Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne's obsession with sin spurred him to write several novels unlike any others seen in his lifetime. His writing style was unique for his time and sometimes criticized. He worked most his life trying to write the perfect novel, trying to be a success and finally won out. Nathaniel Hawthorne's life and career contained many hard ships and uniquely interesting human experiences (www.tdl.com). Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. His family linage was that of strong Puritan descent, with both his mother and father, Elizabeth and Nathaniel Sr. having been reared by Puritan families. Hawthorne's ancestors include Major William Hathorne who was one of the first Puritan settlers in America, and Joe Hathorne who was a head judge in the Salem witch trials. Nathaniel was four when his father died and as a result he lived a solitary life with his mother, who became extremely withdrawn and guilt stricken. While Hawthorne (who adopted this spelling of the name) lived a very sedentary lifestyle in this environment, he was finally exposed to a "normal" child's life. Nathaniel was so content with this newfound life that when the subject of continued education arose he stated "Oh! No.
H. James published a study of Nathaniel Hawthorne's life in 1879 in English Men of Letters. Among his comments, one of The Scarlet Letter was found. James stated, "Something might as last be sent to Europe as exquisite quality as anything that had been received, and the best of it was the thing was American...It came out of the very heart of New England" (Drable, 443). In 1842 Hawthorne married Sophia and made a life in Concord. While pursuing .. I was not born to vegetate forever... to live and die as calm and tranquil as a puddle of water." Young Nathaniel grew fond of books and literature, especially the acclaimed Pilgrims Progress despite his lack of interest in school (Kunitz 1600- 1900, 347). Hillis's review of The Scarlet Letter noted it as a psychological, moral, and religious commentary. He included this in his essay "Conscience and Retributive Working of Justice. A study of the Necessity and Nobility of Repentance, and the Confession of Sin." The Scarlet Letter, being Nathaniel's best work, has a firm standing in the cannon of great American literature (www.uwm.edu).
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Approximate Word count = 1234
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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