Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts. His father was a sea captain and he was a direct descendent of one of the judges of the Salem Witch Trials. As a young boy, his father died and he lived alone with his mother for many years. This later gave the author his habit of solitude. As he became older he went to Bowdoin College and became friends with some very influential writers. He became almost like an apprentice and learned his great skill of writing. He became engaged and eventually married Sophia Peabody. The couple moved around New England for a few years before moving into The Wayside. His new neighbors were none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Later in his life, Nathaniel wrote a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, who became president. Nathaniel was then appointed a position at Liverpool and traveled all over the world. Sophia and Nathaniel had three children. Una, the oldest, suffered from mental illness and died young. Julian served jail time for embezzlement and wrote a book about his father. Rose, the youngest, became a nun and started the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. These sisters cared for patients of cancer. Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1864 died of stomach cancer. His effect on American literature will live on forever.
Nathaniel Hawthorne magnificent writing had a very humble beginning. Hawthorne began to write short stories and have them published anonymously in New England Magazine. He later compiled these stories into a book called Twice-Told Stories. Nathaniel was a romantic writer and a lot of his writings came from his Puritan background. His stories were of characters breaking away from society and living by their own convictions. He was also the first author to use the technique of alternate history. This is where the author makes history different from what actually happened. Another one of his distinct qualities is his nararation. Many believe that he did not intend for it to be his voice of nararation but of a persuasive, human like inanimate being. Nathaniel’ very impressive came from his friendship with Edgar Allen Poe. Poe helped Hawthorne through wonderful reviews of his short stories and his writing style. Hawthorne even helped Poe on his famous novel Moby Dick.
Hawthorne’s writing of The Scarlet Letter stemmed from his short Transcendentalist experience. While he lived in the famous Transcendentalist utopian village Brook Farm, he learned of the ideas of Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter was a direct response to this education. This novel is full of the ideas of individualism and passion winning against the confines of society, ideas of Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter was so successful because it talked about moral issues in an American way. The colonists were tired of the old English writing style and they were hungry for writing that was all their own. The Scarlet Letter was even seen as a moral teaching from Hawthorne on how to live a good Christian life.
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Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts. His father was a sea captain and he was a direct descendent of one of the judges of the Salem Witch Trials. As a young boy, his father died and he lived alone with his mother for many years. This later gave the author his habit of solitude. As he became older he went to Bowdoin College and became friends with some very influential writers. He became almost like an apprentice and learned his great skill of writing. He became engaged and eventually married Sophia Peabody. The couple moved around New England for a few years before moving into The Wayside. His new neighbors were none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Later in his life, Nathaniel wrote a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, who became president. Nathaniel was then appointed a position at Liverpool and traveled all over the world. Sophia and Nathaniel had three children. Una, the oldest, suffered from mental illness and died young. Julian served jail time for embezzlement and wrote a book about his father. Rose, the youngest, became a nun and started the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. These sisters cared for patients of cancer. Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1864 died of stomach cancer. His effect on American literature will live on forever.
Nathaniel Hawthorne magnificent writing had a very humble beginning. Hawthorne began to write short stories and have them published anonymously in New England Magazine. He later compiled these stories into a book called Twice-Told Stories. Nathaniel was a romantic writer and a lot of his writings came from his Puritan background. His stories were of characters breaking away from society and living by their own convictions. He was also the first author to use the technique of alternate history. This is where the author makes history different from what actually happened. Another one of his distinct qualities is his nararation. Many believe that he did not intend for it to be his voice of nararation but of a persuasive, human like inanimate being. Nathaniel’ very impressive came from his friendship with Edgar Allen Poe. Poe helped Hawthorne through wonderful reviews of his short stories and his writing style. Hawthorne even helped Poe on his famous novel Moby Dick.
Hawthorne’s writing of The Scarlet Letter stemmed from his short Transcendentalist experience. While he lived in the famous Transcendentalist utopian village Brook Farm, he learned of the ideas of Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter was a direct response to this education. This novel is full of the ideas of individualism and passion winning against the confines of society, ideas of Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter was so successful because it talked about moral issues in an American way. The colonists were tired of the old English writing style and they were hungry for writing that was all their own. The Scarlet Letter was even seen as a moral teaching from Hawthorne on how to live a good Christian life.
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