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  3. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings are noteworthy for their perceptive exploration of the hidden motivations behind the Puritan Amer

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings are noteworthy for their perceptive exploration of the hidden motivations behind the Puritan Amer

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问题     Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings are noteworthy for their perceptive exploration of the hidden motivations behind the Puritan American heritage. Like many authors of his time, he faced great difficulties making a living as his writings were not financially lucrative. In part, his financial status within the community significantly contributed towards the underlying message in his works. The powerful influence of the religious community in economic affairs of the day ordained (决定) that most respected and highly compensated callings (职业) were those that demonstrated strict physical descipline. As fiction writing did not fit within those guidelines, the young author found himself torn between the contrary needs of his family and those of his artistic aspirations. The resulting tensions are played out in the themes of his stories.
    In the sense that his writings described the subtle motivations behind human behavior as guilt and anxiety resulting from the sins perpetrated (犯罪) against humanity, he adhered to the same moes as his Puritan predecessor. He differed from them in that he saw the potential consequences of all decisions resulting in either the chance possibility of regeneration or some form of humiliating punishment. This element of ambiguity in his works ran directly counter to the thoughts of his fundamentalish (原较旨主义者) contemporaries who believed that all actions, and their consquences, were predetermined.
    As he chose an allegorical style, his short stories were often situated in fantastic settings with unlikely characters. It was not unusual for Satan to appear in his narratives disguised in a human form but possessing some defining characteristic such as cloven hooves and a tail. What marks these tales as unique to the author’s positions their suddestion that there may be contradictory meanings behind the actions of figures which initially appear to be east in transparent roles.
    His classic novel, the Scarlet Letter (1850), concerned of the crime, but Puritan community. The heroine, Hester Prynne, stands accused of the crime, but refuses to reveal the identity of her partner. The moral ambivalence (矛盾心理，既爱又恨) inherent in the plot of the work is representative of the themes found throughout Hawthorne’s writing.
What is the main topic of the passage?
选项 A、the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne
B、the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
C、the classic novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne
D、the relationship between Hawthorne and Puritaism
答案A
解析 原文开头一句点题，指出Hawthorne的作品以探索藏在美国清教徒传统背后的动机而引人注目。作者并未过多涉及Hawthorne个人的生平，提及他的经典著作也只是把它作为一个例子而已。
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