On the Tragedy of Love in The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the great romantic novelist of the 19th century, is one of the founders of American literature. Influenced by the times and social background, family origin and life experiences, his novels reflect a strong flavor of Puritan ideology. In his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne tells a story of tragedy of love. This thesis analyzes the causes of the tragedy of love from three aspects. By analyzing the three main characters’ different personalities, the thesis reveals the internal reason of the tragedy. This thesis also deals with women’s status and dark society at that time, showing the influence of the environmental factors of the tragedy. In addition, it also focuses on Hawthorne’s life experiences and his intention of creation, to show the inevitability of the tragic end under Hawthorne’s pen. From these analyses, people can reach a systematic and profound understanding of the causes of the tragedy of love, and thus will grasp the connotation of the novel comprehensively and accurately.Key words: Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Scarlet Letter; tragedy of love; caus