【Abstract】Hawthorne’s Scarlet letter is a novel full of human exploration.It’s religion and ethics， it’s a contest of goodness and hypocrisy，It is a love tragedy in North America.The uppercase A on the heroine’s back has too much meaning.It is precisely because of the meaning of this A that the intension of human nature is exposed incisively and vividly.This article tries to explore the essence of human nature behind the “A” character of the university.

【Key Words】Hawthorne; Scarlet letter; Scarlet A; Humanity Exploration

【作者簡介】徐同力，天津市津英中學。

I. Introduction

Hawthorne; Scarlet letter; Capital A; humanity Exploration，The young woman Hester Prynne was guilty of adultery， but she refused to say who her lover was， so Calvin punished her with the red letter A （Adultery）.In the course of punishment， she showed deep sympathy to other unfortunate people， and her many good deeds gradually earned her respect.Hester’s accomplice， the young Puritan Reverend Dimmesdale， was condemned by conscience， and at last gathered the courage to confess his guilt， and died in Hester’s bosom.Hester’s husband， besieged by vengeful fire， was devilish， morally completely corrupted， and ruined her life.Through this story， the author explores the relationship between legal and moral evils， and suggests， “where is the evil？” who is the real sinner？ “ Such a moral question.

II.The Connotation of the Capital A

2.1 A Mark of Shame and Pain

The scarlet letter A gave Dimmesdale the same unbearable pain.海St’s scarlet letter was embroidered in clothes， while his scarlet letter was engraved in the depths of his soul.As a representative of Puritanism and a moral model， his pain was even more profound.He loved Hester and yearned for a perfect love， but he could not go against God’s will;Between love and God， he was in a dilemma; his mind and body were completely enveloped in the consciousness of sin， and there was no peace for a moment， and life was drying up in his own torment.When Hester cheered him up with enthusiasm， he said he was no longer able to venture into a vast， strange， adventurous new world.He was weak and cowardly in the face of great pain.

2.2 A Sign of Love

Although Hester’s love begins with tragedy and ends with tragedy， we can still feel that she is full of love in her heart.In the days of Hester， all people’s actions were restricted by Puritanism， and they were forbidden to possess ideas that were incompatible with Puritan norms and traditional ideas.Therefore， her love with Dimmesdale violated the Puritan precepts and decayed morals of the time. But she would rather go to prison and suffer than to give up her lover in exchange for her freedom; and being sentenced to wear the scarlet letter for life， she condensed her love into a scarlet letter “A”， carefully embroidered on her chest clothes;For the sake of Dimmesdale， she gave up living in an unknown place to escape the humiliation of the people， but chose to stay and raise the crystallization of their love， Pearl， alone;When she found out that he was suffering mentally and physically and was about to collapse， she decided to flee with him.After her death， she chose to be buried next to him and shared a gravestone with the red letter “A” on it.

2.3 A Sign of Rebellion.

When the Scarlet letter first appeared in public， it was delicate， rich in fancy and rich in imagination， and became the most fashionable ornament on Hearst’s clothesShe outdressed the colonial dress by a great deal.With her unique image， she fought back at the public abuse of her and silently challenged the unjust society.She always dressed up her Pearl， gorgeous cloth， imaginative design， dressed Pearl as a living scarlet letter.It was a mockery of Hester’s decaying secular society by virtue of his exquisite workmanship.When the church and secular authorities sought to seize Hester’s custody of her daughter， Hester， for the first time， challenged and rebelled against the church and rulers who had punished her， arguing against him with a strange， almost insane complaint， Vows to the death to defend her right as a mother.

III. Conclusion

The explanation of the meaning of “A” in the Scarlet letter has go-ne through the process of“Adultery”-“Anguish”-“Affection”-“anti-Puritan”-“able”.Hester’s sincere kindness and fraternity spirit finally is thescarlet letter on the chest from the symbol of evil began to fade disappear and finally transformed into a symbol of love and ability.

References：

[1]Hamin.A.[J].Study of Foreign Literature，1990.

[2]Zhang Qiyun.Evolution of the prototype of dynamic context：a Cognitive interpretation of Hawthorne’s Scarlet letter[J].2013.