처형대와 주홍글자 ‘A’ 의 정치학 = ScaffoldandScarletLetterA'sPolitic

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Nathaniel Hawthorne has been generally considered to be a writer who was immersed in seeking after inner life of humanity and its sinfulness but indifferent to real matters of life. However, contrary to being a writer loving in retire, Hawthorne was very sensitive to current political and social issues. Not only did Hawthorne take part in Brook Farm--an ideal movement of communal life experimented by New England transcendentalists--he also had such careers as a custom office official and a consul as well as a writer. In addition, he wrote a campaign biography for his friend Franklin Pierce who was then a presidential candidate. Such experiences may have led Hawthorne to reflections of contemporary social issues represented in his literary works.
This thesis examines his political viewpoints by analyzing the three scaffold scenes in The Scarlet Letter and the role of the scarlet letter ‘A’ in the novel. The first scaffold scene in which Hester appears on the scaffold holding the baby Pearl reinforces the importance and the existing order of the puritan community, through the exhibition of public punishment. And the third scaffold scene in the later part of the novel in which Dimmesdale makes the public confession of his sin and dies in Hester's arms also shows his acceptance of the rule of the New England puritan community.
Hester, through her good works done for poor people for several years since the first scaffold scene, seems to have been contrite enough to have expiated her sin of adultery. However, the narrator reveals that she still secretly embraces revolutionary thoughts on the status of women and social institutions. Besides, she tears off the scarlet letter ‘A’ which has been attached on her bosom since the beginning of this novel, when she thinks she is alone with Pearl in the forest. Furthermore, she even plots to run away with Dimmesdale to an unknown place in the Old Continent in vain. Thus, even though she seemed to be repentant for her sins, she was actually hiding them from people's eyes. Therefore, it seems clear that the office of the scarlet letter A has not been fulfilled yet.
However, Dimmesdale's dying confession of his sin in front of people on the scaffold gives her another chance to be contained by the puritan community. That is, when she returns from Europe to her old cottage alone a few years after Dimmesdale's death, Hester conforms to the puritan community order, severing poor women in trouble and giving her duty to work for women's liberation over to women of next generations.
Conclusion like this seems to proceed from Hawthorne's conservative political stance. The failed attempt of escape planned by Hester and Dimmesdales and Hester's ultimate return to New England at the end of the novel demonstrate the author's uneasiness to adopt subversive and innovative attitudes of his main characters on society.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서 론 1
• Ⅱ. 처형대의 역할 4
• Ⅲ. 주홍글자 A 의 정치학 22
• Ⅵ. 결 론 46
• 참고문헌 48
• 영문초록 52