The Power of Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the most important authors in the history of American literature and the genre of Romanticism or Dark Romanticism, due to his unique style of writing and his focus upon subjects of Puritan religion and the unknown. I consider Hawthorne an important author, due to the fact that he skillfully and accurately based his fictional writings upon happenings of colonial times, was one of the first authors to display unfortunate outcomes for his characters’ immoral choices according to Puritan beliefs, and wrote of things that were considered taboo in his time, such as witchcraft, scientific innovation and experimentation. I strongly believe that Hawthorne’s influence for his writings were his Puritan ancestral background, his fascination with Puritan beliefs, and his interest in what was considered the unknown such as witchcraft and science. According to the Norton Anthology Textbook Vol. B, Nathaniel Hawthorne was “born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804” (370). Hawthorne belonged “to a family whose ancestral roots were tied to Puritan history, with his family being among the first settlers of Massachusetts and having one of his relatives serve as a judge during the Salem witch trials” (370). Hawthorne, as a young boy, “had a particular interest in writings such as John Bunyan’s Puritan allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, and by his mid-teens he took interest in British novelists such as Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollet, William Godwin, and Sir Walter Scott”

America is a melting pot. Our leaders, immigrants from other countries, successes, and tragedies, are constantly changing this nation. American food, music, and ideals are also constantly being modified. American literature is no exception. Many great writers have influenced and reshaped our literature, and Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of them. He faced his problems and moved on. He was and is one of the most influential American writers, and he is more than a writer.

     In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.

During Nathaniel’s time as a boy he suffered from a leg injury that ultimately allowed him to develop an interest in literature. He was the only boy apart from his two sisters. Hawthorne’s father passed away from an excursion during his time as a sea captain. His mother moved in with her wealthy brothers who helped provide for her children; they were able to send Nathaniel off to Bowdoin College to study literature and composition. After college, however, he was never able to make much money off of his writings which resulted in him working at a Custom House which he eventually was let go from when the Whigs took over the government.

The only class he did well in was his writing class, and he would help write articles for the school newspaper (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”). Nathaniel also made his first short story collection, it was not very successful so he tried to burn every copy, the same happened with his first novel “Fanshawe” (Liukkonen, Petri). “The Hollow of the Tree Hills” and, “An Old Woman’s Tale” are the two pieces of literature he wrote after 5 years of graduating (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”), he would also write children’s books. In 1837, He made his first signed book “Twice Told Tales” which was later given a good review by Edgar Allan Poe (Liukkonen,

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” the devil says, “Evil is the nature of mankind” (“Young” 627). Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and attempted to hide conceal their sin from God, humans have tried to hide their sin from others. Although everyone sin is human nature, everyone has a different reaction to sin. While some acknowledge sin, others ignore it. In Hawthorne’s other short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Father Hooper wears a black veil to represent the sin he commits every day. In “Young Goodman Brown,” however, the villagers hide their devil-worshipping in the forest. Through “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne exemplifies evil’s hidden and human nature and its effect on a person.

This essay will be about an American novelist named Nathaniel Hawthorne. What made him so interested in American novels? Was he a devoted Christian writer? My essay will inform you of the information that you need to know about this popular author and his life.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short-story writer. He wrote many famous novels and short stories, but one question a lot of people still have is "Was Nathaniel Hawthorne a profoundly Christian writer?" Looking into his life, ancestors, background, and works, we can determine if Nathaniel Hawthorne was a Christian writer.

     At this point in his life, Hawthorne became mildly reclusive because he had been accustomed to sitting inside reading all day due to the fact that he could not walk properly. He mostly confined himself to his room where he began writing. Hawthorne “founded” a hand-printed magazine, The Spectator, which include some of Hawthorne’s early literature. He filled his magazine with some of his personal humor. His most amiable times were spent in his “Printing Office” working on his magazine. This appears to be the first time Hawthorne became seriously

Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered to be one of the most substantial writers of his time. His most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter truly originated Hawthorn’s version of romantic writing. It was this novel that also originated Hawthorne’s fame. Most of his works deal with or have some relation to Puritan times. The reason for the familiarity in his works is due to the fact that it seems to be influenced by his own Puritan ancestry. It was not until late in Hawthorne’s life that he received recognition. To do this Hawthorne had to change his name and found his own stlye of writing that pertained to his life experiances. His romantic style might have been too modern for the times, but eventually he was

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story was indeed a social commentary about the ways in which the Puritan’s lived a life which contradicted their beliefs. Although Puritanism no longer exist in today’s society, Hawthorne criticism about the Puritans is still applicable today in most religious societies. For Hawthorne, he wanted religion to stress more about acceptance rather then rigorous religious morals, something people are asking for today. Due to this outlook, more people are turning their backs away from the concept of religion, causing the decline of it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author who often uses religion, guilt, and symbolism. He usually uses a lot of descriptions and gives enough information to provide the reader with a visual picture. His mind often turned to matters associated with human judgments on mortality, with guilt and its consequences (Turner). In the novel Hawthorne’s short stories he has a series of stories that have to do with things like suffering, honor, and religion. One good novel that deals with all of these things as well is The Scarlet Letter including loneliness, revenge, shame, and betrayal. Hawthorne is also known to strongly show Puritan beliefs. Hawthorne would search out moral implications, and whether he impaled his story with its moral or allowed the

There was so much that was taking place at this time. I also feel like he was a great writer, with so many other works being wrote and put out during this time- and many of those are amazing contributions to history and literature alike- his stand out more than others. Mainly because he is regarded as one of the top few artists, still to this day. Hawthorne, while not necessarily being the one to “invent’ certain aspects of writing, him being the one to use them makes it where in literature we turn to him when learning how to paint a picture with words.

Through the years, it has been known that sin is bad and is at the root of evil. Many claim that it causes feelings of guilt; feelings that do not easily go away. Nathaniel Hawthorne stated his feelings by stating “Show freely to the world, if not (their) worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred.” to say how he felt people should react after they commit sins. He tells future posterity of how they can be redeemed of their sins, and though he may have been correct on some of the ways to repent, he may have also missed some key details. While we do need to come forward from our sins to be completely forgiven, it may not be necessary to become a living embodiment of the sin like Nathaniel believes that we should be.

I think that Hawthorne’s description of Dr. Heidegger’s study describes the four friends. “It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs and besprinkled with antique dust…” In this quote, it represents the physical characteristics of the four friends, old and wrinkled. The dark and dank atmosphere of the study reflects their depressed personalities.