Nathaniel Hawthorne Book summary

 

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. The Hawthorne family traced a long history in Salem, going back several centuries. Nathaniel suffered the tragic loss of his father, a captain, who succumbed to yellow fever when Nathaniel was just four years old. Nathaniel was the middle child, and he was especially close with his elder sister, Elizabeth. The Hawthorne family was taken in by his mother’s family, the Mannings, who were an equally old family of Salem. Nathaniel grew up in a stable family and spent his time roaming the city, which was a bustling port at the time. He showed a propensity for writing at a young age, as indicated by a family newspaper that he began to write for his family before going to university. Nathaniel then received an education at Bowdoin College, where he befriended Franklin Pierce, who went on to become the 14th president of the United States of America and Nathaniel’s lifelong friend.

Nathaniel wanted to make a living through writing, and he soon gained repute as a prolific short story writer. His first compilation of short stories was published in 1837, under the title of Twice-Told Tales. He had self-published a romance that he had written during his college days, called Fanshawe, but it is said that he was so embarrassed about the work that he attempted to have all the copies burned. He was haunted by his family’s history, particularly his distant grandfather, who had served as a judge during the Salem Witch Trials. His first novel, A Scarlet Letter, was focused on that very history, and it gained him significant fame. His second novel, The House of Seven Gables, was not as big a success as his first book. Nathaniel wrote the campaign biography as well as the biography of Franklin Pierce. He was deputized to be an ambassador for the United States and spent a significant time in Europe. He passed away in his sleep shortly after returning to the United States.