《红字》中的象征主义(2)
Symbolism emphasizes the subjective, personal and spiritual imagination and creates some sorts of suggestive and symbolic magic pictures. That is to say, some concrete objects are used to represent something broader and more abstract. For example, lily symbolizes purity, solemn and heart to heart. Symbolism is the most important performance techniques in Hawthorne’s novel. The rosebush growing next to the prison door is very beautiful, vivid and animated. The prison is usually cruel and merciless and symbolizes the Puritanism’s severity. The rosebush is the symbol of the nature’s ability of enduring. No matter how ugly the world is and how severe the laws are, the nature cannot be influenced, just like Hester in the prison. The prison also symbolizes the Puritanical severity of laws and represents the rigorous enforcement of laws and the inability to get freedom from the authority of the regime. Although Hester is sinful, but at last, her sincerity, courage and other virtues are shown in the later chapters, which shows that the rosebush is a moral flower. Finally, the rosebush can be seen as a symbol of passion. The unsightly vegetation stands for the ordinary things, the common ideas, or common women.
Symbolism is a kind of writing skill. It is a major literary art in Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter. There are many different symbols displayed in the novel, for example, the scaffold which appears three times and the forest where Hester meets Dimmesdale. The proper use of symbolism can give something more abstract spiritual qualities to specific and perceived images. Symbols are seen everywhere, so symbolism is very useful and has been used widely. If we can understand some symbols well, it will be of great help for us to understand the theme of the novel. Through using symbolism in the Scarlet Letter, the author paves the way for our deeper understanding of this novel, especially his inner world. In a word, the various usage of symbolism and other artistic skills make the Scarlet Letter world-famous. The novel will become wonderful and leave deep impression on readers. It seeks for gorgeous packing and decoration. On the one hand, symbolism enhances the difficulties of the novel. On the other hand, it can add romantic color to the work.
III. The Symbolic Meanings of Several Characters
In this part, the symbolic meanings of the characters Hester Prynne, Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth will be analyzed one by one.
3.1 Hester Prynne
The name of Hester reminds us of Hastier who is a figure in Greek myth. She is a sister of Zeus and is also a beauty. Just as Hester who is described by Nathaniel Hawthorne in chapter 2, “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...” (Hawthorne 50)Hester is a beauty in the novel. At the same time, Hester is a homophone of haste. Instead of saying that her marriage and love is hasty, we can say that it is a spirit of adventure. Her love to Dimmesdale comes from passion and rashness. Prynne is not just a woman’s name in the Scarlet Letter. In fact, it also has a symbolic meaning. Prynne rhymes with “sin”. Taking it for granted, we can’t help but make readers think of her wretched fate. Prynne does not love her husband. She is a beautiful lady but she marries an old and ugly man. Chillingworth wants to immigrate to America from England with her wife. But he has something to handle, so he asks Hester to go to America ahead. As her husband didn’t come on time, therefore, people guess that he may be died at sea. The fact is that she is pregnant, so it shows that she committed adultery with others.
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