Free Essay Example. Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. He was the son of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Elizabeth Manning (Meltzer). His father was a ship's captain and both his parents were descendants of the English settlers of the seventh century. His father died in 1808 of yellow fever, and his mother relocated to live with her parents in Herbert Street. Hawthorne's grandfather had a stagecoach line that was generating income, so they lived a comfortable life.

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Hawthorne had a leg injury sustained when playing ball at the age of nine years. The injury affected his schooling as he was lame for one year two months. Since he could no longer go to school, he started reading family books such as pilgrim's Progress, The New Gate Calendar as well as the Faerie Queene. Hawthorne lived with his mother and sisters between 1816 and 1819 when he went back Salem to college (McNamara)

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American author who was admired in the 19th century and whose reputation endures to date (Gollin). His two novels the House of Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter, are read in schools. His writings incorporated New England history, and his fiction work has themes such as corruption and hypocrisy, which are serious issues in any country. His writings are what make him interesting. Hawthorne had struggled financially when working as a clerk in the government.

The upbringing and growth of Hawthorne Nathaniel influenced his success later in life and the activities that he engaged in. his experienced enabled him to incorporate some aspects in the book he wrote later in life (Melissa). The experiences gave him the ideas to write about. The interactions with people also shaped him to have a character that people from all parts of the world admire about him. Hawthorne used to devout all his effort in the activities that he engaged in. for instance, when he decided to write books he was able to write many books that have inspired many people around the world.

The themes of his books reflected his previous public and personal life which made many people to read his books and understand his life. The books also contained issues facing the society such as love (Melissa). The books contained fictional characters which is a character he had of being creative when writing the books to make them more interesting. The activities that he engaged made him popular because the people praised the achievements.

Hawthorne also was a campaign biographer in 1852 where he helped in his friend Franklin Pierce who had won a Democratic Party candidate (McNamara). During this time campaign biographers were highly influential in politics and he offered help by writing a campaign biography for his friend. The book was published before the elections carried on November 1852 and Pierce won the elections. He paid back by giving Hawthorne a diplomatic post as the consul in Liverpool. Hawthorne relocated to England in 1853 and worked there for six years, and during all this time he did not pay much attention to writing. In 1860 he went back to Concord and continued to write several novels which he did not publish. In 1864 he went on a trip to Hampshire, and in May 1864 he passed away while sleeping. Although Hawthorne is long gone, his impact is still felt through his work. He was an exceptional writer who embraced descriptive writing.

Works Cited

Gollin, Rita. "Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804-1864), Author | American National Biography". Anb.Org, 2000, https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1600732. Accessed 25 Nov 2019.

McNamara, Robert. "New England's Most Prominent Novelist Focused On Dark Themes". Thoughtco, 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/nathaniel-hawthorne-1773681. Accessed 25 Nov 2019.

Melissa, Pennell. "Nathaniel Hawthorne | Biography, Books, & Facts." POETRY FOUNDATION. N.p., 2019. Web. 25 Nov. 2019.

Meltzer, Milton. Nathaniel Hawthorne: a biography. Twenty-First Century Books, 2006.