Abstract: Nathaniel Hawthorne, influenced by Puritanism consciousness, transcendental philosophy and transcendentalism, is one of the most important representatives of the romantic literature in the United States in the late 19th century. The Scarlet Letter is his most remarkable masterpiece in which he uses symbolism skillfully. It makes the red letter “A” rich in content and also enhances the artistic effects of the novel. This paper explores symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter “A” from two aspects: the symbolic meaning of the red color and that of the letter “A”.

Key words: Nathaniel Hawthorne, the scarlet letter “A”, symbolic meaning

摘要：纳撒尼尔·霍桑是19世纪后期美国浪漫主义文学的重要代表之一。他的思想受到清教意识，超验哲学和超验主义的影响。红字是其最杰出作品，他娴熟的象征手法赋予了红色字母“A”丰富的内涵，使作品更具艺术影响力。本文从红色的象征意义以及字母A的象征意义两个方面探讨红字A的象征意义。

关键词：纳撒尼尔·霍桑,红字A,象征意义