Nathaniel Hawthorne The Salem Witch Trials was definitely a notorious time in our history. Not only did it affect the people who lived through it, but the generations to come as well. One example would be Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose writing was greatly influenced by his Puritan ancestor, William Hathorne, who was a judge during the Witch Trials and infamous for his harsh sentencings, and even inspired some of his most famous books, The Scarlet Letter, which is about a woman who is being accused of adultery during the 1800’s, and Young Goodman Brown, which is about a man who sees his town worshipping the devil and ends up becoming skeptical about Christianity. Eventually wanting to not be associated with William, he added a “w” to his last name
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In 1808, his father, who was a sea captain, died of yellow fever while at sea, which led her mother to have her family move in with her wealthy brothers. He suffered from a leg injury that left him immobile for a few months. During these months, he came to the realization that he wanted to become a writer and with the help of his uncles, attended Bowdoin College from 1821-1825. As he grew homesick, he decided to go back home for a 12 year stay. During this time, he started writing, which would make this the start of his career. Despite the fact that his writing did make him a bit more well-known, it was not enough for him to meet his financial needs, so he started his job at the Boston Custom House in 1846. In July 9, 1842, He married Sophia Peabody and had his first child in 1844. Shortly after, they moved to Salem and was lucky enough to have political connections who would get him a job at the Salem Custom House in 1846. However, when Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848, he was stripped of those privileges, which gave him enough free time to write The Scarlet Letter. At the pinnacle of his writing career, he was appointed as American Consul in Britain and lived there with his family from 1853-1857. However in the 1860’s, all that would come to an end as he started writing incoherent and unfinished stories. He eventually started showing signs of psychic regression and died in his sleep on May 19,
In 1808, his father, who was a sea captain, died of yellow fever while at sea, which led her mother to have her family move in with her wealthy brothers. He suffered from a leg injury that left him immobile for a few months. During these months, he came to the realization that he wanted to become a writer and with the help of his uncles, attended Bowdoin College from 1821-1825. As he grew homesick, he decided to go back home for a 12 year stay. During this time, he started writing, which would make this the start of his career. Despite the fact that his writing did make him a bit more well-known, it was not enough for him to meet his financial needs, so he started his job at the Boston Custom House in 1846. In July 9, 1842, He married Sophia Peabody and had his first child in 1844. Shortly after, they moved to Salem and was lucky enough to have political connections who would get him a job at the Salem Custom House in 1846. However, when Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848, he was stripped of those privileges, which gave him enough free time to write The Scarlet Letter. At the pinnacle of his writing career, he was appointed as American Consul in Britain and lived there with his family from 1853-1857. However in the 1860’s, all that would come to an end as he started writing incoherent and unfinished stories. He eventually started showing signs of psychic regression and died in his sleep on May 19,