On July 4, 1804, an author by the name of Nathaniel Hawthorne was born (Meltzer). As Hawthorne grew, he began to develop a view of himself as “the obscurest man in American letters.” Through the use of popular themes such as isolation, guilt, and earthly imperfection, Hawthorne was able to involve much of his life and ancestral past in his work to answer his own political and religious wonders (“Nathaniel”). Hawthorne successfully “confronts reality rather than evading it” in many of his stories (Clendenning). Due to yellow fever, Hawthorne’s father passed away at an early age. Because of this incident, his mother went into a deep depression and rarely showed Hawthorne the love and affection a young boy hungers for, thus affecting him in his adulthood and career. As Hawthorne aged, he learned that he was related to a Puritan judge of the Salem Witch Trials by the name of John Hathorne. In these trials, many innocent women were executed because of the decisions Judge Hathorne made. Self-consciously, John Hathorne did not feel any guilt, but because Hawthorne felt the guilt Hathorne should have felt, he legally added a w to his last name so readers would not know of his past when he began publishing (Clendenning). Because many of Hawthorne’s writings were influenced by this family history, adding the w did not help his situation. Hawthorne’s love for literature blossomed at the age of seven when he was unexpectedly injured. Because of this injury, he was bed ridden for fifteen months, thus leading him into the path of literary works. He even began to believe that if a person read a lot, he or she would write well (Meltzer). This belief was proven to be true and even helped him in creating his own unique style of wri... ... middle of paper ... ...been prosperous, he may have never been successful in writing. Because he was influenced by his life, his stories influenced and continue to influence many others’ lives. His use of moral wrongness helped students in their faithful walk and their life morals. Many people may be thankful that he was unhappy during his life time because they would not have his stories to read. Works Cited Arvin, Newton, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s Short Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1946. Print Clendenning, John. “Nathaniel Hawthorne” The American Novel, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014 Gollin, Rita K, e.d. “Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864).” N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014 Meltzer, Milton. Nathaniel Hawthorne; A Biography. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2007. Print “Nathaniel Hawthorne; 1804-1864.” Dictionary of Literary Biography, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014
“Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014
Life experiences, upbringing and interactions with fellow individuals affect the person’s outlook on life in general as well as their perception of reality. Authors, poets and writers in possess a talent to describe these experiences through an art form they explicitly excel in. Hawthorne is a
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings have been read for many years, and many of his books have been on the required reading lists in the school curricula. His works convey themes of psychology and human nature through his crafty use of allegory and symbolism. These were essential tools in addressing topics that were too radical to be publicly addressed in the nineteenth century (Magill 1). He used these techniques to criticize some part of society, which is evident in his use of satire in the religious world (Hilton 1). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings impacted his contemporary society, despite the fact that his criticism and ideas weren’t widely popular and accepted.
A writer’s style is a combination of thousands of factors that abet a writer to create a unique meaning for each and every word they use; moreover, they invent the relationships and patterns found between these words. Every author has an unique writing style. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s was relative to what he was passionate about. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing style is reflective of his Puritan beliefs as indicated through his personal life and family background; his style is also indicative of the fact that his relationship with his wife was less than ideal; furthermore, these ideas are evident in “The Birthmark”, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, and “Young Goodman Brown”.
... his occupation. He overcame his feelings of rejection and lack of talent, and persevered when his early works did not work out. His masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, is still required reading in many schools, and it has been translated into many languages. In America's changing literature and
On the sunny day of July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne was born. Though not an author yet, his life paths of hard and good times and relationships that come and go, would lead him to become a great American author. The original family name was Hathorne, he added the ‘w’ to separate or distinguish himself from history, which included John Hathorne, a judge in the Salem witch trials of 1692-3 (Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography, 1). Nathaniel Hathorne Sr., his father, a ship captain, died of yellow fever at sea when Nathaniel was only four. Elizabeth Clarke Manning, his mother who was overly protective, started pushing him toward isolated pursuits.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, a critically acclaimed American writer of the 19th century, was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. The novelist's book, The Scarlet Letter, is supposedly his best work, and universally considered a literary classic. Concerned with sin and consequences of dealing with it, Hawthorne's work relates to his own personal sense of shame about his ancestor's persecuting roles in the 17th century Salem Witch Trials. By indirectly dealing with his sense of guilt through fictional circumstances, he shows his viewpoint as being highly critical of the Puritans while teaching a strong moral lesson in the process. Graduating in the middle of his class from Bowdain College in 1825, he went on to write a variety of long stories, short stories, and articles. Generally his writings contained powerful symbolic and psychological aspects of "the effects of pride, guilt, sin, and secrecy" (Encarta, 1997).
Nathaniel Hawthorne, born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, was an American writer. He was the descendent of a long line of Puritans, including the magistrate during the Salem Witch Trials, John Hathorne. The “w” in his name was added to distinguish himself from another writer with the same last name as himself, and also to distance himself from his family’s involvement in the Salem Witch Trials which brought upon a great deal of shame. After his father, died of yellow fever at sea when Hawthorne was but four years old, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward scholarly things rather than hobbies of any physical danger. His childhood left him fairly timid, intelligent, and bookish, which formed the mold for him to become a writer.
Born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendant of Puritan ancestors. Since his family suffered a long and shameful violent history, Hawthorne added a “w” in his last name when he was in his early 20s. William Hawthorne, one of the first Puritan settlers who arrived in New England in 1630 was among Hawthorne’s ancestors. His father was a ship captain who died of yellow fever when he was just four years old. Due to his father’s death, his mother became very protective of him and left him in very isolated settings. Hawthorne was a very shy and a book worm which is also visible in his life as a writer. A leg injury at an early age left Nathaniel immobile for a several months during which time he acquired a ravenous appetite for reading and adjusted his sights on becoming a writer. With the help of his wealthy uncles financially, Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College from 1821 to 1825. While going to college, Nathaniel Hawthorne missed his mother and two sisters very
Kaul, A. N., Ed.. "HAWTHORNE: A Collection of Critical Essays." Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1966.
He was born in Salem, on July 4, 1804. He had the “w” added to his name because of wanting to de establish himself with his family because of one of his family members John Hathrone being a Judge in the Salem Witch Trials (Hawthorne). Hawthorne did not particularly want to attend college, however he still enrolled in 1821 to Bowdoin college and graduated in 1825 (Biography). After graduating Hawthorne lived with his mother for some time in Salem, when reading his diaries and journals you can see that he spent most of his free time reading and writing about all types of things (Eldritch). During the time staying with his mother Hawthorne wrote many short stories which later on he tried to get published and failed. He later on published his very first novel Fanshawe, however it did not receive any attention. But this did not discourage Hawthorne he continued to write another set of short stories only this time instead of writing them anonymously he wrote them under his own name, Twice-Told Tales was actually a very good read as well as received a couple good
Taking an even further step back in time, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s culture was also very evident through his writing. To discuss his culture though, his familial background must be touched on. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the home of the Salem Witch Trials. His family had many ties with these trials and also with the Puritan religion itself. Hawthorne recalled that “the most memorable aspect of his powerful forefathers was their sternness and their penchant for persecution." (Sterling) Because of this involvement and Hawthorne’s recollection of his family’s demeanor, he took a great interest in reading about the history of the Puritan religion. Upon his research, Hawthorne discovered aspects of the religion that he didn’t see just,
Hawthorne was an American novelist whose most famous works included the renowned Scarlet Letter (which I am reading). Born on July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Masachusetts to Nathanial Hathorne Sr. and Elizabeth Clarke Manning. Though born Nathaniel Hathorne, he later added the 'w' to hide his relation with John Hathorne, the only judge that didn't repent for his involvement in the Salem witch trials of 1692 (Hawthorne
Waggoner, Hyatt. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In Six American Novelists of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Richard Foster. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1968.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was the definitive literary figure throughout the 19th century. He was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts where he developed Puritan values through his experiences and family. His work is still celebrated by a myriad of authors and readers across the world and is regarded as America’s most eminent writers. His short stories such as Rappaccini’s Daughter and My Kinsman, Major Molineux and four novels – The Scarlet Letter, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun, and The House of the Seven Gables reflect Hawthorne’s emotions and American values during the 1800s. Hawthorne is notable for mastering a multitude of themes and techniques such as alienation, initiation, Puritan government, Italian background, good versus evil, self-determination, psychoanalysis, moral slant, ironic view, and symbolism.