Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Nathaniel Hawthorne, born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, was an American writer. He was the descendent of a long line of Puritans, including the magistrate during the Salem Witch Trials, John Hathorne. The “w” in his name was added to distinguish himself from another writer with the same last name as himself, and also to distance himself from his family’s involvement in the Salem Witch Trials which brought upon a great deal of shame. After his father, died of yellow fever at sea when Hawthorne was but four years old, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward scholarly things rather than hobbies of any physical danger. His childhood left him fairly timid, intelligent, and bookish, which formed the mold for him to become a writer. After his graduation from Bowdoin College, Hawthorne turned to writing. His first novel, Fanshawe, was very unsuccessful and even he later renounced the work as amateurish in nature. However, he wrote a few successful short stories, including "My Kinsman, Major Molineux", "Roger Malvin's Burial", and "Young Goodman Brown”. His inad...

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the descendent of a long line of Puritan ancestors, including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in the Salem witch trials. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish, and molded his life as a writer. Hawthorne is one of the most modern of writers who rounds off the puritan cycle in American writing

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    BIOGRAM The man Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author of the nineteenth century, was born in 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. It was there that he lived a poverty-stricken childhood without the financial support of a father, because he had passed away in 1808. Hawthorne was raised strictly Puritan, his great-grandfather had even been one of the judges in the Puritan witchcraft trials during the 1600s. This and Hawthorne’s destitute upbringing advanced his understanding of human nature and distress felt by social, religious, and economic inequities.

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    Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He had 2 siblings and was the child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hathorne. He added the “w” to his last name when he started his writing career. His father died of yellow fever in 1808 (LitFinder Contemporary Collection). His mother took her three children and moved into his uncles’ home after his father’s death (The Oxford Companion to American Literature). Hawthorne believed himself as a Christian, but he was skeptical of all claims, whether Puritan or Roman Catholic to know the details of the divine will (American writers II). Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College and graduated in 1812. He struggled for years with debt and had countless failed ...

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    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem in 1804 and was descended from the original founders of Salem. His most notable ancestors were William Hathorne and his son John Hathorne. William Hathorne was a zealous magistrate who had fled from Europe with other Puritans to escape religious persecution. Once Salem was established he became well known for his cruelty against Quakers, most notably having them whipped in public. His son John Hathorne was one of the judges responsible for the conviction and execution of witches during the mass panic of the Salem Witch Trials, and became known as "The Hanging Judge." Due to his family's sordid history Hawthorne added a "W" to his name in order to distance himself, yet he used his ancestry in his writing.

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