Born in Salem, MA in 1804

Son of a sea captain and great-grandson of a judge who

had presided at the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s
Impoverished childhood due to fathers death in 1808
No resentment toward poverty and poor health
He learned from them
Vast understanding of human nature and the suffering
engendered by social, religious, and economic inequities
Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825
Devoted his life to reading, writing, and publishing, but
was forced to interrupt his craft to supplement his income
by working odd jobs
Private man who preferred to spend time in seclusion with
family and a few close friends
Married Sophia Peabody in 1842
Died in 1864

Raised in a family and culture steeped in Puritanism, he witnessed
the decay of Puritanism with ambivalence (uncertainty)
Critical of Puritanism, he nonetheless felt a strong obligation to
seek the highest truth and a strong moral sense which was deeply
embedded in all aspects of his life
Social reformist who participated directly as a member of the
utopian socialist colony at Brook Farm
Appalled by moral decay and human suffering, Hawthorne used
his writing to explore the inner workings of the human mind,
spirit, and heart
Argued that the rigidity of Puritanism and its emphasis on original
sin undermined rather than strengthened morality, which was
frequently noted in his writing
Friends with transcendentalists, but his writing lacked the
optimism and self-confidence of his peers; instead he preferred
themes of human depravity and guilt

A Romantic writer who wrote to enlightened and
entertain
Allegorical style
Sought to achieve a unified effect and to illustrate a
moral lesson
Romance is concerned with truth rather than history
or reality; therefore, writers can manipulate his/her
characters and atmospherical medium to elevate
good and to illuminate the horrors of evil
Romance must be true to human sentiments and
emotions
On a quest for truth
Symbolism important to reveal truth
Defined: a narrative that serves as an extended
metaphor. Allegories are written in the form of fables,
parables, poems, stories, and almost any other style
or genre. The main purpose of an allegory is to tell a
story that has characters, a setting, as well as other
types of symbols, that have both literal and
figurative meanings. The difference between an
allegory and a symbol is that an allegory is a complete
narrative that conveys abstract ideas to get a point
across, while a symbol is a representation of an idea or
concept that can have a different meaning
throughout a literary work (A Handbook to Literature).
Goal: To achieve a single, concentrated
effect.
Color
Light/dark contrast motif
A
Individual vs. Society
Change and Transformation
Ambiguity
Guilt/Innocence/Sin
Identity

Gov. Bellingham
Roger Chillingworth
Arthur Dimmesdale
The Goodwives
Mistress Hibbins
Pearl
Hester Prynne
The Shipmaster
John Wilson