Nathaniel Hawthorne

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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. After his graduation from Bowdoin College, Hawthorne turned to writing. His first novel, Fanshawe, was very unsuccessful and even he later renounced the work as amateurish in nature. However, he wrote a few successful short stories, including "My Kinsman, Major Molineux", "Roger Malvin's Burial", and "Young Goodman Brown”. His inad...

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    Throughout our history, we have repeatedly tried to exploit the environment (i.e. nature) in order to perfect our lives. We not only manipulated the materialistic and economic aspect of our world, but we have also struggled to use the moral and the spiritual in making progress within ourselves. Instead of relying on ourselves to accomplish this purpose, we have unfortunately sought help from society's traditional institutions. These institutions, in turn, have tired to manipulate us for their own good, resulting in more harm than help. During the nineteenth century, authors such as Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized this and have tried to stop it through their writings. To this end, they have adopted Ralph Waldo Emerson's view that people choose to deny the power of reason, or their own mind. He believed that until people choose to see the "light" of reason, they will remain morally dead. With the achievement of reason, external institutions will remain useless and they will understand that the spirit they so vehemently desired is indeed within them and will without a doubt eliminate their moral darkness. Therefore, Emerson affirmed that the only eternal law is that of experience and that "the one thing in the world of value is the active soul-the soul, free, sovereign, active." This essay will discuss how these authors (Melville, Hawthorne, and Dickinson) composed writings that mimicked Emerson's view of life to accentuate individualism against subjugation.

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    Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 (Magill 1; Campbell 1; “Nathaniel Hawthorne”; Eldred 1). He was born into the sixth generation of his Salem family, and was a descendant of a long line of New England Puritans, which contributed in his interest in the Puritan way of life. The family was originally known as the “Hathornes”, but Nathaniel added the “w” to his name so it would become “Hawthorne”. The Hawthornes had been involved in religious persecution with their first American ancestor, William. Another ancestor, John Hathorne, was one of the three judges at the seventeenth-century Salem witchcraft trials. Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain, and when he was four years old (1808), his father died on a voyage in Surinam, Dutch Guinea (Campbell 1). Hawthorne was left alone with his mother and two sisters. He spent his early years in Salem and in Maine, during which he showed an interest in his father’s nautical adventures and read his logbooks often, even after his death (Magill 1). His maternal relatives recognized his literary talent at such a you...

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  • Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in the year 1804 in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts, where to Salem witch trials were conducted. Hawthorne was born in an unforgiving time period, where life revolved around religion and family. Hawthorne’s father died of Yellow Fever in the year 1808. Nathaniel grew up fatherless, which had a lasting effect on who he later became to be. Education at the time was centered on reading and writing, with a heavy religious influence. “The education of the next generation was important to further "purify" the church and perfect social living” (Kizer). However, since his father passed away, there was no other man to instill the Puritan beliefs into young Nathaniel. Hawthorne later on was able to see the culture through a different lens than the people surrounding him, which made him slightly opposed to the Puritan way of life. He became intellectually rebellious; not thinking in the same way that his peers or family was.

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the descendent of a long line of Puritan ancestors, including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in the Salem witch trials. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish, and molded his life as a writer. Hawthorne is one of the most modern of writers who rounds off the puritan cycle in American writing

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was a man of business, politics, nature, morals, dedication and imagination who was greatly haunted by the actions of his Puritan ancestors (Gollin 360). Being one of the pioneers of noteworthy American literature, Hawthorne used the issues of his time and the history of Puritan New England as his settings. He was the son of Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Manning and was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. After his father’s death, Hawthorne and his family moved to their mother’s house. Later, he went to Bowdoin College and graduated in 1825. Here, he became friends with future U.S. president Franklin Pierce. He lacked interest in medicine, ministry and law, so he chose to write (Gollin 358). Perchance in shame of sharing a tie with men like John and William Hathorne, he then added a w to his last name.

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  • Biogram Of Nathaniel Hawthorn, How His Life Relates To Scarlet Letter

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    BIOGRAM The man Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author of the nineteenth century, was born in 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. It was there that he lived a poverty-stricken childhood without the financial support of a father, because he had passed away in 1808. Hawthorne was raised strictly Puritan, his great-grandfather had even been one of the judges in the Puritan witchcraft trials during the 1600s. This and Hawthorne’s destitute upbringing advanced his understanding of human nature and distress felt by social, religious, and economic inequities.

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  • The Birthmark Essay: External and Internal Conflict in The Birthmark

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    Erskine, John. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In Leading American Novelists. New York: Books For Libraries Press, 1968.

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  • The Puritan Guilt in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Society

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    Hawthornes’ knack for writing would begin shortly after college where he wrote many unpublished and published short stories, novels, and articles. Hawthornes’ major novel was intended to be a lengthy short story but due to his financial issues was forced to make this lengthy story into a now famous novel. (Hoeljte, pps 280-285) Hawthorne became one of the leading writers of his time, moving away from formalism and exploring the ideas of individual responsibility, the importance of creative expression and man’s relationship to the natural world.

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  • Nathaniel Hawthorne

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    Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He had 2 siblings and was the child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hathorne. He added the “w” to his last name when he started his writing career. His father died of yellow fever in 1808 (LitFinder Contemporary Collection). His mother took her three children and moved into his uncles’ home after his father’s death (The Oxford Companion to American Literature). Hawthorne believed himself as a Christian, but he was skeptical of all claims, whether Puritan or Roman Catholic to know the details of the divine will (American writers II). Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College and graduated in 1812. He struggled for years with debt and had countless failed ...

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  • The Hanging Judge: William Hathorne

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem in 1804 and was descended from the original founders of Salem. His most notable ancestors were William Hathorne and his son John Hathorne. William Hathorne was a zealous magistrate who had fled from Europe with other Puritans to escape religious persecution. Once Salem was established he became well known for his cruelty against Quakers, most notably having them whipped in public. His son John Hathorne was one of the judges responsible for the conviction and execution of witches during the mass panic of the Salem Witch Trials, and became known as "The Hanging Judge." Due to his family's sordid history Hawthorne added a "W" to his name in order to distance himself, yet he used his ancestry in his writing.

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  • Nathaniel Hawthorne Influence On American Culture

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    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,

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