1804-1864

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Was one of two great novelists of the mid-ninteenth century (the other being Melville)

Born in Salem, Mass., where his family had lived for six generations. Earliest ancestors were Puritans.

John Hathorne, one of his ancestors, was a presiding judge at the Salem Witchcraft Trials

Felt guilty because of his ancestors’ behaviorAdded (w) to his last nameWrote The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne’s Life

Father was a sea captain who was lost at sea when he was four; mother became a grieving recluse.

Went to Bowdoin College, where he graduated in 1825. Famous classmates: Henry Wadsworth LongfellowFranklin Pierce (14th president (1853-1857))Publisher Horatio Bridge

For twelve years after college, secluded himself to become a better writer

1837 – Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories, was published.

Engaged to Sophia Peabody; married 5 years later. Gained fame and popularity with the publication of

The Scarlet LetterThemes of sin/guilt and the problem of evil and

isolation also prevalent in The House of Seven Gables, published in 1851.

Became increasingly gloomy Money worriesCivil WarWriter’s block

Dark Romantic, careful craftsman, symbolic writer

Elements and themes: 1. Belief in Order: part of this is the proper

relationship between men and women2. Love: central reality of life; woman is the

redemptive agent in fighting evil3. The Heart is Superior to the Head: if you use

only your head, you become either a fool or a fiend. Many of H’s works include an intellectual villain (cool, calculating scientist)

Hawthorne as a Writer

4. Alienation and Isolation: either self-caused or societal or both

5. Initiation: an alienated character attempts to rid himself of isolation

6. Guilt: enforced by Puritanical society or heritage… also guilt v. innocence

7. Pride: Hawthorne treats pride as evil, “Pride cometh before a fall.”

8. Allegory: Didastic and Moralistic

Famous Works: The Minister’s Black VeilRappaccini’s DaughterThe BirthmarkYoung Goodman BrownThe Scarlet Letter

First published in the 1836 edition of The Token and Atlantic Souvenir.

Later republished in Twice-Told Tales in 1837Hawthorne may have been inspired by a true

event. A clergyman named Joseph Moody of York, Maine, nicknamed "Handkerchief Moody," accidentally killed a friend when he was a young man and wore a black veil from the man's funeral until his own death.

The Minister’s Black Veil

Main characters: Reverend Hooper, ElizabethPoint of view: 3rd person, omniscientConflict:

Man v. Himself (guilt)Man v. Man (the congregation/world at large)

Themes: Hidden Nature of GuiltCommunion of SinnersMorality

Setting: 18th century town in Puritan New England

Climax: final question upon deathbed of whether or not he will remove the veil.

Resolution: no clear resolution, as the meaning behind the veil is never revealed, but rather left to reader interpretation and estimation.Reverend Hooper challenges everyone to

recognize the black veil and hidden sin in their own lives.

Hawthorne’s present elements: LoveAlienation/IsolationGuiltPride (spiritual)