Nathaniel Hawthorne
Born on July 4, 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s early childhood was a difficult time for him due to the death of his father, when Nathaniel was 4 years of age, while he was at sea. William Hathorne, Nathaniel’s great great grandfather, emigrated from England to America in 1630 to settle in Salem, Massachusetts. Consequently, this is where he later became known for his savage sentencing as a judge. John Hathorne, William’s son, later was one of three judges during the Salem Witch Trials during the 1690s. Therefore, Nathaniel changed his last name in order to distance himself from this dark side of the family. Which was where he got most of his dark stories from
Nathaniel Hawthorne was a well known American Author. He wrote dark romantic short stories which include symbolism and allegory. Thus, making him a very well studied author. His best known novels are The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables (1851). At a young age, Nathaniel acquired a leg injury that left him unable to move for several months. Accordingly, he used this time to develop a strong attachment towards reading, in which, he settled his goals on becoming a writer.
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In order to fix this, Elizabeth, Nathaniel’s mother, moved in with her wealthy brothers. With the assistance of his prosperous uncles, Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He studied there for 4 years where he met and befriended future president Franklin Pierce and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Although being a very educated man, Nathaniel was a neglectful student who rarely found interest in studying. Nathaniel yearned for his mother and sisters during his time of study in college. Conclusively, upon graduation, he returned home for a 12-year
Nathaniel Hawthorne the author of The Scarlet Letter uses the literary device of chiaroscuro to effectively develop his characters. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 to a prominent family. His father passed away on a voyage when he was four years old. His relatives recognized his talent, and they helped pay his way to Bowdoin College. Hawthorne and his classmates became the most prominent people in America at that time. He had many strong ties with important people from attending Bowdoin, such as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce. In 1828, his first novel, Fanshawe was anonymously published at his own expense. In 1842, he befriended Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Bronson Alcott, and married Sophia Peabody, an active member of the Transcendentalist movement. In 1846, he was appointed surveyor of the Port of Salem where he worked for the next three years, being unable to earn a living as a writer. He wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850, showing the Puritans as hypocrites fixated on sin. This romance was an immediate success, even though it received many criticisms for its risqué topic. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne effectively uses chiaroscuro to develop the personalities of Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale.
“Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery to convey that Dimmesdale can represent Puritan Society rather than the round character that can be seen on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ figure, and the scarlet letter.
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.
“To the untrue man, the whole universe is false,--it is impalpable,--it shrinks to nothing within his grasp. And he himself, in so far as he shows himself in a false light, becomes a shadow, or, indeed, ceases to exist.” (Hawthorne 115) Throughout the hostile novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne used contrasting settings to represent opposed ideas that were central to the meaning of the work. Some have argued that when it came to the theme that secrets have a destructive effect on the secret-keeper and truth, by contrast, was natural, a character evaluation would best advocate these differences. However, two settings, Dimmesdale’s house and the secrets that lie within, and the scaffold representing the truth, better embody the adverse ideas posed by the point at issue.
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
Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America's most renowned authors, demonstrates his extraordinary talents in two of his most famed novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. To compare these two books seems bizarre, as their plots are distinctly different. Though the books are quite seemingly different, the central themes and Hawthorne's style are closely related (Carey, p. 62). American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne is most famous for his books THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, which are closely related in theme, the use of symbolism, characterization, and style.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was actually named named Nathaniel Hathorne, but he was ashamed of his ancestors involvement in the Salem witch Trials, so he added a “W” to his last name. Nathaniel was so ashamed of his ancestors that he was inspired to write short stories, which included “The Minister’s Black Veil” which was about a minister who mysteriously began wearing a black veil a sunday to church which affected the community. The minister’s black veil frightened and worried the community and made the community think about what he been up to; to make him wear a veil which it was abnormal. Not only would people talk about Mr. Hooper but they would try not to be close to the men because he was scaring everyone, including his wife. So if we compared
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.
The Scarlet Letter is a romance written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that takes place in the Puritan Community in Boston, Massachusetts during the 17th century. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, who commits the sin of adultery with the minister of the church, Reverend Dimmesdale, and conceives a baby girl, Pearl. Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth, returns and seeks revenge. As Pearl grows up, her mother learns how to deal with the scarlet letter of shame and Dimmesdale feels guilt. When they decide to run away, Dimmesdale confesses his sin in public and he dies. The story end with the death of Chillingworth and all his belongings and property go to little Pearl. Pearl grows up and probably gets married and Hester becomes a mother for all women in need.
Portrayal of Puritan Society in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter In the introductory sketch to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel the "The Scarlet Letter", the reader is informed that one of the author's ancestors persecuted the Quakers harshly. The latter's son was a high judge in the Salem witch trials, put into literary form in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (Judge Hathorne appears there). We learn that Hawthorne feels ashamed for their deeds, and that he sees his ancestors and the Puritan society as a whole with critical eyes. Consequently, both open and subtle criticism of the Puritans' practices is applied throughout the novel.
A symbol is an object used to stand for something else. Symbolism has a hidden meaning lying within it; these meanings unite to form a more detailed theme. Symbolism is widely used in The Scarlet Letter to help the reader better understand the deep meanings Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays throughout his novel. He shows that sin, known or unknown to the community, isolates a person from their community and from God. Hawthorne also shows this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest.
The author of this novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne, grew up in Salem so the setting cof this novel played a large role in his life. Hawthorne was the “great-grandson of the Salem Witch Trials judge John Hathorne” (Brooks). However, he changed his last name, adding a “W” because he was “haunted by his connection to his ancestor” (Brooks), and possibly because he wanted to distance himself from his family name. His family had a very large past in the Salem Witch Trials; it is said all of the following members of his family were somehow related to the trials: “Mary and Philip English, John Proctor and Sarah Wilson, as well as one of the accusers: Sarah Phelps. Nathaniel’s great uncle...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there are many moral and social themes develped throughout the novel. Each theme is very important to the overall effect of the novel. In essence, The Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of truth. One theme which plays a big role in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects. Throughout the novel there were many sins committed by various characters. The effects of these sins are different in each character and every character was punished in a unique way. Two characters were perfect examples of this theme in the novel. Hester Prynne and The Reverend Dimmesdale best demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.
Nathaniel also had a secret that people then didn't know, but people now these days do. His actual birth name is Nathaniel Hathorne, but he added the “W” because he did not want people to know who his parents really were. His parents ‘Elizabeth Clarke Manning’ and his father ‘Nathaniel Hathorne SR.’ where part of the “Salem Witch Trials”. He changed his name because he did not want anything to do with his parents at that time, mainly because of their past and involvement in history, at that time.