Hawthorne Essay Research Paper Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne Essay, Research Paper

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne s life, as seen in his writing, shows solitary self analysis

expressed as symbolism which exhibits the weakness he found in all mankind. The ease in

which one can understand his symbolism has influenced American Literature.

Hawthorne s cynical themes of human nature were represented in The Ministers Black

veil, The Birthmark, and Rappaccini s Daughter. Hawthorne s preoccupation with

scientific and Puritan religious values shows his belief in mans shortcomings through the

faults of his main characters.

The solitary character, found in Hawthorne s short stories, was based on his own

life. He lived a reclusive life starting at four when his father died of yellow fever. His

mother, Elizabeth Clark Manning Hathorne, and her three children were forced to move

back to her father s house. In a house filled with thirteen others and a mother who

mourned her husband in seclusion Nathaniel found it necessary to spend as much time

alone as possible. His interest in reading began at seven when he injured his foot in a ball

game and recuperating for several years instilled in him the love of literature (Hart 320).

Being alone was a habit for him and deepened when he would spend time alone at his

family s lake in Maine ( Rivendell s). Later while going to Bowdin college he met and

became friends with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Horatio Bridge and Franklin Pierce.

Although his first friendships would help establish his career as a writer he continued to

be withdrawn and lonely until he married Sophia Peabody in 1842 (Herzberg, 439).

The structured religious views that Hawthorne rebelled against were also instilled

in him at an early age. Although he grew up surrounded by Puritans, he was raised as an

Unitarian and clamed no church at all, his transcendentalist friends helped influence his

beliefs (American 228). Hawthorne s belief surmounted that happiness requires a oneness

of mind, heart, spirit, will, and imagination. In 1839 he invested time and money into a

socialist society experiment called Brook Farm Community. Finding that his nonsocial

behaviors continued to hinder him Nathaniel left after only a few short months (American

224). All of his conflicting ideas about the Puritan religion, original sin and his own place

in the world has let the reader understand Hawthorne s journey of self awareness.

In 1828, after leaving college, he privately published his first novel Fanshawe. He

was unhappy with the response and withdrew it from circulation (Herzberg 440). Only

writing for magazines his stories caught the public eye and in 1837 a compilation of his

short stories were publisher as Twice – Told Tales. According to James D. Hart,

Hawthorne was quoted in saying that the stories in Twice – told tales were the pale tint of

flowers that blossomed in too retired a shade . One of these stories that deals with his

views on Puritanism was The Ministers Black Veil.

The Ministers Black Veil is a story in which the parishioner s of the puritan church

are taken aback by their ministers insistence in wearing a black veil over his face. The

minister symbolized Hawthorne s own solitary life. Hawthorne felt that he was alone in a

crowd and separated from others. He could not walk the streets……the genteel and timid

would turn aside to avoid him , the children fled from his approach, breaking their

merriest sports . The black veil was a material emblem (that) separated him from

happiness but it also made Father Hopper a very efficient clergyman in that he could

sympathize with all dark affections and Strangers came long distances to attend service

at his church (Lauter 2222).

Some believe that the Hawthorne s internalized guilt over his family’s past history

caused him to add the W to his Name. His ancestors were William Hawthorne who in

1630 ordered the whipping of a Quaker woman and 1692 John Hathorne was a judge in

the Salem witch trials (Magill 197). Hawthorne s feelings of Puritan history shaped his

religion guilt which manifested itself in The Ministers Black Veil. The black veil

symbolized how the religious feel that their beliefs protect them and make them above

reproach. Letting the reader wonder what the secret sin of the Minister was, demonstrates

Hawthorne s idea that we will never know what misdeed men hold in their heart and if the

deed was exposed it would separates us more. He names Puritans as hypocrites when

Father Hopper says Tremble also at each other! …. on every visage a Black veil! . The

theme of The Ministers Black Veil could be summed up in the sermon Father Hopper

gave The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from

our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even

forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them (Lauter 2217 -2224). The Puritans, in

Hawthorne s eyes, were f

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