Researchproposal班级08级10班学号0805020353姓名祝文昭ⅠTitleofmythesisOnthemultiplepersonalityofHesterPrynneinTheScarletLetter《红字》中海斯特·白兰多重性格分析ⅡLiteraturereviewAsaromanticistintheUnitedStatesinthe19thcentury,NathanielHawthornewaslargelyinfluencedbypuritanthoughts,transcendentalphilosophyandmysticism.Downthroughthedecades,hisreputationhasbeenthesteadiest,andheremainsastalwartofthereadinglistforthemajorsinAmericanliterature.Evenintheperiodswhenrealisticandnaturalistnovelsbecameprevalentintheliteraryworld,interestinandaspectforHawthorneandhisromances,aswellashistalesandsketches,remainedvigorous.TheScarletLetterasHawthorne'smasterpieceisundoubtedlythepinnacleofhiscreativeworks.Itissuccessfulinmanyways.Hawthorneusesthesymbolismtoexplorethecharacter’sheartshockindifferentenvironments.Thenovelshowsvarietiesofmeaningsandcomplexity.Hawthornehascreatedeachofthemwithoneoutstandingcharacteristicinmindandhasfocusedalmostentirelyonthatcharacteristic.Althoughsomeliterarycommentsmayobjecttoanauthor’smakinghischaractersstandforideasratherthanhavethembehavelikeordinarypeople,Hawthorneiswellawareofwhatheisdoing.Heisnottryingtoletthereadersknowhischaractersinthesamewaywemightgettoknowtheboynextdoor.Heisinstead,attemptingtotellussomethingtrueandimportantabouthumanheartbythrowingastrongandconstantlightononesideofeachofhischaracters.“Itistherepresentativeofthemoral,evenoftheimmoral;itisnotanattackonthePuritanism,butapraiseofthat.Theauthordoesn’tseemtocommentonanycharacters,excepthetalksaboutthereligiousrules.”(DongHengxun,2006:8-12)“Hester’scharacterisnevermeanttobeeasytodefine.Sheisareal,living,growing,changingwomaninaworldoffalsenessandasexuality,andshecannotsimplybelabeledasthecold-heartedsinnerthepuritansmakeherouttobe.Hesterisneitherasinnernorasaint,butawomantrappedinalovelessmarriageandinlovewiththewrongman,livinginanunforgivingsocietythatshecanneverrelateto.”(冉超，2007:56-60)It’sobviousthatnomatterwhatchoicesHestermakesforherself,shewillbeforcedtogiveupsomethinghugelyimportantto