ipl-logo

Literary Analysis: Literary Analysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne

1243 Words5 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Literary Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne once said, “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.” This means that time may fly by but what you leave behind stays. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American romantic novelist and short story writer during the nineteenth century. Although Hawthorne lived in a time before awards, he was highly regarded and he and his works are still idolized and taught today. His most famous works are The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, The Scarlet Letter being the most famous. Hawthorne wrote works influenced by what he experienced throughout the period of his life. Hawthorne was born into a tough family situation. He was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts …show more content…

It was such a major blow both emotionally and financially that they, as a result, were forced to move in with his wealthy uncles (“Nathaniel Hawthorne Author (1804-1864)”). Without the support of his father financially, his mother, who in this time period would not be able to hold down a job, decided it was best for them to move in with her brothers. This decision most likely also greatly increased the family’s happiness and possibly gave them a new father figure in their uncles. During all this Hawthorne was immobilized by a leg injury (“Nathaniel Hawthorne Author (1804-1864)”). This injury, however, gave him the opportunity to find a passion for reading and writing, foreshadowing his career as an …show more content…

With the help of his wealthy uncles he attended Bowdoin College (Gerber 115). They paid for the expenses seeing that his mother was unable. Hawthorne attended college from 1821-1825 (Van Doren 424). At Bowdoin he had a lot of time to develop his writing skills independently. Due to a lack of formal writing instruction he was a self-taught writer (Gerber 115). This made his writing genius even more awe-inspiring. Outside of college he worked as a surveyor of the Salem Custom House (“Nathaniel Hawthorne Author (1804-1864)”). He enjoyed this job which was an escape from his other duties. Because of his youthful love for reading and dislike for business Hawthorne wanted to become a writer long before he later decided to study it at Bowdoin (Marks 1611-1612). This most likely happened in accordance to his young leg injury aforementioned. Towards the time when he needed to decide, however, Hawthorne struggled to decide whether or not to pursue a career in writing, considering that it was not a respected profession in his time period (Griffin 308). Nevertheless, he chose to pursue his passion in writing in spite of the tough decision, leading him into the end of his college career and plunging him into the world of

Show More
Related

Examples Of Pathos In The Scarlet Letter

315 Words | 2 Pages

“The scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance. In truth, she seemed absolutely hidden behind it.” (120) Hawthorne’s description of the distorted scarlet letter illustrates the townspeople’s prejudiced view of

Read More

Summary Of The Jungle By Upton Sinclair

1463 Words | 6 Pages

Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle originally to draw the public's attention to abuse of children and immigrants in factories along with v the effected that big businesses had on the economy. Worth his purpose fulfilled he also drew attention to a much more controversial attention to a much more controversial concern, being the meat packing industry. Many who read the book when it was first published were mortified by the stories. Some questioned the authenticity of Sinclair's writings.

Read More

How Did Nathaniel Hawthorne Write A Rhetorical Analysis Of The President

1095 Words | 5 Pages

Hawthorne uses long sentences to allow for as much description as possible. At points, it seems that he is benevolent to discover more about the man. His writing only included fifteen sentences, but the number of words in each sentence averaged forty-seven. The author’s use of more conjunctions than needed (at least 10 semicolons) in order to make his sentences longer shows that there is always something to add and more to the person than he believed there to be. He uses sophisticated language such as, “personage”, “magistrate”, and “supernumeraries” all throughout the first paragraph to show that even without explicitly saying the word “president” this person is important and ought to be respected.

Read More

Scarlet Letter Dbq

1547 Words | 7 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a transcendentalist. He judged his Puritan ancestors in their deeds, especially the witch persecutions. Transcendentalism, Puritanism and the idea of witchcraft were reflected in his novel The Scarlet Letter. Although The Scarlet Letter doesn‘t address witchcraft directly, witchcraft saturates the background of the novel. Many factors factors had their influence on the Puritan society, be it positive or negative.

Read More

Use Of Allegory In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

376 Words | 2 Pages

A glimpse of evil, witchcraft, and the sudden loss of innocence. It's sunset in colonial Salem. Brown sets off on a voyage towards the forest near his hometown.as he leave, he gives a goodbye kiss to his wife, Faith. Faith begs young Goodman Brown not to leave her alone at night. The setting becomes frightening, and the challenges become more tought.

Read More

Similarities Between Hawthorne And Frederick Douglass

1111 Words | 5 Pages

Freedom is a prevalent theme in both The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. Both pieces of work explore the concept of freedom through the lens of the protagonists, Hester Prynne and Frederick Douglass. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Frederick Douglass were two prominent figures in American Literature, and they both lived in the same time period. Despite their different backgrounds and experiences, both writers made significant contibutions to the literary canon and helped shape the literary landscape of their time. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804.

Read More

Hardships In The Scarlet Letter

1050 Words | 5 Pages

People in life go through many hardships and challenges, but it is in the way we handle those hardships in which our true character is shown. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne shows his audience many ways to people interpret hardships, and some people do not take them very well. For instance the Reverend Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale 's believes his actions of self-punishment and sin created a world in which he could no longer live a life of truth and holiness. Dimmesdale was a devout Puritan, and because of how hard they were on themselves he believed that he can no longer live a life of happiness.

Read More

What Is The Symbolism In The Minister's Black Veil

1113 Words | 5 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most studied and influential writers in history. His many works use symbolism and allegory to portray their purpose, filling them with deep meaning and offering a wide variety of interpretation. Hawthorne was not particularly proud of his family history; he disagreed with some of his ancestors positions in the salem witch trials. He distanced himself with that part of his family and added a “w” to his name to further do so. Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts, which gave him a prevalent theme of puritanism in many of his stories.

Read More

How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Biblical Allusions In The Scarlet Letter

1458 Words | 6 Pages

However, he also uses these allusions to create a new side to his narrative as evident when he describes Hester’s resilience, and to create a new element in the plot as evident in his description of Dimmesdale’s penance and need for redemption. Therefore, Hawthorne demonstrates an effective use of allusions to craft a religious and detailed narrative for The Scarlet Letter by reviewing on parallels between the Bible and the novel’s main characters. There’s more to The Scarlet Letter than these allusions though, and there are many questions to answer about this book. These questions may never be answered fully, but by reading the novel itself, we might find the right places to start searching for answers and formulate our own opinions on the matter. What’s important from this novel is the realistic warning about what might happens when an individual place themselves too highly among others, a message Hawthorne writes to warn against the fervor of transcendentalism of his time.

Read More

Syntax In The Scarlet Letter

1592 Words | 7 Pages

Hawthorne’s writing style provides readers with a more vivid and colorful reading experience that hopefully pushes them to be more engaged in what they are reading. In having to decode the majority of the novel, it leaves a mysterious and open effect on the entire book. With all this in mind, it is important to recognize Hawthorne’s subtle use of literal devices like alliteration such as “married, happy, and mindful of her mother” (Hawthorne, 360) in his writing. Slight additions such as this spice up his typically repetitive language and peak interest on readers by keeping them on their toes. In having all the skills to represent the darkness and beauty in life in remarkable ways, Hawthorne uses syntax in The Scarlet Letter to improve and enhance the overall quality of his

Read More

Rhetorical Devices Used In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

437 Words | 2 Pages

In chapter one of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many rhetorical devices are used. Hawthorne uses this language to create mystery and wonder throughout the book. His writing is precise; obviously to cause readers to feel a certain way. Nathaniel's use of imagery, mood, and symbolism is what makes The Scarlet Letter so interesting to those who read it.

Read More

Imagery In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

467 Words | 2 Pages

The first example of imagery that Hawthorne uses is when Young Goodman Brown is walking through the woods and he was trying to resist the devil’s temptations. “On he flew among the black pines, brandishing his staff with frenzied gestures, now giving vent to an insperation of horrid blasphemy, and now shounting forth such laughter as set all the echoes of the forest laughing like demons around

Read More

Reading Response To Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

1146 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the book there is a long chapter giving background on the narrator and story. If it was not for his family he would not be in the position of where he is at today. This gives him a reason to be where he feels most connected and motivated. There was no negative tone toward his old job and workers, but neutral because he was not out there with his writing yet. In this story Nathaniel Hawthorne directly address the readers which can create a bond and connection with the readers throughout the book.

Read More

Essay On Literary Devices In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

499 Words | 2 Pages

Literary Devices in The Scarlet Letter Literary devices are often used to capture a reader’s attention in a text. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many different types of literary devices in his book The Scarlet Letter. He uses symbolism to give hidden meaning to elements in the story, conflict to make the story interesting, and allusion to make references to historical events (ex. biblical references). While reading The Scarlet Letter, the literary devices did not jump out at me, but now as I reflect upon them they help me understand the book well. Literary devices can make a passage have a whole different meaning.

Read More

Gothic Elements In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

1284 Words | 6 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne effectively conforms to the conventions of the gothic genre for the purpose of characterizing the Puritan society as oppressive, portraying the hypocrisy found within the society and highlighting the consequences for not confessing

Read More

More about Literary Analysis: Literary Analysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Related Topics

Open Document