Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 of an old New England family. After his father's death, Hawthorne was educated by his mother's brothers. In 1825, Hawthorn graduated from Bowdoin College. Among his classmates, Hawthorne made three lifelong friends: Longfellow, the poet; Franklin Pierce, later President of the United States; and Horatio Bridge, who first appreciated Hawthorne's literary genius. It was mainly through Bridge's influence that Hawthorne was made weigher and guager at the Salem Custom House (1839-1841), and surveyor at the Salem Custom House (1846-1850). Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody of Salem and Boston on July 9, 1842. They had three children: Una, Julian, and Rose. Later, President Pierce appointed Hawthorne to the consulship of Liverpool (1853-1857). Hawthorne lived in Italy for two years (1857-1859). While traveling for his health, attended by Pierce, Hawthorne died at Plymouth, New Hampshire on May 18, 1864 (Trent 19).

Although Hawthorne grew up in the center of Transcendentalism, his writings do not show the optimism of that philosophy. In many of Hawthorne's stories, the Gothic is an important element. The characters have a dark side to them. No matter who the person may be--from clergyman to seemingly innocent children--th

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, is a constant trial to her mother--she is perverse, wild, and a brilliant effect of sin. Chillingworth succeeds in interfering with the escape of Hester, Arthur, and Pearl. At the conclusion of the novel, the minister mounts the pillory with Hester and their child, revealing his guilt and the scarlet letter that remorse had engraved on his chest. By this act, the Reverend Dimmesdale escapes Chillingworth's Satanic power, and he dies in Hester's arms. The child has been transfigured by the tragic scene. Pearl then sheds tears for the first time. She demonstrates the goodness of her humanity by kissing her father. Hawthorne shows his attitude toward Puritanism in this novel. Joseph Schwartz states: "From Hawthorne's point of view the Puritan way of life, their denial of civil liberty for others, and their theology combined to give an unfavorable aspect to the national character. It created a social system, based upon an identification of law and religion, that trammeled itself as it did the people who lived under it" (46). The following two short stories also demonstrate the Puritan influence, and the problems of sin and guilt, which so concerned Hawthorne. His Calvinistic background manifests itself in these tales.
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Approximate Word count = 1631
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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