Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Born: July 4, 1804
Salem, Massachusetts
Died: May 19, 1864
Plymouth, New Hampshire
Writer and descendant of John Hathorne, chief magistrate in the Salem trials
Although American author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born more than a hundred years after the Salem witch trials, he was profoundly affected by the Puritans' persecution of innocent people during the New England witch-hunts. Hawthorne was a direct descendant of the Hathornes, one of the founding families of the Massachusetts colony, and his ancestor John Hathorne was the chief magistrate in the trials that led to the deaths of twenty people. Haunted by his Puritan past, Hawthorne explored the issue of sin in such works as "Young Goodman Brown" (1835; see primary source entry), The Scarlet Letter (1850), and The House of Seven Gables (1851), which have become American literary classics.
The "Haunted Chamber"
Nathaniel Hawthorne's father was a sea captain who died of yellow fever in 1808, leaving his wife and three children dependent on relatives. Nathaniel, the only son, spent his early years in Salem, Massachusetts, and at a country home in Maine. Immobilized by a leg injury for a long period of time,he developed an interest in reading and contemplation (the act of thinking or meditating about something thoughtfully).
This is a free page. This page contains 201 words. This
article contains 1,623 words (approx. 5 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Hawthorne, Nathaniel Access Pass.
