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I. Fill in the blanks.
1．Pearl is a character in _______ writtenby _______.（大连外国语学院2007研）
【答案】 The Scarlet Letter; Nathaniel Hawthorne
【解析】 Pearl是美国作家Nathaniel Hawthorne小说《红字》中的人物。
2．As a reflection of Hester Prynne’s moral development, the ______symbolically undergoes a gradual and imperceptible change from “______” to “able”and last to “angel”.（天津外国语学院2008研）
【答案】 scarlet letter A; adultery
【解析】 霍桑的小说《红字》中海斯特·白兰经历了道德的洗礼，红字A的含义也逐渐由“通奸”转变为“能干”以至后来的“天使”。
3．Tashtego, Daggoo and Queequeg are the three main harpooners inthe novel ______.（首师大2008研）
【答案】 Moby Dick
【解析】 这三个人是《莫比·狄克》里的捕鲸手。
4．The way in which ______ wrote The Scarlet Letter suggeststhat American Romanticism adapted itself to American puritan moralism.
【答案】 Nathaniel Hawthorne
【解析】 纳撒尼尔·霍桑的小说《红字》暗示了美国浪漫主义遵循美国清教伦理道德。
5．Hester Prynne is the heroine inHawthorne’s novel ______.
【答案】 The Scarlet Letter
【解析】 海斯特·白兰是霍桑小说《红字》中的女主人公。
6．______ is famous for writing stories about the sea and theislands of the Southern Pacific. In his masterpiece ______, he tells a story ofa whaling voyage which is set a symbolic account of the conflict between manand his fate.
【答案】 Herman Melville; Moby Dick
【解析】 赫尔曼·麦尔维尔因写南太平洋的大海和岛屿的故事而著名。他的代表作《白鲸》讲述了以人与他自己命运的冲突作为象征的捕鲸航程。
7．______ is the narrator in Moby-Dick.
【答案】 Ishmael
【解析】 以实玛利是小说《白鲸》的叙述者。
II. Multiple Choice.
1．The most influential novelist in Romantic period is ______.（北二外2009研）
A. NathanielHawthorne
B. Edgar AllanPoe
C. EmilyDickinson
D. FennimoreCooper
【答案】 A
【解析】 美国十九世纪最有影响的浪漫主义小说家是霍桑。
2．In ______, Captain Ahab is obsessed with the revenge on a whalewhich sheared off his leg on a previous voyage, and his crazy chasing of iteventually brings death to all on board the whaler except Ishmael, who survivesto tell the tale.（天津外国语学院2007研）
A. Typee
B. WhiteJacket
C. Moby Dick
D. Billy Budd
【答案】 C
【解析】 Captain Ahab（亚哈船长）是梅尔维尔的小说Moby Dick（《白鲸》）里的主人公。
3．______ is the most ambivalent writer in the American literaryhistory.
A. NathanielHawthorne
B. Walt Whitman
C. Ralph WaldoEmerson
D. Mark Twain
【答案】 A
【解析】 纳撒尼尔·霍桑是美国文学历史上最为矛盾的作家。
4．The finest example of Nathaniel Hawthorne's symbolism is therecreation of Puritan Boston in ______.
A. TheScarlet Letter
B. YoungGoodman Brown
C. The MarbleFaun
D. TheAmbitious Guest
【答案】 A
【解析】 《红字》（TheScarlet Letter）是美国19世纪影响最大的浪漫主义小说家和心理小说家纳撒尼尔·霍桑（Nathaniel Hawthorne）的代表作。该小说是成功运用象征手法的典范。
5．“There is evil in every human heart, which may remain latent, perhaps,through the whole life; but circumstances may rouse it to activity. ” Thethought is reflected in______.
A. NathanielHawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown
B. Mark Twain’s TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn
C. WaltWhitman’s Leaves of Grass
D. HermanMelville’s Moby Dick
【答案】 A
【解析】 霍桑认为罪恶是人生来所带的标记。几乎他的每一部作品都涉及到了罪与恶。
6．______is an appallingfictional version of Nathaniel Hawthorne's belief that "the wrong doing ofone generation lives into the successive ones" and that evil will come outof evil though it may take many generations to happen.
A. The MarbleFaun
B. The House ofSeven Gables
C. TheBlithedale Romance
D. Young GoodmanBrown
【答案】 B
【解析】 《红字》（The Scarlet Letter）发表后获得巨大成功，霍桑继而创作了不少作品。其中《带有七个尖角阁的房子》（The House of Seven Gables）描写品钦家族的祖先（Colonel Pyncheon）谋财害命而使后代遭到报应的故事，说明财富是祸患，“一代人的罪孽要殃及子孙”；这部小说也反映了资本主义发展初期的血腥掠夺。
7．Which is not Nathaniel Hawthorne's long novel?
A. The MarbleFaun
B. TheBlithedale Romance
C. The Houseof Seven Gables
D. Dr.Heidegger's Experiment
【答案】 D
【解析】 《黑德格医生的实验》（Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment）是霍桑的中短篇小说。其余三项《玉石雕像》（TheMarble Faun），《福谷传奇》（The BlithedaleRomance），《带有七个尖角阁的房子》（TheHouse of Seven Gables）都是霍桑的长篇小说。
8．In Moby Dick, the voyage symbolizes______.
A. the microcosmof human society
B. a search fortruth
C. the unknownworld
D. nature
【答案】 B
【解析】 小说《白鲸》中航程象征了对真理的探寻。
III. Read the following quotations and answer thequestions.
Passage 1（北航2009研）
Young GoodmanBrown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village: but put his headback after crossing threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his wife. AndFaith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street,letting the wind play with the pink ribbons on her cap while she called toGoodman Brown.
Questions:
(1) This passage is taken from “YoungGoodman Brown”, who is the author?
(2) What is the symbolic meaning of “pinkribbons”?
(3) What is a symbol in literature?
Key:
(1) Nathaniel Hawthorne
(2) In this story, “pink ribbons” appear three times. They symbolizethe faith Brown holds toward God and human that religion and human are pure andupright.
(3) A symbol is a sign which suggests more than its literal meaning.In other words, a symbol is both literal and figurative. A symbol is a way oftelling a story and a way of conveying meaning. The best symbols are those thatare believable in the lives of the characters and also convincing as theyconvey a meaning beyond the literal level of the story. If the symbol isobscure or ambiguous, then the very obscurity and the ambiguity may also bepart of the meaning of the story.
Passage 2（北航2007研）
“Who is thatman, Hester?” gasped Mr. Dimmesdale, overcome with terror. “I shiver at him!Dost thou know the man? I hate him, Hester!”
She rememberedher oath, and was silent.
“I tell thee, mysoul shivers at him,” muttered the minister again. “Who is he? Who is he? Canstthou do nothing for me? I have a nameless horror of the man.”
“Minister,” saidlittle Pearl. “I can tell thee who he is!”
“Quickly, then,child!” said the minister, bending his ear close to her lips. “Quickly!—and aslow as thou canst whisper.”
Pearl mumbledsomething into his ear, that sounded, indeed, like human language, but was onlysuch gibberish as children may be heard amusing themselves with, by the hourtogether At all events, if it involved any secret information in regard to oldRoger Chillingworth, it was in a tongue unknown to the erudite clergyman, anddid but increase the bewilderment of his mind. The elvish child then laughedaloud.
“Dost thou mockme now?” said the minister.
“Thou wast notbold!—thou wast not true!” answered the child.
“Thou wouldstnot promise to lake my hand, and mother’s hand, tomorrow noontide!”
Questions:
(1) Which fiction is this excerpt from?
(2) Who is the author? What are the majorartistic features of the author?
(3) Try to comment on the irony in thisexcerpt.
Key:
(1) This excerpt is from The ScarletLetter.
(2) The author is Nathaniel Hawthorne. Much of Hawthorne's writingcenters around New England, many works featuring moral allegories with aPuritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romanticmovement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center onthe inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messagesand deep psychological complexity.
(3) When Pearl asked Mr. Dimmesdale to stand with her and her motheron the platform the next day, the minister refused. He only promised to standtogether with them before the judgment-seat at the great judgment day, and thus“the daylight of this world shall not see our meeting”. In fact, he did notwant to make known publicly his relationship with Hester and Pearl. So, Pearl’swords “Thou wast not bold!—thou wast not true!” are ironic.
Passage 3
Hester Prynne’sterm of confinement was now at an end. Her prison-door was thrown open, and shecame forth into sunshine which falling on all alike, seemed, to her sick andmorbid heart, as if meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarletletter on her breast. Perhaps there was a more real torture in her firstunattended footsteps from the threshold of the prison, than even in theprocession and spectacle that have been described, where she was made thecommon infamy, at which all mankind was summoned to point its finger. Then, shewas supported by an unnatural tension of the nerves, and by all the combativeenergy of her character, which enabled her to convert the scene into a kind oflurid triumph.
Questions:
(1) Which novel is this selection takenfrom?
(2) What is the name of the novelist?
(3) What do you think is the symbolicmeaning of the scarlet letter on Hester’s breast?
Key:
(1) The Scarlet Letter
(2) Nathaniel Hawthorne
(3) Symbolism is traditionally a sign or token of something. In thematter of literature, the definition of the literary device, symbolism is morecomplicated. Symbols of literature are usually metaphysical. In this novel, thescarlet letter “A” changes its meaning in many different times. This change issignificant. It shows growth in the characters, and the community in which theylive. The letter “A” begins as a symbol of sin. It then becomes a symbol ofalone and alienation, and finally it becomes a symbol of able, angel andadmirable.
IV. Short answerquestions
1．Give some different explanations of the symbolic meaning of “A”in The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne.（人大2006研；南京大学2008研）
Key: The letter “A” begins as a symbol of adultery, which is worn onHester’s bosom. This is the puritan way of treating her as a criminal, for thecrime of adultery. It then becomes a symbol of alone and alienation. Hester'ssocial life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. Andlittle Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life. Finally it becomes asymbol of able, angel and admirable. The townspeople who condemn her nowbelieve the scarlet letter stands for her ability to her beautiful needleworkand for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick. Hester is a strongadmirable woman who goes through more emotional torture than most people gothrough in a lifetime. A may also represent Adamic, or prehistoric, anarchetypal vice suggestive of “original sin”.
2．What does the white whale in Moby Dick symbolize? Why doyou think so?（国际关系学院2007研）
Key: For Captain Ahab, the white whale represents evil. After the loss ofhis leg in his encounter with the white whale, Ahab begins to hate Moby Dickand tries his best to kill the whale. It seems that he embodies all of the evilhe once consigned to the white whale. For other members on the whaling ship,the white whale symbolizes the unknown, mysterious natural force of theuniverse. For the readers, the white whale is capable of many interpretations,for it is “paradoxically benign and malevolent, nourishing and destructive,”“massive, brutal, monolithic, but at the same time protean, erotically beautiful,infinitely variable.”
3．Moby-Dick features several seemingly insane characters.How does insanity relate to this story? How do these characters contrast withone another?（北航2009研）
Key: In Moby-Dick, Ishmael describes Ahab asmad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces ofnature or God. However, some of the other characters in the novel whom Ishmaellabels insane—notably Pip and Gabriel—might be viewed as wise rather thancrazy, thus calling into question the possibility of making a clear distinctionbetween sanity and insanity. Gabriel, the prophet figure aboard the Jeroboam,behaves irrationally and makes a number of ridiculous-sounding predictions. Ifviewed in a certain light, however, his prophecies sound not like sillyattempts to foresee the future but like cleverly phrased efforts to effectchange aboard his ship. Gabriel’s prophecies are aimed at gaining the crew justtreatment from the ship’s officers and at avoiding the danger that will comefrom trying to hunt Moby Dick. Like Ahab, he manipulates the crew’ssuperstitions and religious beliefs in order to gather support. But whereasAhab’s obsession is monomaniacal and selfish, Gabriel’s “madness” is a responseto irrational and unjust behavior on the part of those who control his ship.
4．Discuss the allegory and symbolism in YoungGoodman Brown.
Key: Young Goodman Brown, essentially an allegory, which is included inHawthorne’s Mosses from an Old Manse, is one of his most profound tales.Through the story, Hawthorne sought to bring about the moral that, “There isevil in every human heart, which may remain latent, perhaps, through the wholelife; but circumstances may arouse it to activity.”
While usingallegory to hold fast against the crushing blows of reality, the symbol servesas a weapon to attack and penetrate it. Hawthorne took his symbolism fromPuritan tradition and bequeathed it to American literature in a revivifiedform. His view of man and history originates, to a great extent, in Puritanism.Hawthorne was burdened with a sense of guilt due to his ancestor’s notoriousrole in Salem Witch Trials. This sensibility led to his understanding of evilbeing at the very core of human life, which is typical of the Calvinisticbelief that human beings are basically depraved and corrupted, hence, theyshould obey god to atone for their sins.
V. Essay questions
1．Due to his family background and his understanding of humannature, Nathaniel Hawthorne seems to be haunted by a sense of sin and evil inlife. Explain his “black” vision in The Scarlet Letter.（天津外国语学院2007研）
Key: All his life, Hawthorne seems to be haunted by his sense of sin andevil in life. Reading his tales and romances, one cannot but be overwhelmed bythe “black” vision which these works reveal. The blackness of vision whichcomes as a natural corollary has become his trade mark. It illustrates to someextent the influence that the Calvinist doctrine of “original sin” and totaldepravity had upon his mind. One source of evil in Hawthorne is overweeningintellect. Hawthorn’s intellectual characters are usually villains, dreadfulbecause devoid of fellow feeling.
In TheScarlet Letter, the experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the storyof Adam and Eve because, in both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering.But it also results in knowledge—specifically, in knowledge of what it means tobe human. The real villain in The Scarlet Letter is Roger Chillingworth,the scholar, the embodiment of pure intellect, who commits “the UnpardonableSin”—the violation of the human heart. He keeps preying on Dimmesdale’sconscience until the poor wretch is tormented to death. The end ofChillingworth, when it comes, is also tragic enough. Dimmesdale declares God’sjudgment on him before he breathes his last: “Thou, too, hast deeply sinned!”And Chillingworth simply shrivels. The last time we see him, he is kneelingdown beside Dimmesdale “with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the lifeseemed to have departed.” Chillingworth’s misshapen body reflects (orsymbolizes) the evil in his soul, which builds as the novel progresses, similarto the way Dimmesdale’s illness reveals his inner turmoil.
2．Make a comment on Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick.（四川大学2008研）
Key:Moby-Dick is often referred toas “the Great American Novel” and is considered one of the treasures of worldliterature.
In Moby-Dick,Melville employs stylized language, symbolism, and metaphor to explore numerouscomplex themes. Through the main character’s journey, the concepts of class andsocial status, good and evil, and the existence of gods are all examined asIshmael speculates upon his personal beliefs and his place in the universe.
Moby-Dick is a symbolic work, but also includes chapters on natural history.Major themes include obsession, religion, and idealism versus pragmatism,revenge, racism, sanity, hierarchical relationships, and politics. All of themembers of the crew have biblical-sounding, improbable, or descriptive names,and the narrator deliberately avoids specifying the exact time of the eventsand some other similar details. These together suggest that the narrator isdeliberately casting his tale in an epic and allegorical mode. The white whalehas also been seen as a symbol for many things, including nature and thoseelements of life that are out of human control.
3．Moby Dick by Herman Melville is one of the few books inAmerican literature that has produced an exciting effect upon readers. Try todiscuss the symbolism in the book.
Key:It is a mixture of fantasy and realism based on theSouth Pacific whaling industry. It might be read as an initiation story aboutIshmael, the outcast, finding himself in a real world of hard work and dangerand an unreal world of speculation and mystery.
It is a fabulousdramatization of Ahab’s obsessed determination to revenge himself in thepursuit of one particular whale who previously destroyed his boat andhumiliated him by ripping off one of his legs. The book has so often beeninterpreted in so many ways, allegorically and symbolically.
Melville is amaster of allegory and symbolism. Instead of putting the battle between Ahaband the big whale into simple statements, he used symbols, that is, objects orpersons who represent something else. Different people on board the ship arerepresentations of different ideas and different social and ethnic groups, factsbecome symbols and incidents acquire universal meanings; the Pequod is themicrocosm of human society and the voyage becomes a search for truth. The whitewhale, Moby Dick, symbolizes nature for Melville, for it is complex,unfathomable, malignant, and beautiful as well.
For thecharacter Ahab, however the whale only represents evil. Moby Dick is like awall, hiding some unknown, mysterious things behind. Moby Dick is a mystery, anultimate mystery of the universe, and the voyage of the mind will foreverremain a search, not a discovery, of the truth. The whole story turns out to bea symbolic voyage of the mind quest of the truth and knowledge of the universe,a spiritual exploration into man’s deep reality and psychology.