An Analysis On The Historical Prototypes Of Hester Prynne And Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is considered to be one of the most significant American writers of the romantic period in the 19th century. Hawthorne was born in New England which is also the birthplace of American Puritanism. Most of his works focus on the Puritanism of New England. The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne's representative work, which portrays the puritan world in New England and was called "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country."The Scarlet Letter has received extensive literary attention since its publication in 1850. The scholars at home and abroad have done extensive research into Hawthorne and his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter from different angels, and many research achievements have been published. Although many thorough researches have been done, few scholars have ever tried to find the prototypes of the two protagonists Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale from historical perspectives. Titled as "An Analysis on the Historical Prototypes of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter," this thesis plans to find the prototypes of Hester and Dimmesdale from history, and makes contribution to the researches on The Scarlet Letter. This thesis uses the historical-biographical approach to prove Anne Hutchinson and John Cotton are the historical prototypes of Hester and Dimmesdale.Hawthorne was deeply influenced by Puritanism. Most of his works reflect the puritan society directly. This thesis proceeds from this point and explores the prototypes of the protagonists. First, there are many similarities between Hester and Hutchinson. Their personalities, personal experiences and social impacts are comparable to some extent. Then, as renowned pastors, Dimmesdale and Cotton's positions are disturbingly similar when facing selections and crises. Hawthorne chooses Hutchinson and Cotton as the source of his literary creation to reflect the theocratic Puritan society's oppression to humanity and their exclusion and persecution towards dissidents, and provide a way for the reader to gain more understanding from Puritanism and the Puritan society. Through the writing of this thesis, the author hopes to contribute to the researches on Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter, and promote understanding of the Puritan society.