Hawthorne Nathaniel: A Short Biography of the Writer

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an acclaimed master of the pen in American literature. He created in the era of romanticism and his work greatly enriched it, making the novel genre popular.

Early life

The writer was born in 1804 in the city of Salem. His ancestors emigrated from England and settled fairly well in America. In particular, his great-great-grandfather was one of the leaders of the colony of the Massachusetts Bay. Yes, and the whole male line subsequently occupied quite high positions, including judicial ones. The famous witch trial in Salem was led by the great-grandfather of the writer John Hawthorne.

Nathaniel was the son of a sea captain who died of a fever when the boy was four years old. His mother and two sisters were left in the care of relatives.

As a child, Hawthorne suffered a serious leg injury and remained lame for life.

At the age of twelve, Nathaniel and his family came to Maine, where he lived on a farm. Subsequently, he will often think back in those days, missing the dense forests and the unimaginable silence of those places.

He returned to Salem to finish school there. From an early age, he was drawn to literary activity, and he even independently produced a newspaper filled with author's works.

At the insistence of his uncle, Hawthorne Nathaniel entered Boudin College, which he graduated in 1825. The study did not make much sense to him, the more he was not going to become a lawyer, as his uncle wanted. Nathaniel was more and more in the clouds, dreaming of a writer's career.

Creation

The writer has always considered himself guilty of kinship with his Puritan ancestors, because of the decision of which many people were executed during the Salem process. He did everything in his power to protect himself from kinship with them.

Many of his works against the background of past events are filled with a sense of guilt, and the theme of the sins of ancestors rises almost constantly.

His first novel "Fenshaw" was released in 1828, but failed. However, Hawthorne did not come to despair, he continued to create, wrote many novels on mystical and fairy-tale subjects, released several collections of children's stories (among them "Grandpa's chair", "The Book of Wonders").

Since his financial situation was very difficult, Nathaniel worked as an overseer at the customs. To do this, he often had to go to Boston. The need for this disappeared after the publication of his novel "The Scarlet Letter".

The work caused great resonance not only in American society, but also in Europe, at the same time making the name of Nathaniel Hawthorn famous.

"The Scarlet Letter" tells the story of Esther Prin, who became pregnant and gave birth to a child while her husband was absent. Nobody knew if he was alive. The society was intolerant of the girl, condemned her and sentenced her to civil execution. She was tied to a post and embroidered on her clothes with red thread the letter "A", which was a mark of her betrayal.

Soon, Esther's husband came back and, having found out about what had happened, tried to find out who was his rival. They turned out to be a local young priest.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose books have always been distinguished by the seriousness of the social and psychological problems under consideration, has been criticized by religious organizations, while readers and literary critics have accepted the work enthusiastically.

Last years

Four years Hawthorne Nathaniel lived in Europe, taking up the post of ambassador. He traveled extensively on the continent, and when he returned to America, he was in the midst of the Civil War.

His friend Franklin Pierce, who was the country's president, was declared a traitor. It was believed that it was because of his short-sighted activities that relations between the North and the South reached a decisive point.

And since Hawthorne Nathaniel dedicated a book to his friend, his reputation was also lost. A recent popularity turned against him.

In recent years, Hawthorne suffered from severe pain in his stomach. Despite this, he, along with his friend Pearce, went to New Hampshire for an excursion. There, during the night stop, he died. This happened on May 19, 1864.

It is noteworthy that this very night his eldest son Julian was initiated in the brotherhood of Delta Kappa Epsilon in Harvard. All night long he lay in a closed coffin with blindfolded eyes.

Personal life

In 1842, the writer married Sophia Peabody. Their marriage was very happy, despite the storehouses of the characters of both. The young people were very shy, Sophia was very silent, Nathaniel closed.

The couple had three children: the daughter of Una and Rose and the son of Julian.