Red Letter - World Literature Classics Collection (Complete Translation)

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne (USA) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Scarlet Letter (Complete Translation) (Hardcover) is a long novel by the 19th-century American Romantic writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel is set in colonial America two hundred years ago, but it exposes the cruelty of the legal codes of 19th-century capitalist America, the deception of religion, and the hypocrisy of morality. The protagonist, Hester, is portrayed as an embodiment of high moral standards. She not only reforms the hypocritical Dimmesdale but also influences a society filled with sin. As for her husband, Chillingworth, the novel depicts him as a shadowy figure obsessed with uncovering secrets and avenging himself. He serves only as a plot device in the story. The novel frequently employs symbolism, with characters, plots, and language all imbued with subjective imagination. It often prioritizes psychological and intuitive descriptions, making it not only a masterpiece of American Romanticism but also considered the pioneering work of American psychological fiction.
One day, Hester Prynne hurriedly made her way to the governor’s mansion in Bellingham. She was to deliver a pair of embroidered gloves, ordered by the governor to wear at important occasions. Although he had been demoted by one or two ranks due to an accidental loss in an election, the former supreme ruler still held a position of great respect and influence in the colony. This time, in addition to delivering the embroidered gloves, there was a more pressing reason for Hester to seek an audience with this man who held real power over colonial affairs. She had heard rumors that certain stern and rigid religious officials were plotting to deprive her of custody of her child. As mentioned earlier, Pearl was suspected of being the child of the devil. Because of this, these self-righteous individuals naturally believed that to preserve the Christian spirit in the mother’s soul, it was necessary to remove this obstacle from her path in life. On the other hand, if the child could indeed show moral and religious improvement and ultimately possess the qualities for salvation, handing her over to a more virtuous and wise guardian than Hester Prynne would surely allow her virtues to develop more fully. Among those pushing for this plan, Governor Bellingham was said to be the most enthusiastic. Such matters, if they occurred later, would at most be submitted to local town officials, but at that time, they required public discussion, and even political figures had to take a stance. This was indeed strange, almost absurd. Yet in that primitive and simple era, trivial matters had a greater impact on public interest than the happiness of Hester and her daughter, yet they were still entangled with the lawmakers’ deliberations, the government’s ordinances and regulations—truly remarkable.
In the past, disputes over the ownership of a pig could not only spark fierce and fiery debates in the colonial legislative body but also lead to significant changes in the institution itself. And that period was not much earlier than the time of our story. When Hester Prynne left her solitary cottage, she was naturally filled with worry, but she was also fully aware of her rights. In her struggle against the public, though she stood alone, she had the support of natural justice and morality, so she was not entirely without a chance of winning. Of course, little Pearl was her companion. By this time, Pearl had grown old enough to run freely alongside her mother, and she was always bustling about from morning to evening. She could even manage longer distances, though she often her mother to carry her, though it was no longer necessary. A moment later, however, she impatiently insisted on walking, bouncing and skipping ahead on the grassy path, stumbling occasionally but never getting hurt.
We have already spoken of Pearl’s radiant beauty, a beauty that shone with brilliance: her smooth skin, deep and bright eyes, lustrous brown hair that would one day turn to dazzling black. Her entire being seemed to burn with fire; like a crystallization of passion that emerged unexpectedly. Her mother had used her imagination to design her clothing, creating this deep red velvet bodice with a unique cut and embroidered with intricate and exquisite patterns in gold thread. So brilliant was the color that it would have made a paler child seem dull, but it perfectly complemented Pearl’s rosy and radiant beauty, dressing her as a bright flame of light, dancing and leaping on the earth. Yet, this attire and the child’s entire appearance had a clear feature—everyone who saw them could not help but think of the mark, the mark that Hester was destined to wear on her chest. This was another form of the scarlet letter, a living scarlet letter! The red mark of shame seemed to be deeply engraved in her mind, and her thoughts and actions took on the form of the scarlet letter. Thus, she deliberately created an imitation of the scarlet letter; spending many days with a morbid talent, she forged a resemblance between her beloved object and the symbol of her sin and suffering. However, Pearl was indeed like the scarlet letter—a mark of shame. It was precisely because of their similarity that Hester dressed the child as another living scarlet letter.