『緋文字』の曖昧性

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The ambiguity of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter has allowed scholars to produce a large number of different interpretations. Still, the possibility exists for new readings of this work to provide us with further interpretations. This paper first analyzes Arthur Dimmesdale's sickness from a medical point of view and concludes that he can indeed be thought of a very seriously ill patient, with symptoms ranging from those of a psychosomatic disorder, depression, and a personality disorder. The cause of such a disease cannot be found by merely examining his physical symptoms. It is absolutely necessary that one takes into consideration his mental symptoms as well. One very clear fact that emerges is that Dimmesdale has been tormented by a unique conflict that exists between his biological natrure and the spiritual and religious values of the New World. Although at one point he tries to escape from Boston with Hester, at the very end of the story he chooses instead to die on the scaffold after giving a final confession to the people. Hester has returned to Boston after living in England with her daughter, Pearl. Dimmesdale and Hester are taken to be tragic victims of the colonial values of Puritanism. However, in contrast to the fate that befalls Dimmesdale, Pearl lives on happily, not in Boston but in England; a fact which suggests Nathaniel Hawthorne's longing for his British heritage. In conclusion, although nobody can deny that this work is a descriptive account of sin and the effect it has on the characters' lives, my new reading suggests that the work can be read in an entirely different way; a way which describes the experience of immigrants in two different cultures, namely, the values of a colonial Boston in contrast to those of Elizabethan Britain.
東京工芸大学の論文

『緋文字』の曖昧性

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