Preview

American Writers and Their Works: Hawthorne, Poe, and Whitman

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3729 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
American Writers and Their Works: Hawthorne, Poe, and Whitman
American Writers and Their Works: Hawthorne, Poe, and Whitman

Out of all the great authors and poets we have studied this semester I have chosen the three that I personally enjoyed reading the most; Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman. These three Writers stand out above the rest for each has contributed substantially to bringing forth a newly earned respect for American Writers of Literature. Up until this point in time most literature had come from European writers. Hawthorne, Poe and Whitman brought not only great works of art to our newly formed nation, but also to the world in general.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the descendent of a long line of Puritan ancestors, including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in the Salem witch trials. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish, and molded his life as a writer. Hawthorne is one of the most modern of writers who rounds off the puritan cycle in American writing
Hawthorne turned to writing after his graduation from Bowdoin College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was unsuccessful and Hawthorne himself disavowed it as amateurish. However, he wrote several successful short stories, including "My Kinsman, Major Molyneaux," "Roger Malvin's Burial" and "Young Goodman Brown." However, insufficient earnings as a writer forced Hawthorne to enter a career as a Boston Custom House measurer in 1839. After three years Hawthorne was dismissed from his job with the Salem Custom House. By 1842 his writing amassed Hawthorne a sufficient income for him to marry Sophia Peabody and move to The Manse in Concord, which was at that time the center of the Transcendental movement. Hawthorne returned to Salem in 1845, where he was appointed surveyor of the Boston Custom House by President James Polk, but was dismissed from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne, a critically acclaimed American writer of the 19th century, was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. The novelist's book, The Scarlet Letter, is supposedly his best work, and universally considered a literary classic. Concerned with sin and consequences of dealing with it, Hawthorne's work relates to his own personal sense of shame about his ancestor's persecuting roles in the 17th century Salem Witch Trials. By indirectly dealing with his sense of guilt through fictional circumstances, he shows his viewpoint as being highly critical of the Puritans while teaching a strong moral lesson in the process. Graduating in the middle of his class from Bowdain College in 1825, he went on to write a variety of long stories, short stories, and articles. Generally his writings contained powerful symbolic and psychological aspects of "the effects of pride, guilt, sin, and secrecy" (Encarta, 1997).…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    American Lit Unit 8

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages

    3. Briefly describe Hawthorne's background. He was born in Salem and moved to Maine with his mother to live with an uncle as a child. He returned to Salem to attend college. He secretly go married, he enjoyed reading and the first novel he wrote was recalled and almost completely destroyed. He continued writing and his first big break was The Scarlet Letter.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Hawthorne first began writing, he had the air of a transcendentalist. But after some time, he began to stray away from the aspect of transcendentalism and soon, his writings even displayed a sort of disdain for the movement. Hawthorne soon found himself immersed in the dark romanticism movement. Dark Romanticism was a new style in literature and Hawthorne was amongst one of the first authors within the growing genre. This style of writing is prominent in his story Young Goodman Brown. Published in 1835, Young Goodman Brown presents the struggle between good and evil and the concept of original sin. The story was one that dealt with how evil could be presented and perceived. The story also displayed Hawthorne's Puritan background and one could infer Hawthorne's disdain for this link. In 1850, Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter. The story was another way that Hawthorne presented his disdain and criticism of the Puritans and their beliefs. The Scarlet Letter quickly became Hawthorne's most well known literary work and sold a few thousand copies upon being published. People were instantly intrigued with the novel and Hawthorne became a well-known…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    century. But did you know that he hated portraits, and it is now thought that he was a…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1804 and lived a long life until 1864. He studied at Bowdoin College. Throughout his lifetime Nathanial wrote many novels, short stories, etc. Some of his most famous ones being The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851) and the short story “The Birthmark.” “The Birthmark” is a story that has many different themes through the plot that revolve over one flaw. That being the Birthmark.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He started publishing in 1828 anonymously in gift books and magazines. (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”). Sometime later in 1850 he released his most famous novel The Scarlet Letter which illustrated the journey between two star-crossed lovers in a Puritan Boston, Massachusetts. (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”). Just a year later, he produced yet another one of his most well-known novels, The House of Seven Gables which centered on a house that was spooked by the previous owner’s sins. (Shmoop Editorial team). The house in the novel was based his cousin's house, called the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, where a lot of Hawthorne’s childhood was spent. Hawthorne’s book became so popular that the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion was to be referred to this day as the House of Seven Gables. (D'Agostino. ). Hawthorne often wrote about sin and guilt and the aftermath the two cause. Also, he was famous for writing about allegories that connect to his life and combines them with symbolism to shed light on his perspective about humanity. (Encyclopædia Britannica). One allegory Hawthorne writes about is the loss of innocence in “Young Goodman Brown.” Goodman Brown loses himself to the temptation of going to the witches, and seeing his wife Faith there, he realizes that no one is innocent. (Lorcher). Hawthorne also focuses on the psychological challenges that follow choices humans make and applies it on a universal level. For example, in Hawthorne’s short story “Dr. Heidegger's Experiment,” he uses the test subjects to symbolize how the inner greed and corruption affects how life turns out and how challenged a life can…

    • 2419 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    He completed his studies in Bowdoin College at the age of twenty one (World Book Advanced). Shortly after, Hawthorne released a book called Fanshawe which did not sell up to his expectations. Following his graduation, Hawthorne returned to Salem to continue crafting different short stories and books. During this time, Hawthorne joined the Brook Farm community which was formed by transcendentalist. It tried to achieve a socialistic society that strived to give equal opportunity to all genders (World Book Advanced).At the age of thirty eight, Sophia Peabody and himself began a new life together in Concord, Massachusetts(American Writers). Suddenly in 1846, President Pierce, Hawthorne’s dearest friend, allocated a position as a American ambassador in England. This allowed him to travel various country in Europe such as Italy. After returning to America, Hawthorne was faced with many financial challenges which led to pressure on producing great stories. During this time period is when Hawthorne published the world-renown Scarlet Letter. This brought great fame and recognition to him. This brought great fame and recognition to him. Unfortunately, Hawthorne began to fall sick and was unable support his wife and three daughters. In 1864, Nathaniel Hawthorne passed away when he was on his way to meet President Pierce. However, he still leaves the world of literature with a feeling of awe after establishing himself as one of the first great American…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Charles Whitman was born June 24, 1941. The town he was born in is called Lake Worth, the state is Florida. In the early years of Charles Whitman he was taught at a young age how to properly handle a gun. Charles was a model student and an Eagle Scout who left home early to escape a violent father. When Charles joined the Marine Corps be became a sharpshooter which in other words a sniper. Charles did his time in the marines before he enrolled into the University of Texas. During his time at Texas University Charles met his future wife, Kathryn Leissner, they soon married in 1962. Charles suffered from mental illness and severe anger fits.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He was the one responsible for some of the executions of the accused witches. This caused a great burden of guilt on Hawthorne due to his past Puritan ancestors actions. 3. Where did Hawthorne work (but lost this job in 1848)?…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, along with his older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, born January 30, 1807 and his younger sister, Rosalie Poe, born in about December 0f 1810. Edgar Allan Poe, William…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literary Merit

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts. In 1808, Hawthorne’s father dies of yellow fever and his mother withdraws and leaves him to be educated by his uncle, Robert Manning. In July 1820, Hawthorne write’s The Spectator, which was a newsmagazine that ran for a month. Nathaniel Hawthorne graduated from college in 1825 then isolated himself from society. During this period of isolation, Hawthorne wrote and anonymously published his first novel, Fanshawe, but the public ignored the novel. On July 31, 1849, Hawthorne’s mother, Elizabeth Hathorne, dies. Hawthorne falls into a deep depression but continues to write The Scarlet Letter and publishes it in February 1850. On May 19, 1864 Nathaniel Hawthorne dies in Plymouth, New Hampshire.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Gothic Poe and Hawthorne

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are considered masters of American gothic fiction. Gothic is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Jennifer Palladino cited Herman Melville who wrote “Gothic was nothing if not new and varied; yet at the same time, there was an unexpected mental growth as well, a dimensional growth in acuity of intelligence and refinement of consciousness.” Poe wrote more of a horror genre, and Hawthorne wrote more of dark and allegorical literature. Their characters were people of a certain society, and in those times, people of certain standards would associate together. They wrote about life and their political parties and what people could expect. Poe and Hawthorne define American literature by the use of symbolism, setting, themes and characterizing.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    His often described Gothic romance style was thought to be influenced by personal events in his life. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born to the town of Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. He was the son of Elizabeth Clarke Manning and Nathaniel Hathorne, a Captain in the U. S. Navy who died early on in Nathaniel’s life; he was only four years old (Merriman pa. 6). Ancestors of Hawthorne such as his great grandfather were one of the first Puritans to settle in the New England area and participated in the Salem Witch Trials. This was thought to cause him much guilt and also was thought to help theme for many of his stories like “The House of Seven Gables”. In 1821, Hawthorne began to attend Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine along with fellow poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future American President Franklin Pierce. In college he began to start writing more and even started publishing his work as well. Even after graduation in 1837, he kept producing work. July 9, 1842 Hawthorn married a painter named Sophia Peabody. He had three daughters as a result of this, one of which was future…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendant of Puritan immigrants who dedicated his life to writing. It was through his short story "Young Goodman Brown" that Hawthorne uses it to explain Young Goodman Brown 's excessive pride. This excessive pride interferes with the relationship of his wife Faith and the community, which ultimately causes Young Goodman Brown 's downfall.…

    • 1826 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    After attending Bowdoin College, Hawthorne spent the years 1825 to 1837 in his mother’s household in Salem. Later he looked back upton these years as a period of “dreamlike isolation and solitude, spent in a haunted room.” During these “solitary years” he learned to write tales and sketches that are still unique. Most of Hawthorne’s early stories were published anonymously in magazines and giftbooks. In 1837 the publication of Twice-Told Tales somewhat lifted a spell of darkness. Hawthorne’s short stories came slowly but steadily into critical…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays