Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Mary Eichholz and Will Wright

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American writer considered to be one of the most important writers of his time. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts and descended from a long line of puritan ancestors but to distinguish himself from them in history, due to their involvement in the Salem witch trials, he added a "w" to his last name. Through writing his puritan roots made an appearance. 

    Between 1825-1850 he started developing a talent for writing and in 1828  his first novel, Fanshawe, was published. This first writing failed to receive much attention. Many of his novels had several commonalities. They were often set in New England and his protagonists had to deal with the themes of sin, repentance and mortality that most people in puritan New England towns often dealt with during this time. Also in his novels rather than stirring the readers emotions, he confronted reality. While some of Hawthorne's tales may be considered silly or strange it is important to look the ways which Hawthorne reflects the Romanticism movement in his many works. Another thing to consider in his writings is the use of allegories and morals. These are especially important to consider when looking at the time period, realistically, in which he wrote them and so the reader must look past the plot and instead in thematic terms.

    After meeting President Abe Lincoln in D.C., Hawthorne wrote an essay "Chiefly about war matters" by 'A Peaceable Man'. This essay was published by the Atlantic Monthly's July 1862 issue. It was written during the struggle of the Civil War which broke out a few years before his death.

   Hawthorne's works are considered the best of his time.  Hawthorne didn't evade the real world and showed "the depths of our common nature." He died May 19, 1864 in Plymouth, NH.

5 comments:

  1. Longfellow character's,much like Hawthorne's, overcome themes that people during this time were often dealing with. They both wrote during the Civil War about patriotism. Both were admired by Abraham Lincoln. Comment by Samantha Krampe and Sami Horsley

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  2. Poe, was like Hawthorne because they both were unsupportive of the transcendentalism. They both had hardships in their lives that showed in their writings. Poe would also put in his writings things about the depth of our human nature.
    Katie Fulkerson and Kelby Krampe

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  3. Melville: Hawthorne you helped me when I was writing the novel “Moby Dick.” You encouraged me to incorporate current events by using symbolism in my novel such as: the whale symbolizing the complexity of the universe and Captain Ahab symbolizing the difficulties that challenge an intelligent person. This helped me in my later writings.
    Mikayla and Sarah

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  4. 2nd Great Awakening
    Even though Hawthorne was not of any specific denomination many of his stories wrestled with different philosophical dilemmas. The way that Hawthorne focused on morality and the darker side of human nature contradicts everything in our movement. If we had our way such materials would not be in print today.
    Luke and Paul Reid

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  5. I believe Hawthorne was against transcendentalism, which is widely seen throughout his works in which he never exceeds human nature or reality. Despite the popularity of transcendentalism in his time, he was known as one of the most distinguished authors. I also agree that Hawthorne was an important figure not only in his own time but throughout history. Like Hawthorne, Fuller created realistic writings that have stood the test of time.
    By: Morgan Ballard and Payton Ford

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