Various Meanings of the Symbol "A" in Scarlet Letter
温州师范学院外语系98英本（2） 金培微
摘要：在《红字》这篇小说中，有很多的象征事物，如玫瑰、森林、监狱、珍珠等。但最主要的还是A本身。A以不同的形式在不同的地方出现。同时，A对于不同的人来说，也有不同的意思及象征意义。在这篇论文中，我将向大家展示A对于不同的人所包含的不同的象征意义。
关键字： 通奸 羞辱 罪过 能干 天使 惩罚 PEARL 报复 罪
Abstraction: In the Scarlet Letter, there are many symbols, such as the rose,
the prison, the wood, pearl and many other things. But the most important symbol
is the Scarlet Letter itself .Not only does A manifest in various form, but
it also has different meanings. In this article, I will show you the various
meanings of the symbol "A" to different people in the novel.
Key Words: adultery humiliation sin able angel punish pearl revenge guilt love
In the Scarlet Letter, the letter A manifest in various form and place. It represent
more than just the sin of adultery. Even as the origin mark of adultery, the
Scarlet Letter has a different individual meaning to the various characters.
1. to Hester The A is a symbol of unjust humiliation.
2. to the town's people the letter begins to represent the hidden shame.
3. to pearl the A is a bright and mysterious curiosity which symbolize her existence
and the meaning behind it.
4. To Dimmesdale the sin is a piercing reminder of his the guilt engulfing his
concealed sin.
5.To chillingworth the A represent the betray of his wife, the humiliation of
not being the father of pearl, the humiliation of himself and the need for revenge.
6.To the puritan government the A is a mark of sin.
7. To mistress Hibbin The A stand for her peer.
In all, the red letter A is a symbol of lots of things. Though its origin meaning
is adultery, it has different meaning to different people. And in the people's
eyes, the symbol has changed from adultery to able, then to angel, which also
show the downway of Puritanism.
Bibliography
The scarlet letter
http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/thescarletletter/fullsumm.html/
http://yahoo.com
美国文学思想背景 罗德。霍顿 赫伯特。爱德华兹 著 人民文学出版社
美国文学教程 胡荫桐 刘树森 著
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论文题目：
Various Meanings of the Symbol “A” in Scarlet Letter 
