Abstract: Nathaniel Hawthorne is an outstanding representative of romantic writers in the late nineteenth century in America. As the mature embodiment of Hawthorne’s literary thoughts, The Scarlet Letter conveys strong sense of Hawthorne’s religious attributes. By making a profound analysis of the hero of the novel, the thesis aims to interpret that Hawthorne’s writing is deeply affected by The Bible from a new perspective. This paper focuses on the personal experience of Dimmesdale. It implies the tragedy of Dimmesdale through the analysis of the Biblical archetypes used in this novel for the hero and the relationship between their fates and Dimmesdale’s. By the analysis, we will have a better understanding of so many biblical archetypes in this novel.

Key words: the biblical archetypes; tragic fate; Dimmesdale; The Scarlet Letter

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction.1

1.1 Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne1

1.2 Introduction to The Scarlet Letter.2

1.3 Introduction to Archetypal Criticism3

2. The Biblical Archetypes of Dimmesdale’s Tragic Fate. 4

2.1 The Tragic Fate of Being Expelled From Eden：The Archetype of Adam’s Fate4

2.2 The Tragic Fate From Heaven to Hell：The Archetype of King David’s Fate5

2.3 The Tragic Fate of Death as an Atonement：The Archetype of Scapegoat’s Fate.6

3. Conclusion.7

Bibliography9

Acknowledgements10