第八屆敦煌全國大專盃-英文書評競賽 得獎作品
恭喜榮獲『英文書評競賽』進階/大學組 佳作獎
姓名：刁盈心
學校：逢甲大學
科系：外文系
指導老師：沈薇薇老師
閱讀書目：The Scarlet Letter
The story, The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, opens with a crowd of people waiting in
front of the scaffold for Hester Prynne, who is accused of adultery and gives birth to a girl named Pearl.
Although everyone is curious about the identity of Pearl’s father, Hester remains silence. Her husband
arrives in the town disguised as Roger Chillingworth, a doctor, trying to find out who the paramour is for
avengement. A respectable priest named Mr Dimmesdale is arranged to live with the doctor because of his
illness. Gradually, through the unusual behaviors of Mr Dimmesdale, Chillingworth realizes that on whom
he is going to take revenge. In the story, two kinds of attitude toward love are presented, concealment of
love and bravery in love.
Mr Dimmesdale is a man who buries love because of fear and has care for his status. He is believed by
the town people as a good and respectable man. However, he fails to tell the truth and stand up for his lover
and child. As a priest, he has a duty to serve people who trust him. On the other hand, as a lover and a father
of a child, he is responsible for them. When the choice between love and reputation comes, love loses.
Therefore, he runs away from love and barely talks to Hester. Living under the secret and suffering from it
show the side of his weakness. Moreover, confessing his guilt does not justify his frailness in the past seven
years. “For a moment, the priest stood proudly – a man who has won a battle over his own pain and fear.”
The confession is supposed to make for his beloved rather to make himself relieved.
In contrast, Hester is a woman who believes in love and faces her error, and bravely takes the blame
alone. Because of her love toward Mr Dimmesdale, despite all the difficulties, she does not say a word
about him. Whatever she does, she puts Mr Dimmesdale first and is afraid of him being harmed. Moreover,
she daringly suggests that she and Mr Dimmesdale should take a risk to run away and start a new life with
little Pearl. In a way, she is spiritually stronger than him.
I, as a modern woman, have questioned myself for many times that if I was a woman with important
social status what I would do when I were in the same condition as Hester. It is too hard to complete in both
aspects, neither hurt my beloved nor damage my reputation. Therefore, I will choose to protect him and
keep the secret but I will protect myself as well, leaving the place alone before the town people find out my
secret. Although this is not as great as Hester’s love, staying behind even if her lover chooses reputation
over her, it is a way to treat myself better, without hurting others.
All in all, “The Scarlet Letter” successfully presents great conflict between a common woman yet
fearless and a dignified man yet weak. Love, is the core of the story. With the religion in 17th-century, the
puritan time, it is hard to follow the heart and chase true love because people are restrained. The book
inspires readers to ponder what their attitude toward love is and how they would deal with the situation in
the story if it happened. Therefore, the story is highly recommended to those who are interested in romantic
works of fiction.
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文章組織有條理，主體部分的對照成功。多留意文法與用語的問題。
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