Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) No 19th century author was more strongly attracted to his country’s history 1. literary nationalism 2. his American ancestors a. Major William Hathorne—persecution of Quakers b. Judge John Hathorne—participated in Salem Witch Trials 3. his sympathy with many Puritan viewpoints and values although he rejected their faith in Christ and the Bible—of all the American Romantic writers, only Hawthorne expresses a view sympathetic to Christian values a. he is the only one of the Romantic Pessimists (Hawthorne, Melvile, Poe) who has any offer of hope. i. At least one character in each story has hope of heaven 1. melvile gives no hope, leads to synicism Three Stages of his literary career 1. Literary preparation (1825-1837) a. Born, raised in Salem—12 yrs. Old moved to Maine b. Graduated from Bowdoin College—1825 i. Classmates with Franklin Pierce and Longfellow ii. Returned to Salem c. Lived for 12 years in near isolation—to read and to practice writing i. Writing apprenticeship ii. Some see it as a neurotic withdrawal from the world iii. Destroyed much of what he wrote d. ends with publication of Twice Told Tales (1837) 2. Short Story phase (1837-1850) a. Helped elevate status of short story (with Poe and Irving) b. He infused American settings with universal themes (isolation, guilt, pride) c. Worked in Boston at the port’s Custom House (1839-41) d. Lived for several months at Brook Farm (1841) e. Married Sophia Peabody (1842) i. Aged 38 ii. She helped him become involved in life rather than just observe it. f. 1846—began working at Salem Custom House g. 1849—lost job because of political spoils system i. forced to earn a living by writing ii. wrote Scarlet Letter—9 hours a day for 6 months 3. Novel Phase (1850-1864) a. Began with Scarlet Letter b. Began friendship with Melville (who dedicated Moby Dick to him in 1851) c. 1851-1853—most prolific period i. 2 novels 1. House of Seven Gables 2. Blythedale Romance ii. 2 books for children iii. collection of short stories iv. official campaign biography for Franklin Pierce d. 1853—appoint US Consul at Liverpool, England i. did little writing for 4 years ii. when term ended, he toured Europe 1. setting for his last novel—Italy 2. Marble Faun (1860)

e. 1860—returned to US but could not recapture the artistic control of the 1850’s—started 4 novels but finished none f. 1864—died in his sleep while vacationing in New Hampshire Melville attributed Hawthorne’s artistic power to “a touch of Puritanic gloom” which develops from a “sense of Innate Depravity and Original Sin, from whose visitations, in some shape or other, no deeply thinking mind is always and wholly free.” Romantic pessimism—expressed in a style characterized by allegory, ambiguity, and ambivalence 1. Allegory—a story with a literal and an implied level of meaning a. Explicitly—“Jollity and gloom were contending for an empire.” b. “Maypole of Merry Mount” 2. Ambiguity—doubleness or inconclusiveness of meaning a. Complicates the interpretation of his fiction b. Presents readers with several ways of viewing detail 3. Ambivalence—co-existence of conflicting feelings or attitudes of an author or reader a. Toward Puritanism b. He both sympathized and condemned Puritan values Common themes 1. nature of good and evil 2. effects of hidden sin 3. consequences of isolation 4. nature of initiation (introduced to knowledge of evil) 5. balance of head and heart “The Birthmark” Early example of a mad scientist story—1843 But centers more on moral issues rather than bizarre events Theme—condemnation of the egotism of science Condemnation of the romantic dreams of creating perfection on earth All men are flawed! In fact, man’s nature is so bound together with imperfection that removal of the flaw destroys life. Utopian visions of perfection on earth (Transcendentalism) are only figments of imagination. Symbol 1. Primary symbol— (object with meaning outside itself) a. the birthmark b. Original sin as it reveals itself in human character and conduct 2. Symbolism of Character a. Aylmer—pure intellect i. Monomaniac loses sense of moderation and tried to play the role of God ii. Almost all of Hawthorne’s scientists fall prey to their intellect—Chillingworth, Aylmer, Rappacini iii. He has the best the earth has to offer in Georgiana but he is not satisfied. By trying to create something better, he destroys what he has. iv. Represents the mental part of mankind b. Georgiana—pure soul i. The best of this world ii. That part of man that has the greatest potential for good c. Aminadab—pure flesh i. Bad anima—evil soul

ii. Represents the fleshly part of mankind