Nathaniel Hawthorne1804-1864

Childhood

Born July 4, 1804 in Salem, MA Father died when Hawthorne was four

years old Sent to private school once his relatives

discovered his storytelling abilities Sent to Bowdoin College in Maine

Family History

His great-great-grandfather, William Hathorne, ordered the whipping of Anne Coleman and four others in the streets of Salem.

His great-grandfather, John Hathorne, was the magistrate (judge) presiding over the trial of the accused witches of Salem (1692).

College in Maine

Classmates included Franklin Pierce and Henry Longfellow

Pierce- future President of the USA Longfellow- poet, educator, linguist Graduated in 1825

Reclusive Years in Salem

He first anonymously published short stories and a novel, Fanshawe.

Hawthorne later formally withdrew most of this early work, discounting it as the work of inexperienced youth.

He burned most of his works from these years.

Concord Married to Sophia Peabody in 1842, then

moved to the Old Manse in Concord. Joined the writing circles of Thoreau,

Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott. The Transcendentalists believed that

human existence transcended the sensory realm, and rejected formalism in favor of individual intuition and imagination.

Themes Alienation - a character is in a state of

isolation because of self-cause, or societal cause, or a combination of both.

Initiation - involves the attempts of an alienated character to get rid of his isolated condition.

Problem of Guilt -a character's sense of guilt forced by the puritanical heritage or by society; also guilt vs. innocence.

Pride - Hawthorne treats pride as evil.

More Themes in Writing Moral

allegories

The sinful man

Hypocrisy

The Dark side of Human Nature

Final Days

Returned to Concord from Europe in 1860 Became ill and underwent a loss of literary

creativity Journeyed to the White Mountains hoping to

restore his health Died in Plymouth, NH on May 19, 1864 Buried in the Sleepy Hollow cemetery in

Concord

Who were the Puritans? Wanted a “pure” church

No candles No Images No stained glass windows

Rejected the “showy” church of England

Led very somber lives governed solely by a strict interpretation of the Bible

No “nonsense” – dancing, gambling, drama, etc

The Salem Witch Trials

May – October 1692: Salem, MA A series of investigations and persecutions

that caused 19 “witches” to be hanged and many others imprisoned

Period of public hysteria generated by false accusations and coerced confessions

Where was he born? And where is he buried?

What was the actual spelling of his last name and why did he change it?

What future president did he go to college with?

What was his wife’s name? What were some of the major

influences that modified Hawthorne’s writing?

Describe the Puritans?

Review