Nathaniel Hawthorne Theme Of Sin

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American author whose works consisted of sin and punishment. He wrote both novels and short stories. Most of Hawthorne’s works were written in the Romantic era which gave him a deep curiosity for… “nature, beauty, romantic love, and… the supernatural” (Smith). Based on the reoccurring themes in Hawthorne’s works, readers can grasp that he was writing from a dark place. According to Margarita Georgieva, “Hawthorne’s writings offer a relatively dark view of human nature, oftentimes alleviated by cautious optimism” (52). Although Hawthorne liked to use the same themes in his works, all of his stories plots were indubitably different and this led to the readers finding him entertaining. The Scarlet letter, The Minister’s Black Veil, Young Goodman Brown, and The Birthmark all share a similar theme: sin. Most of these stories also included religious figures and secrecy. Hawthorne had a way of including secret sin in many of his writings. Not only the sins themselves but also how they effected the individuals surrounded by them. In one of Hawthorne’s longer pieces, The Scarlet Letter, “the story is built upon a series of sins” (Georgieva 55).
With a lengthier story like The Scarlet Letter, the reader can expect more sin. Not only does Hawthorne show sin through the adulterous relationship between Hester Prynne and …show more content…
Because of the way Aylmer treated her, Georgiana grew to hate the way she looked. At the end of the story, Aylmer believed he could make Georgiana perfect by removing her birthmark. She loved her husband and allowed him to remove her birthmark just so Aylmer would love her back. Aylmer successfully removed his wife’s birthmark, however, the procedure killed her. When Georgiana dies, Aylmer shows no regret or grief. In the story the narrator says, “Then a hoarse, chuckling laugh was heard again!” (Hawthorne 427). The narrator went on to