The Scarlett Letter And The House Of Seven Gables

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.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the best fiction authors of the 1800’s, and is still highly praised to this day. Hawthorne paved the way for future successful authors such as William Faulkner. Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, the second of three children born to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hathorne (their son added the "w" to the family name when he began his writing career). In 1808, Hawthorne’s father, a ship's captain, died of yellow fever in the distant port of Surinam Hawthorne attended college at Bowdoin College where his main concentration was writing.” (Egotism; or, The Bosom Serpent) “In sketches, tales, and romances published in the second third of the nineteenth century, Hawthorne chose mainly American materials,

This time of Hawthorne's life was blended with the delights of perusing and the disdain of budgetary reliance. While he learned at an early age with Joseph E. Worcester, an outstanding etymologist, he was not especially enamored with school. A damage permitted him to remain home for a year when he was nine, and his initial "companions" were books by Shakespeare, Spenser, Bunyan, and eighteenth century writers.

Many years later,“His health began to fail … experiencing slowness of thought. For months, he refused to seek medical help and died in his sleep on May 19, 1864, at Plymouth, New Hampshire” (Biography.com). All the obstacles Hawthorne had gone through in his life influenced his writing. He created his characters with a sense of alienation and guilt. The character’s alienation reveals much about the surrounding community.

In stark comparison to his ancestors, his life was relatively normal; he was married with children and spent his days doing what he loved the most, writing. Hawthorne would often draw from his own personal understandings or beliefs, just as he did when he wrote “but the past was not dead” in “The Custom House”. It was evident that Hawthorne’s Puritan past was alive within him, and even after his death in 1864; it continued to live on forever in the pages of his books.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 (Belasco). Hawthorne’s ancestry relates all the way back to the witch trials that took place in Salem during 1692 and 1693; his ancestor John Hathorne, was one of the three judges during the trials (Nathaniel Hawthorne). After Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, he moved back to Salem and lived with his mother while he worked on his writing for the next twelve years (Belasco). During this time, he changed his last name, adding a “W” to it, to distance himself from those before him.

While living in Salem with his wife, Nathaniel wrote his greatest novel of all time, The Scarlet Letter. This book made Hawthorne famous all over again, after losing most of it while living in peace with his wife, and it was recognized as one of the best American novels of all time. While this book made him very famous, it still didn't put Nathaniel in a secure financial

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born into a family that possessed prominent Puritan ancestors, and the shame he experienced as a result of their actions, as well as his odd fascination with them, had a significant impact on his life and his writings. Though it would be an overstatement to say that Hawthorne's knowledge of the Puritan way of life was his only source of inspiration, this knowledge was certainly influential as it is often reflected in the majority of his work. Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, Hawthorne was born in a town whose Puritan past is well-known as a result of the infamous Salem witch trials. Though he was born well after the time of the Puritans, growing up in a town so steeped in Puritan history is likely why

     The Hawthornes had already left their legacy with the town of Salem leaving Nathaniel Hawthorne a long rich history of ancestry in the town. In 1630, William Hawthorne made the Journey

In 1841, Nathaniel invested in the Brook Farm Community from April to November. In 1842, Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody, and moved to the old manse in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1844, Nathaniel and Sophia’s first child was born and they named her Una. They then moved back to Salem and their financial problems were more difficult than ever before. In 1846, Nathaniel and Sophia bore there second child who they named Julian.

Nathaniel was an American writer who was born in Salem Massachusetts, with a long New England history. Nathaniel’s original name of the family was Hathorne, he added a “w” to distinguish himself from his family history. His relative was a prominent judge in the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693. Nathaniel grew up from the upbringing of his mother. His father, a sea captain, died of yellow fever in Suriname. His uncle Robert Manning, help Nathaniel and his mother financially, helping with his college education at Bowdoin College. Hawthorne did not enjoy school even though he was an avid reader and writer. He was an average student in the class of 1825. After graduation, Hawthorne went back home to Salem. He spent a lot of time in the local library, learning about his ancestral roots and his Puritan past. During this time of his discovery Hawthorne wrote many short stories, but they were failed to publish. He married his wife Sophia at her parent’s home in Boston during 1842, once married they moved to Concord, Massachusetts. They rented the Old Manse from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Surrounded in the literary circle and transcendental movement, the Hawthorne’s had big social lives. After Hawthorne’s income from publishing short stories, they moved in with Hawthorne’s mother in Salem around 1845. Hawthorne took up a job at the Salem Custom House but since Boston had taken much of the seaport business from Salem,

The following year his mother passed away. He was cleaning out the attic and found a worn letter “A”. This gave him the inspiration to write his most famous novel, The Scarlett Letter. It was one of the first massed produced books in the United States and released in 1850. Hawthorne and his wife moved into a farmhouse in Lenox, MA. He went on to write The House of Seven Gables. Rural life did not work for him, as he enjoyed being close to the sea and the city. Therefore, he moved his family back to Concord. He and Sophia now had three children. They lived in a place called Wayside.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was born into a Puritan society with an extensive lineage of puritanism. At the age of 8 his father died and Mr. Hawthorne was raised by his mother. In his 40s he moved to Concord, Massachusetts with his wife and lived in the Old Manse. It was here in the Old Manse where Emerson, Throwe, and Alcott met to discuss ideas and have riveting debates. They formed a movement called “Transcendentalism”. This movement believes that God, men, and nature are all connected. Mr. Hawthorne however, was not fond of this movement, he also felt that this movement overlooked the gloomy side of life and sought out to express this area of life in his writing. His writing style falls under the category of Dark Romanticism. Dark Romanticism emphasizes that humanity will inevitably succumb to sin. Mr. Hawthorne had a deep interest in the effects of Puritan values. Specifically, he was interested in the ideas of sin, good versus bad, and the outcome of the individual through puritan beliefs. All of this is reflected in his most-known piece “The Scarlett Letter”.

Born July 4, 1804, in Salem, Mass. Reclusive at times, wrote twice-told tales, the house of seven gables, the scarlet letter and more. Married Sophia Peabody and fathered Una. Died in 1864. Buried in Concord, Massachusetts. Great-great-great-great grandfather, John Hawthorne, was judge at Salem witch trials