Analysis Essay

618 Words2 Pages

Do you know who Nathaniel Hawthorne is? Well, the average citizen doesn't know whom he may be either. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of America’s most prominent short story authors of the 1800s, and has generated numerous stories about Puritan life. He wrote his anecdotes in order to inform the reader of the faults or mysteries that the typical person can carry within, rather than for entertainment purposes like many authors of his day. Being of Puritan descent, Hawthorne used that to his advantage as he incorporates their lifestyle in his writings. He based many of his stories around morality, sin, and redemption because Puritan culture was strongly religious and didn't participate in activities outside of their beliefs. Nathaniel Hawthorne expressed the theme of secret sin and revealed sin in “The Minister’s Black Veil” and The Scarlet Letter, each having both secret sin and revealed sin portrayed within the stories, using symbols to foreshadow and/or explain crucial parts of his writings.
“The Minister’s Black Veil” takes place in 18th century Milford, Massachusetts. In small towns,...

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