Nathaniel Hawthorne

Biography

Photo of Old State House, 1870, from the Bostonian Society

Place of birth

Date of birth

• Salem, MA

• July 4, 1804

Date of death

• Plymouth, NH

Place of death

• May 19, 1864

Burial location • Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA

Interesting facts about childhood

• Father, sailor, died when Hawthorne was four

• Family lived in poverty• Mother found money for tuition to Bowdoin

College (Maine)

Marriage & Family

• Married Sophia Peabody, neighbor

Place(s) where this author lived. Include dates and explain how each

place influenced them. • Salem, MA; childhood; ancestors were Puritans • Maine – both in childhood and college• Boston 1839-40 – worked there; Custom House

found in The Scarlet Letter.• Brook Farm Utopian Community, 1841-1842 -

transcendentalists• Concord, MA 1842-1853; with wife• England 1853-1860• Concord, MA 1860-1864

How did this author become inspired to write?

• Inspired by Puritan ancestors like John Hathorne who was judge at the Salem witch trials. Led to Hawthorne’s focus on Puritans.

• “Custom House” inspired by revenge• Inspired in college (Bowdoin)

Where applicable, explain any obstacles this writer faced

• Death of father • Poverty in childhood• Difficulty selling first book• String of political appointments (jobs) that he

lost due to changes in power of political parties

• Illness in later life prevented finishing work

How successful was this author during his/her lifetime?

• The Scarlet Letter sold 4,000 copies in the first ten days

• The House of the Seven Gables also popular• Still needed to have a non-writing job – like

working in the Custom House or as the American consul in England

If the author wasn’t successful or popular at the time of their death,

explain how and why they are still well known today

• N/A

Why is this author considered influential?

• Classic examples of romances (imaginative fiction deals with its subjects and characters in a symbolic, imaginative, and nonrealistic way)

• Novels and short stories delved into human nature, especially sin and guilt

• His psychological fiction inspired Herman Melville and William Faulkner

Identify five (5) characteristics of this author and give specific examples

• Shy – comments from Henry James• Insightful/intelligent – understood human

psychology• History buff – inspired by historical events

and people• Well-connected – political appointments• Vengeful – “Custom House”