Abstract：Since The Scarlet Letter was published, it has triggered a heated debate towards its themes and Hawthorne’s writing style. Ambiguity is one of the most successful and greatest skills in literature expression that Hawthorne has widely employed among his creation. This paper is to do research on the ambiguity and the causes that lead to this ambiguity from the aspects of the natural settings, morality, and symbolism as described in the novel, so as to interpret Hawthorne’s inner conflicts as a socially responsible writer and meanwhile a Puritan. This paper combines with Hawthorne's male power thought, Puritanism and other perspectives to analyze the aesthetic effect of the ambiguity.

Keywords: The Scarlet Letter; ambiguity; symbolism; morality 

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

2.1 Previous Studies on The Scarlet Letter-1

2.2 Previous Studies on Ambiguity in the Novel-3

2.3 Deficiencies of Previous Studies-4

3. Analysis of Ambiguity in The Scarlet Letter-5

3.1 Ambiguity in Natural Settings-5

3.2 Ambiguity in Morality-7

3.3 Ambiguity in Scarlet Letter “A”-9

4. The Causes of Ambiguity in The Scarlet Letter-12

4.1 Male Power Thought-12

4.2 Puritanism-14

4.3 Democratic Thought-16

5. Conclusion-18

References-19