《红字》书评

Since I had the course of “Introduction to literary classics” in my sophomore year, I have been fascinated by the story of Scarlet Letter. Being the representative work of Nathaniel Hawthorne, this book is highly praised, and I do get its charm after my reading in the winter holiday.

First, the characters under Hawthorne’s pen are vivid and full: Hester is brave and independent, though she is deeply hurt by the worldly indifference after the trail, she remains her kindness and the love for life; Dimmesdale is respected by the people and pursuits an ideal personality, but is really hypocritical and is tortured by his own contradictory personality after adultery; Chillingworth regards revenge as the sole purpose of his life when he knows the betrayal, but he still has goodness in the bottom of his heart for he leaves his inheritance to Peal; Pearl is the living Scarlet Letter, but her innocence is not obliterated and she has the right to own a happy life. All these round characters are given life by the author, presenting us a picture of the people in that era.

Second, the theme of the book is profound and influential. "The Scarlet Letter" takes the American colonial era which is more than 200 years ago as its background, but reveals the cruelty of social laws, religious deception and moral hypocrisy of the US in the capitalist development era of the 19th century. Suffering from the hardship of the Time, Hawthorne injects his criticism aand appeals into his writing. And it is his worry for the society and his sympathy for the common people that contribute his success and help him to win his fame.

All in all, it is a good work that worth our reading and our contemplation.

2023-01-17

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