Abstract: The Scarlet Letter is the representative work of American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is also one of the most prestigious and authoritative work of American Romanticism novels. The story is set in Boston when it was under the rule of Puritanism in the mid-17th century. The author molded the image of three sinners: Hester, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, through a moving love tragedy, from the aspect of the actuality of the society at that time, exposing the Church’s negative impact on people’s morality, soul and ethics. This paper analyzes the salvation process of their souls, explains the psychological and social cause for the tragedy of their life and emotions and explores the original cause of the sins that gave birth to Hester’s love tragedy.

Key words: sinner, Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, soul

摘要：《红字》是美国小说家霍桑最杰出的代表作，也是美国浪漫主义小说中最有声望的权威作品之一。小说的故事发生在十七世纪中期加尔文派统治下的波士顿，作者从当时的社会现状入手，通过一个感人的爱情悲剧，塑造了海丝特，丁梅斯代尔和齐灵沃斯三位“罪人”的形象，以此揭露宗教当局对人们精神，心灵和道德的摧残。本选题对《红字》中的三个“罪人”为自己的灵魂寻找救赎之路的历程进行全面分析，剖析他们人生及情感悲剧的心理成因与社会根源，进而确认造成海丝特·白兰爱情悲剧的真正根源。

关键词：罪人，海丝特，丁梅斯代尔，齐灵沃斯，灵魂