales Hawthornewrite in the Old Manse, discusses “the psychological impact in sexual relations. In thesubconsciousness of the most the male heroins, female could be in the control of theirhands, or their body even could be remold as man’s wish.The Birthmark tells a story ut supra. Aylmer is a renowned and brilliant scientistand philosopher who marries to a beautiful woman Georgiana who has a redbirthmark on her right face. Aylmer deems Georgiana would be flawless if herbirthmark could be moved. So, he becomes zealously in birthmark-removing, untilone day he finally develops his effective potion and asks Georgiana to drink it.Tragically, although the red birthmark on Georgiana’s face is completely removed,she dies for it eventually. Like the famous American literary scholar Fetterley (1991)said that it a the demonstration of how to murder your wife and get away with it. Maybest summarize this story. It is sad that as a woman character is this novel, Georgianawould obey her husband’s request and prioritize her husbands desire before herselfunconditionally. It may epitome the society in that era.1.3 Rappaccini’s Daughter -- poisonous beautyAs Hawthorne’s one of the most well-known and popular short story,Rappaccini’ s Daughter successfully reveals the dark side of human nature. Beingsimilar with The Birthmark, this story set in medieval Padua also molds a maleprotagonist who is obsessed with scientific research, and has a great achievement increating poisonous plants.
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