Nathaniel Hawthorne and his work

Running head: Nathaniel Hawthorne and his work
Nathaniel Hawthorne and his work
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Nathaniel Hawthorne and his work 1
Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most popular names of English literature with his
unique style of writing short stories and novels which has been largely considered as the first
American psychological genre of writing. With his skill of vices and art of perfection Hawthorne
dug deep while introspecting the human mind and souls. Through the work ‘The scarlet letter’,
Hawthorne took a deeper insight into human guilt, mortality, protective nature and the tendency
of defending the human beings from the harsh external realities. The major features of
Hawthorne writing which make him one of the most noteworthy writers of the English literature
is his use of allegory and symbolism. The entire course of the discussion sheds light on the two
major works of Hawthorne namely, ‘Young Goodman Brown’ and ‘The Birthmark’ while
critically analyzing the contribution of Hawthorne and his style of writing. In addition the most
remarkable work of Hawthorne ‘The Scarlet Letter’ along with other works will also be
discussed.
The keen interest of reading was developed among Nathaniel when he became immobile
due to a leg injury. The interest and hobby of reading later drove Nathaniel to opt to become a
writer. Hawthorne completed his schooling from Bowdoin College where he made friends with
another most well known name of English literature Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Gale).
Hawthorne wrote the very first short story when he was in college. The short stories named ‘The
Hollow of Three Hills’ and ‘An Old Woman’s Tale’ are some of the stories by Nathaniel that
deserve mention. By the year of 1832, Hawthorne penned down the greatest works of his life,
such as, ‘Roger Malvin’s Burial’, ‘Twice Told Tales’ and ‘My Kinsman, Major Molineux’.

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All these works made him famous among the contributors of English Literature.
Hawthorne moved to Salem after he was married. He was appointed there as a surveyor using his
political connections. However soon was dismissed from his position since his political
connections could not save his job. The incident was a blessing in disguise as he put himself
entirely into penning down the masterpiece named ‘The Scarlet Letter’ (Poe, Nathaniel and
Charles). The story is all about two lovers who clashed with Puritan Moral Law. The book
secured its name in the history for its mass-produced publications in the country of the United
States of America. The wide distribution of the book throughout the state made the author
renowned.
Nathaniel’s work
‘Young Goodman Brown’
Hawthorne’s the ‘Young Goodman Brown’ is one of the most renowned piece work
which received recognition from critics. Like other works, Hawthorne set the Puritan New
England of the 17th century. In this story, Hawthorne particularly focuses on the psychology of
sin through the characterization and its manipulations of symbolism (Hawthorne). Hawthorne
makes the symbolic significance of time, objects, places and names very prominent as seen in the
line, “the fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men”
(Hawthorne). The story certainly does not fall under the category of a mere religious narrative
which revolves around the undeniable evils of life. “Evil is the nature of mankind” is perhaps the
most remarkable statement of the story which is uttered by the devil. In this regard, the line,
“Depending upon one another's hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue was not all a dream. Now,
are ye undeceived? Evil is the nature of mankind,” deserves mention since it reflects two of the
major themes of the story is memory and past, good and evil (Hawthorne).

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‘The Birthmark’
Meanwhile, another short story of Hawthorne also needs mention since it holds relevance
in modern society. Like the ‘Young Goodman Brown’, Hawthorne in his story ‘The Birthmark,’
focuses on the theme of original sin “a crimson stain upon the snow, in what Aylmer sometimes
deemed an almost fearful distinctness” (Hawthorne). In order to do that, several haunting
symbols have been used by Hawthorne which suggests human flaw, such as, the black veil of the
minister, the scarlet letter worn by Hester Prynne, Rappacinnni’s daughter’s bad breath and so
on. Similarly, the birthmark itself played a role of a symbol. The line “his wife’s liability to sin,
sorrow, decay, and death,” generates the symbolic value in relation with the Calvinistic frame of
Aylmer’s mind (Hawthorne).
‘The Scarlet Letter’
The protagonist of the novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’ has been portrayed by Nathaniel as a
young married woman who during her staying apart from her husband had given birth of an
illegitimate child. The entire setting of the novel was set in a village of Puritan New England
(Baldwin). As the novel unfolds gradually, it was seen that the protagonist, Hester Prynne’s
husband, Roger Chilliongworth comes to New England in order to find his wife. Chillingworth’s
motive was to make his wife pilloried and making her wear the ‘A’ the letter on her dress as a
means of punishment for carrying an illicit relation and her unwillingness to reveal the name of
the father to the illegitimate child. The events of the novel showed Chillingworth’s as an
obsessed person with figuring out the name of his wife’s lover. Finally, he managed to learn that
his wife lover is a young minister namely Arthur Dimmesdale.