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• 大小: 0.8MB
• 作者: Nathaniel Hawthorne
• 来源: Internet
• 语言: 中英文
• 格式：e-book, exe文件
  

作者简介　

霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804～1864)出身望族。但早年丧父而致家道中落。年轻时依赖舅舅为生。廿四岁大学毕业，不愿依照舅舅之意从商或从政，决心埋头写作。三十二岁时出版「旧事重述」(Twice-told Tales)一书，逐渐崭露头角。但似乎时运不济，多半时间仍然生活清苦，甚至有时贫病交加。直到一八五○年间出版红字(The Scarlet Letter)一书，才轰动文坛，也使生活脱离困境。此后写作和生活都算步入坦途。一八***年逝世于新罕布什尔，享年六十岁。　

The Scarlet Letter | Introduction

source: http://www.enotes.com/scarlet/

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is famous for presenting some of the greatest interpretive difficulties in all of American literature. While not recognized by Hawthorne himself as his most important work, the novel is regarded not only as his greatest accomplishment, but frequently as the greatest novel in American literary history. After it was published in 1850, critics hailed it as initiating a distinctive American literary tradition. Ironically, it is a novel in which, in terms of action, almost nothing happens. Hawthorne's emotional, psychological drama revolves around Hester Prynne, who is convicted of adultery in colonial Boston by the civil and Puritan authorities. She is condemned to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her chest as a permanent sign of her sin. The narrative describes the effort to resolve the torment suffered by Hester and her co-adulterer, the minister Arthur Dimmesdale, in the years after their affair. In fact, the story excludes even the representation of the passionate moment which enables the entire novel. It begins at the close of Hester's imprisonment many months after her affair and proceeds through many years to her final acceptance of her place in the community as the wearer of the scarlet letter. Hawthorne was masterful in the use of symbolism, and the scarlet letter "A" stands as his most potent symbol, around which interpretations of the novel revolve. At one interpretive pole the "A" stands for adultery and sin, and the novel is the story of individual punishment and reconciliation. At another pole it stands for America and allegory, and the story suggests national sin and its human cost. Yet possibly the most convincing reading, taking account of all others, sees the "A" as a symbol of ambiguity, the very fact of multiple interpretations and the difficulty of achieving consensus.

Story:

In the early 1600s, in Boston, a young woman named Hester Prynne was found to be guilty of adultery(通奸). Because of this crime, she had to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown(长上衣). She also had to stand on the stocks (木台)for three hours with her baby in her arms so all the people could see her shame.

Some people said she would have been condemned to death(被判死刑) if the kind Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale hadn't spoken in her behalf(替她).

As she stood on the platform, a strange-looking man came out of the nearby forest. Hester appeared upset, and the man put his finger to his lips as a sign of silence(示意不要出声).

Hester was known in the community to be from a good family in Antwerp, Belgium. She had married a scholar and had been sent by him to the New World(新世界(指当今的美国). Her husband was to follow shortly, but his ship was lost at sea. She had lived quietly in Boston until the time of this disgrace(耻辱；丢脸). Now, standing on the stocks, the local dignitaries (高官显贵)called on her to name the man who shared her guilt. Reverend Dimmesdale spoke to her the most about this(指她的共犯姓名). Nevertheless, she refused. She was taken back to prison.

In prison again, Hester became very disturbed. A call sent out for a doctor, and a man who called himself Roger Chillingworth came forth. He told the jailer he'd just arrived in town after living with Indians for a year. He was the man Hester had seen while she stood on the scaffold(刑台) , and she recognized him as her missing husband.

He too wanted Hester to name the child's father, but again she refused. He swore he'd find out for himself, and he asked her not to reveal (泄露) that he was her husband. She agreed.

Hester finally settled down (定居下来) with her daughter in a small cottage near the town. She named the girl Pearl, and she dressed her colorfully. She earned her living doing needlework, and always she wore the A on her breast. Pearl was a spry and lively (活泼) child, and some church members wanted to take her away from Hester, whom they saw as an unfit mother. When Hester went to the governor to ask him to help her keep Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale spoke in her behalf. The governor agreed to let them stay together.

Meanwhile, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale were living in the same boarding house, and they became very close. As Chillingworth got to know the Reverend better, he discovered that the Reverend suffered greatly from guilt (因罪恶(感)而使内心大受折磨). Most people thought the Reverend was only being righteous (正直的；正义的), but Chillingworth suspected that Dimmesdale himself might be Pearl's father.

One night Dimmesdale couldn't sleep, so he went for a walk. When he got to the stocks, he climbed up to find out what it felt like((站在刑台上)的滋味如何). Just then Hester and Pearl walked by, and the Reverend called them to join him. When all three stood there, Dimmesdale cried out in shame that he was indeed Pearl's father. Chillingworth, in the shadows, watched the entire scene.

Hester recognized that Dimmesdale was very sick, and she believed that Chillingworth was driving him ever deeper into ill health (生病). When she encountered (碰到；遇到) her former husband in the forest, she begged him to leave the Reverend alone (不再打扰…). He refused, so she told him she'd tell Dimmesdale of her relationship with Chillingworth. When she did this, Dimmesdale made plans with her to leave the colony together, with Pearl, in secret. They would leave in four days and would return to Europe.

The day they were to sail, Hester learned that Chillingworth had also made plans to leave and would, in fact, be on the same ship. Hester was filled with despair(失望).

After the Reverend gave what would be his final sermon(宣道), he weakly left the church with others of his congregation(会众；教会). They proceeded down the street until they approached Hester and Pearl, who were standing near the stocks. Dimmesdale then took them by the hands and climbed upon the scaffold. There he confessed all in front of the entire town, and he tore off his minister's band(宽领带)*. He sank to the platform, dying. Some said they noticed a scarlet A on his exposed breast(露出的胸口).

Chillingworth also died shortly afterward, and he left much money to Pearl. Hester left the colony for a while, but years later she returned. She moved back into her cottage and continued to wear the scarlet letter. Now, however, the letter was a symbol of her goodness rather than her shame. In old age, she asked that the only mark on her tombstone (墓碑) be the letter A.

* p.s.: Thanks to magpieuk who had pointed the problem in the translation of a "minister's band". With the picture below, we get to know clearly a "minister's band" actually is not a tie but a detachable collar.

magpieuk: Just to remind helen's readers that a 'minister's band' (mentioned and translated into Chinese in Helen's introduction to the Scarlet Letter) is a type of detachable collar worn by a christian minister/priest, and looks like this

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(美国)霍桑 著

[故事梗概]
海丝特·白兰是个年青漂亮的女子，出生于英格兰的一个古老的世家。她有深黑的眼睛，浓密而乌亮的头发，端正而美丽的五官，身材细长，给人以深刻的印象。她 嫁给一个年老的学者罗格·齐灵窝斯。当时正值英国向美国移民时期。她的丈夫决定定居到美国波士顿。他先把妻子送去，自己留在英格兰处理未了的事务。可是， 罗格过了两年才去美国。这时白兰却和一个年青的牧师犯了通奸罪，并生下了一个女孩。按当时清教徒的法律，犯了通奸罪，必须在胸前佩带红A字，处以示众的惩 罚。
正当白兰从监狱被带到枷刑台示众那天，罗格来到美国。他是个年纪衰老、矮小的男人，有着苍白瘠瘦的学者般的面孔，晦暗的眼睛；他的左肩比右肩高一些，穿着 怪模怪样的衣服。他一眼就认出了自己的妻子，一种辗转不安的恐怖，犹如毒蛇急剧地缠住了他的身子，他的脸色阴暗了。但就在这一刹那间，他又以意志力抑制住 了自己。当他发觉白兰也认出他时，他缓慢而平静地举起他的一个手指，在空中作了一个手势，接着又把手指压在他的唇上，那意思是说叫她不要声张。
海丝特·白兰被带回监狱后，罗格以医生的身份去探狱。他要白兰说出奸夫的姓名，她不肯说，却公开对罗格说，她不爱他，在他那里她感觉不到爱情。罗格也承认 说："我们彼此害了对方……我把你含苞的青春和我的衰朽结成了一种错误而不自然的关系。"他向白兰提出一项交换条件，即白兰可以保守她奸夫的秘密，但同样 要保守他的秘密，在人前不能承认他们是夫妻，而要说她丈夫已死了，因为他不能"遭受一个不忠实女人的丈夫所要蒙受的耻辱"。白兰同意了。于是，罗格便以医 生的身份定居下来，暗中他在察访白兰的奸夫，以便进行报复。
白兰的情人丁梅斯代尔是个年青的牧师。他有洁白高耸而逼人的前额，棕色忧郁的大眼睛；他的嘴，除非是用力压抑着的时候，总是容易颤抖，这既表示出神经质的 敏感，同时出表示出自我抑制的巨大力量。他毕业于英国牛津大学，学识渊博，既有炽热的宗教感情，又善于辞令。他的布道十分动人，在当地教民中享有很高的威 望。人们根本不会怀疑他的品行。但他由于害怕失去自己的名誉、地位和信用，不敢公开承担自己的罪责，而让白兰一人在受苦。
白兰从监狱出来后，住在市镇外郊的一座小茅屋，过着孤独的生活。她以做针线活来维持生活和抚养女儿。她的私生女叫珠儿，长得天真烂漫，她有农家婴儿野花似 的美丽和皇子婴儿似的华贵，而人们却把她当作魔鬼的后代。她没有权利受洗礼。在这个清教徒的城市里，人人都瞧不起白兰母女，把她们看作耻辱和犯罪的象征。
州长贝灵汉出身于律师，他已年近古稀，面貌冷若冰霜。他和白胡子神甫约翰·威尔逊都主张把珠儿和母亲分开，好让孩子学习"天上与人间的真理"。而她母亲是 无法完成这种教育的，因为她是个罪人。白兰坚决不让他们夺去珠儿。她说，珠儿是她的幸福，也是她的苦恼；珠儿在维持她的生命，也在惩罚她的过失，她就是红 字！如果教会要把珠儿夺走，她宁可死去。州长请德高望重的丁梅斯代尔牧师发表意见。丁梅斯代尔主张"随天意去安排"，他说既然上帝同意把孩子赐给了母亲， 将来那孩子也可以把母亲领回天国。这样珠儿才没有被夺走。
罗格以他饱经世故的眼睛看出了丁梅斯代尔内心的隐病。他以医生的名义，假装关心他，和他搬住在一起。他们经常在海滨或森林里作漫长的散步。罗格象观察病人 那样去观察他。一方面，观察丁梅斯代尔的日常生活，看他怎样在惯常的思路中遵循前进；另方面，也观察他被投入另一种道德境界时所表现的形态。他尽量在发掘 牧师内心的奥秘，刺激他，使他精神上蒙受巨大的痛苦。而丁梅斯代尔始终没有怀疑到罗格是白兰的丈夫，他由于不相信任何人是他的朋友，因此，当他的敌人确实 出现时，他也就辨别不出来。他虽然经常感到有一种恶势力在窥伺他，但他不明白这性质，他已被"罪恶与痛苦的重荷压住"。罗格很满意自己的复仇方法，"他自 己装作一个最可信赖的朋友，使对方把一切的恐怖、惭愧、痛苦、无效的悔恨，无法摆脱的内心的谴责，都要对他和盘托出"。
这样过了一个时期，罗格又以照顾丁梅斯代尔的健康为名，和他搬住在同一房间里。这样牧师生命潮流的每一起伏，都逃不开他的眼睛。他象一个挖坟人一样，在探 寻那埋在死人胸上的珠宝。他认为丁梅斯代尔虽然人们把他看得很纯洁，但他却从父母身上继承了一种强烈的兽性。一次，他暗示丁梅斯代尔应当把内心埋藏的丑恶 说出来。牧师回答说他做不到，因为那样以后，便不能有善行，而过去的恶行也无法用更好的方式来赎偿。
五月初的一个朦胧的夜晚，丁梅斯代尔为摆脱内心迫压的痛苦，他夜半出游，走到白兰第一次受到公众羞辱的枷刑台前，刚好遇上深夜做女红归家的白兰母女，一种 悔罪的感觉，使他邀白兰和珠儿一同登上枷刑台。他说："你们两个都在这里站过，可是没有我同你们一起。再上来一次，我们三个人一同站立。"他们这样做了之 后，丁梅斯代尔感到一股新生命的洪流注入他的心胸，奔驰过他全身的血管，宛如那母亲与孩子正把她们生命的温暖传给他半麻痹的身体里一般。他仿佛在天空中， 看到了一个大红的A字。正在这时，一直跟踪着他的罗格出现了。丁梅斯代尔全身感到一阵恐惧。然而，罗格并没有追问他，为什么他要和白兰母女站在枷刑台上？ 而是说丁梅斯代尔书读得太多了，伤了脑筋，没来由的犯了夜游病。他把牧师领回家了。
这事经过了七年。珠儿也长成七岁了。在这些年里，白兰一直过着逆来顺受的生活。她从没有与公众作对，只是毫无怨言地忍受着最坏的待遇。她并不因为她的受苦 向人要求报偿；也不依赖公众的同情。她的性格也起了很大的变化，她由原来"热情和情绪方面转到思想上去了"，她象大理石一般的冰冷。人们渐渐对她发生了好 感。过去人们把红字看作是她罪恶的标记，现在人们把它看作白兰善行的标记了。白兰除了打扮自己的女儿外，她把做工剩下的钱都施舍给穷人。在人们眼里，"她 对穷人是那么善心，对病人那么帮忙，对遭难的人那么抚慰"，从而饶恕了她的过去。
在这七年中，丁梅斯代尔在罗格不断地精神打击之下，身体越来越不行了。他已经成了罗格的牺牲品。白兰决心去找罗格，要把丁梅斯代尔从他手心里解救出来。一 天下午，白兰遇见了正在采草药的罗格，请求他不要再折磨牧师了。她说，在七年间，她顺从了罗格的意志，保守了他们夫妇的秘密，而罗格正利用这一点接近丁梅 斯代尔，追踪他的一言一行，捏住他的生命，挖掘蹂躏他的心胸，使他每天活受罪，这样折磨下去，不如让他立刻死了好些。她骂罗格是魔鬼，她要把罗格的身份公 开，告诉丁梅斯代尔。罗格因已达到报复的目的，同意白兰把自己的身份告诉丁梅斯代尔。
白兰在林中遇见丁梅斯代尔，互相倾吐衰曲。这些年来，他们的心灵一直没有平静过，受着良心和道德的啃啮。丁梅斯代尔说，他虽然在胸前未佩带红字，但他内心 的红字在秘密地燃烧着；而白兰告诉他，她为了他的信用和"你的生命、你的名誉"，始终保守着他的秘密，而不肯说出他的名字。最后，她告诉他，和他同房住的 就是她的丈夫。丁梅斯代尔顿时怔住了，他以凶狠的眼光看了她一眼。然后，便无力地用双手捂住了自己的面孔。白兰看到情人所遭受的精神苦难，一种追求自由的 热潮涌上她的心头，把她那已破碎不堪，消极颓唐的意志洗刷了一番。她劝丁梅斯代尔和她一同逃走，回到他们的老家英格兰去。她说世界是多么大啊，人们可以逃 开苦恼的一角，跑到幸福的一边去。丁梅斯代尔最初不同意这计划，认为他不能离开自己的岗位，后来他犹豫起来了，感到他必须在两条道路中选择一条：要么公开 承认自己是罪犯逃走；要么仍然做一个伪善者，象他七年来所做的那样。最后，他在"人类爱和同情"中看到了闪光，决定和白兰一同逃走。于是，白兰把自己佩带 的红字也拔了下来，扔进了森林中的溪流里。
从西班牙来了一只船，白兰去向船长订购了舱位，决定三天后她和丁梅斯代尔一同出逃。在这期间，丁梅斯代尔要参加一次庆祝选举新州长的布道会。那天，他的演 讲获得很大的成功。人们认为"从来没有一个演讲的人，象他今天这样，有过如此明智，如此崇高，如此神圣的精神"。丁梅斯代尔演讲快结束时，仿佛在他眼前又 出现了那个红A字，他脚步踉跄起来，站也站不稳了。这时，他的道德责任感战胜了他那自由出逃的意志。他把脸转向枷刑台，伸出了双臂，要在场的白兰和珠儿过 去。他准备当众坦白自己的罪行。这时罗格扑上前去，要丁梅斯代尔不要作声。他说，你一出声就把自己毁了。但丁梅斯代尔回答说，他已借助于上帝的力量，"现 在可以逃开你了"。他疯狂地一手挽着白兰，一手拉着珠儿，登上了枷刑台，披露了自己的全部罪行。然后，他倒下死了。刚刚经过子午线的太阳，照耀在牧师身 上，"使他形体非常明晰，这是他伫立在全世界之上，在永恒的法庭面前，申诉他的罪恶"。
白兰出逃计划失败了。新的打击，使她最后向现实和宗教屈服了。她终生过着忏悔和赎罪的生活。一年后，罗格死了。他把自己的遗产赠给了珠儿。珠儿长大后，白 兰亲自送女儿出嫁。但她自己并没有和女儿、女婿住在一起，而是回到她那破旧的茅屋，因为她罪恶种在此地；她的哀愁种在此地，所以她要在此地忏悔。许多妇女 都来拜访她，问她为什么妇女的命运这么悲惨，如何才能得到解救？白兰总是安慰她们，忠告她们，并要她们相信："到了一个更光明的时期，到世界成熟的时候， 到了天国降临的时期，必将显现出一种新的真理，使人能在双方幸福的更坚实的基础上，建立起男人与女人的全部关系。"

The Scarlet Letter (中文版）

The Scarlet letter （英文版）