Nathaniel Hawthorne Influences

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of American literature greatest writers. His writing style was very unique, it is his background that contribute the way he write. Hawthorne New England background has been said to make an impact in his works. Hawthorne was a descended from a line of Puritans, his great grandfather was the judge at the Salem witch trials. Nathaniel Hawthorne popular work were Young Goodman Brown, The Scarlet Letter, and the minister’s Black Veil. It is proven that Hawthorne work usually aim at hypocrisy, sin and corruption. Hawthorne was an extremely shy person, he does not like to go out or invite anyone to his home where he shared with his wife and three kids. If Hawthorne were to live in today world, he would be the type of person

For example, Young Goodman Brown was a story about a man who believed that everyone in his village are pure. Until the old man, most likely the devil, tell him that he knew the people in his village. The devil then start showing Brown the dark side of the people in his village, including his wife. Much of Hawthorne work is known as Dark Romanticism. Hawthorne work let the reader know that there are evil in everything, no matter how good that person is, they will slowly turn to the unintended consequences. Hawthorne often put a lot of symbolism in his novel. It makes the reader more intense, which will grab the reader into the book. Symbolism also used when Hathorne wanted to give the character or object a second meaning hidden behind the visible meaning. That way, the readers mind will interact with the story

He hardly socialize with anyone but his wife and kids. Throughout his life, he only made four friends. A friend of Hawthorne say that “I love Hawthorne, I admire him; but I do not know him. He lives in a mysterious world of thought and imagination which he never permits me to enter.” (Milder 33).Hawthorne were forced to work at a boring desk job, he has to support his family. Just imagine, a creative man is stuck working at a desk job, it sucks. It’s taking away Hawthorne time, energy, and slowly his creativity. But he did not give up hope. Hawthorne continue to write short novels in his free time after work. According to his friend, Hawthorne believes that there is no point in talking to random people because he had an idea that he should not waste his time with stranger who will probably think negative things about you. Hawthorne knows that everyone have sins, including the people that assigned to judge others were sinners as well. Hawthorne were a religious man, his “religious thinking and religious imagery play a major role in his fiction “(Stuart). He understood that he should not judge others when he also have sins. Because of that, his novel were primarily about sins, hypocrisy and corruption. Hawthorne dad died when he was just four year old, his mother struggle to raise him and his sisters. With the help of his wealthy uncle he was able to graduate college.