'Troubled joy' : The paradox of the female figure in Nathaniel Hawthorne's fiction.

摘要

The figure of woman is of central importance to the whole presentationudof meaning in Nathaniel Hawthorne's fiction. In comparisonudto other writers of the nineteenth century, and especially his maleudcompatriots, Hawthorne grants the female figure a remarkable degreeudof prominence and significance in his works. His presentation of womanudis noteworthy not only for the depth and subtlety with which his femaleudcharacters are portrayed but also for the unique way in which he manipulatesudthe standard female stereotypes to explore through symbolicudsuggestion the whole purpose of woman's existence and the foundationsudof her relations with man. This thesis attempts to show how Hawthorne'sudsymbolic method consistently points towards the importance of acceptingudwomen as complex, multi-dimensional human beings. Paradoxically, inudHawthorne's language, this acceptance means that women can fulfil audsuper-human purpose. They operate as a unifying force in his works,udproviding the key to harmony and the means by which man can re-establishudhis relations with man.udMy first chapter considers the contemporary context of Hawthorne'sudwork, the role of woman in nineteenth century America, the way thatudrole was perceived in fact and fiction, and the kinds of influenceudwhich were likely to affect Hawthorne's personal vision of womanhood.udChapter II examines the women of Hawthorne's short stories, the waysudin which he develops a distinct 'family' of characters who reappearudthroughout his corpus, and the symbolic language which informs hisudwhole presentation of woman's role. Chapters III, IV and V dealudrespectively with The Scarlet Letter, The Blithedale Romance, and TheudMarble Faun, concentrating specifically upon the female characters - their significance in these works and in relation to Hawthorne'sudvision as a whole. My conclusion attempts to draw the threadsudtogether, to show how the very individuality of Hawthorne's darkudladies and fair maidens is representative of a common promise ofud'troubled joy', and to show how Hawthorne applied this promise toudthe future of his country and of the whole human race.