Nathaniel+Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography:  Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was originally born Nathaniel Hathorne and later added the w to his name. He attended Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825. He started to work at a custom house, joined Brook Farm, which was a utopian experiment in communal living, and wrote several books and short stories, including Roger Malvin’s Burial, before settling down and marrying Sophia Peabody. Hawthorne’s //The Scarlett Letter// was published in 1850 and was then followed by a succession of other novels. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and three children. Many of Hawthorne’s writing centers around New England with many of his works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. Many of his fiction works are considered dark romanticism because his themes center on inherent evil and sin of humanity, while his works often have moral messages with deep psychological complexity.  Nathaniel Hawthorne Writings:  Hawthorne’s writings as said before belong to the Romanticism era and more specifically dark romanticism; they are cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity.  Roger Malvin’s Burial:  One of Hawthorne’s lesser known short stories and is included in the collection //Mosses from an Old Mans.// The background of //Roger Malvin’s Burial// is historical events but the story itself is not. The central theme of the story is guilt. Reuben is driven to the verge of insanity because of his unrelenting guilt.  Death and Loss:  Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories were written during the Puritan era so most of the death in his novels and stories are dealing with guilt. Like with Roger's death, Reuben felt the guilt so much that it ruined his life essentially: " Reuben, a moody man, and misanthropic because unhappy, strode onward with his usual stern brow and downcast eye, feeling few regrets and disdaining to acknowledge any."