Explored the literary image of Nathaniel Hawthorne and his sense of distance from society, and analyzed the different interpretations of his works and personal image by different critics. Hawthorne is described as a lonely and melancholic artist whose alienation from society is partly influenced by Calvinism, while 20th century critics argue that he focuses on the "dark journey of the unfamiliar world" and lacks interest in social reality and human life. Hawthorne constructed a transcendent writer image in his preface and letters, emphasizing maintaining a moderate distance from readers and using the imagery of the veil to express the alienation between people. This implicit and detached attitude was praised in the first half of the 20th century, but in the second half, with the rise of ideological criticism, Hawthorne's "masked" strategy was criticized for evading social responsibility and ethics. However, the article argues that Hawthorne's aesthetic strategy actually reflects Levinas' ethical spirit of respecting others and rejecting absolute knowledge.

1、 The Author of Faces and Masks

Immanuel Levinas proposed in his works that the face is the core of the relationship between the self and the other, a way for others to express themselves, with absolute otherness and externality. Levinas emphasizes the questioning and challenge of the other to the self in face-to-face relationships, subverting the Western philosophy of the same consciousness and emphasizing the transcendent relationship between the self and the other. Hawthorne lowered the authority of the author through self masking, ensuring readers' freedom of interpretation of the text and demonstrating respect for readers' absolute otherness. Hawthorne's self masking also creates a language unfamiliarity effect, achieving infinite separation between self and others, reflecting an attitude of absolute otherness towards truth. Hawthorne believed that truth is fluid, unfamiliar, and elusive, and resisted any conventional or conceptual limitations on truth. He shows respect for the reader's personality through self covering, believing that everyone's soul is sacred and does not need to reveal their inner secrets. Hawthorne's view of truth and ethical attitude reflect the recognition of the unknowability of truth, which echoes Levinas' theory of the other.

2、 This mask is not that mask: 'The Headmaster's Black Veil'

Hawthorne's short story "The Headmaster's Black Veil" explores the symbolic significance of veils and masks through Father Hooper's act of wearing a black veil. Father Hooper's black veil symbolizes the universality of sin, as he covers his own sins with a veil while distancing himself from others and seeking the purity of his soul. The black veil enables him to peek into the secrets of others, de othering them, and assimilating them into sinful beings. Father Hooper's black veil and mysterious smile showcase his mastery of absolute knowledge and self obsession, making him the terminator of secrets and the controller of truth. However, Father Hooper's fianc é e Elizabeth demanded that he remove his veil and communicate with her on an equal footing, reflecting her emphasis on the material world and disregard for spiritual truth. Elizabeth represents a choice different from Father Hooper's eschatological thinking, as she demands to see the face of material things and accept the incomprehensibility and uncertainty of others. Hawthorne's self mask is fundamentally different from Father Hooper's religious mask. Hawthorne's mask conceals the prior self to ensure equal status with others. Hawthorne supports the veil and opposes masks, as masks represent rigidity, concealment, and isolation from the outside world, while the veil implies a connection and responsibility between oneself and others.

3、 The responsibility towards others: the veil of responsibility in red letters

This article analyzes Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter from the perspective of ideological criticism by Sakfan Berkovich, and points out that Hawthorne focuses on the "duty of the Scarlet Letter", which is to reintegrate differences into the same and integrate peripheral ideologies into mainstream consciousness. However, this article argues that the duty of the "red letter" is ethical and moral, and is related to Hawthorne's concept of the veil. Hester Prynne shifts from emotions to cold thinking in her novels, falling into generalized abstraction and ignoring that every woman is a different Other. The harm of this simplification is enormous, causing Hester to wander in the maze of thoughts, unable to find a way out. Levinas believed that the subject of the self is the subject awakened by others, and responsibility constitutes the essence of subjectivity. After meeting Reverend Dimmesdale, Hester realized her responsibility towards others and shifted from self obsession to facing them. Levinas pointed out that when the self takes responsibility for others, it not only gains access to others, but also opens up its subjectivity and truly possesses the value of existence. After Hester established the goal of saving Dimmesdale, she no longer struggled with the mystery of suicide or murder, nor gave up radical ideas of overthrowing the Puritan system or establishing a new sect. She went from dangerous self isolation and solitary murmurs to engaging in dialogue and communication with others. Although Hester's rescue mission failed, she recognized her shame and sin in the scarlet letter, acknowledging her weaknesses and limitations. The scarlet letter ultimately fulfilled its veil function, and Hester remained forever on the edge of society, maintaining a certain distance from others and the entire Puritan society, but at the same time taking on the responsibility of comforting and supporting others. Hawthorne presents a new type of ethical relationship for the entire human race through Hester's final ending: alienation and intimacy, distance and sympathy.