Nathaniel Hawthorne's Use Of Allegory And Symbolism

Decent Essays
Bedingfield 1

Kalyn Bedingfield
Hensley
English 11 Honors/ First Period
09 September 2018
Part 2: Author Biography Nathaniel Hawthorne is a famous writer known for his use of allegory and symbolism. He was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem Massachusetts. Hawthorne suffered a leg injury at an early age of his life, during this time he developed a love for reading and found the love for writing. His father passed away from yellow fever in 1808. The death of Hawthorne’s father left him and his family in a need for financial support. Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College with the help of his wealthy uncles. He ended up going home because he missed his mother and two sisters. He ended up staying with them for 12 years, and there he started writing.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    F. O. Matthiessen argues that Hawthorne’s use of symbolism developed differences in people’s interpretations of the symbols. Matthiessen described it as “the device of multiple choice” meaning the reader can choose, based on his interpretation, what the symbol means to them. According to Matthiessen Hawthorne does not fully explain any of the symbols in The Scarlet Letter, he only leaves vague clues which lead the reader to interpret the symbol on their own. Therefore, many theories about the actual meaning arise and “with that Hawthorne leaves the reader to choose among these theories.” Moreover, Hawthorne himself does not accept his allegory even though he still finds it valid due to its psychological exactness.…

    • 135 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hawthorne grew up with his mother by his side because his father died when Hawthorne was only four. He attended Bowdoin College and graduated in 1825, where he met and became close friends with future president Franklin Pierce. Hawthorne had been interested in reading and writing his whole life, he wrote before, during and after college. After graduating, he married Sophia Peabody in 1842, had three children and continued to write in Concord, Massachusetts. Hawthorne’s work “confronted reality”.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pearl refuses because this is all she knows of her and since her mother wears the a on her chest and always had she doesn't understand why it's not there and doesn't know what it means because she's a child. Pearl seems to see the letter on her mother's chest as a metaphorical lack of sunshine on her mother's life. She thinks that all grown women wear a scarlet letter and once she sees others do not she doesn't want to accept the symbol as being something to do with sin. She thinks it's a part of her mother, so she wants Hester to put it back on. Hester has worn this letter A on her chest to stand for the crime she committed and once in the beginning she's ashamed to wear it because who wants to wear something around all the time to let people know you've committed adultery?…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As we observed his work throughout his life, we see that he sets many examples of Christian imagery and diction in this contrast as he explains about the novel "The scarlet letter" he had created, despite of considerable ambiguity that have been frequently reinforcing these images. Lucid, graceful, and well composed, Hawthorne's short stories came slowly but steadily into critical favor, and many of the best of novels soon became American classics. There was the possibility that Hawthorne was a Christian writer, but many of his stories were Greek fiction. When he was born from the family of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hawthorne, Nathaniel's family was left with meager financial support after his father died at sea from yellow fever, forcing the…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hawthorne distinguishes where the story takes place, in Puritan Boston where people acted saint-like and were engaged into God’s beliefs, but as time passed they stopped caring and Hawthorne displays how society soon became corrupt and depraved. Moreover, Hawthorne interprets his autobiography and describes his interest in literature, but lack of support from his colleagues however he ignored everyone and his lack of support was what encouraged him to write dark romanticism novels and essays and that he soon became a major anti- transcendentalist. Although he did not have advocacy, he was still “a man of thought” (27). He ignored the deception and facilitates the of the old manuscripts and the scarlet letter in the Salem House which has a major impact on the rest of the novel. Overall, Hawthorne's purpose is to imply how he feels about literature and history, how he worked in the Salem House for three years and quit because he did not like the idea that the government has control over man and then expresses how he began writing about dark and gloomy works to portray his thoughts on society and…

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fear is an extremely powerful emotion. It has the potential to entirely consume minds and control bodies, as well as completely dictate an individual’s life. In the 17th century, a countless number of people belonging to various religions feared the supernatural. Specifically, the Puritans firmly believed in and feared God’s wrath, the presence of evil entities and the existence of the Devil. This terror was reflected in the laws and daily life of the Puritan community.…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the short story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne the symbols he is using are allegories to the moral of the story. The moral of the story can be explained many different ways but the moral is everything/ everyone that look good to the public eye isn’t always good behind closed doors or dark places. Young Goodman Brown discovers that from sunset to nightfall the outside world is different, you see things that shouldn’t be seen, and your Faith is tested it’s all up to yourself to not let evil take over your mind. Young Goodman Brown is man from Salem Village, the village of Puritans.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in Salem, Massachusetts which is a town full of rich, engaging history. Salem, Massachusetts is a town most infamously known for…

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story sets itself apart from the many others already read during this semester. Most of the short stories read in this class have had an ironic ending the reader wouldn’t expect. The use of foreshadowing and strange amount of predictability in this short story are what set it apart from others and is what grabbed my attention. Hawthorne uses symbolism that goes even deeper than what can be read in the story itself. Symbolism, foreshadowing, and character build up all tie into the plot, which altogether leads the reader to the overall theme of the story.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is possibly one of the greatest authors of all time. Hawthorne was born and worked in the nineteenth century. He had a large collection of literature that ranged from children’s stories, nonfiction sketches, a presidential campaign biography of Franklin, essays, and four major novels (Alexander 3). This large background of different types of literature helped him become the Hawthorne that people know today. Hawthorne believed that sin and evil are present in people, that original sin visited us and that when deeply thinking the mind is not free from any thought (Alexander 3).…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hart examines the relationship between Hawthorne’s famous work and his mindset and circumstances at the time. Hart explains that a significant period of Hawthorne’s life: “three years’ confinement” in Maine, and “twelve solitary years” in Salem, sparked a feeling of isolation within Hawthorne (381). Harts asserts that “because he wanted to ‘throw off’ this hatred of his Past, he had resolved to become a writer” (395). However, Hawthorne’s initial failure to reach this success led him to a “frustration at having chosen Art as a way of life” (382). Thus, during the start of his career, Hawthorne adopted an identity that valued “imagination and sensibility” (382).…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter is full of symbolism. Every item has a story in it. He didn’t just throw in a rose because they’re his favorite flower. He put thought and meaning into every word in the book. Hawthorne’s symbolism may be over discussed in various english classes, but it for good reason.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is no different. In all of his literary works, symbols can be found that show the reader deeper meanings in his text. One example of this is the scarlet letter that Hester Prynne is required to wear in The Scarlet Letter. This letter comes to express many meanings. One such meaning is adultery.…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism and allegory are two literary elements that are frequently used in many literary works. Symbolism, an element that uses images and indirect impression to represent ideas, emotions, and state of mind is compared to allegory, a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning in the form of a narrative or concrete material. These elements are commonly used in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” Hawthorne’s story provides an example of allegory in which he uses figures and characters in the story as symbols to better support his allegorical tones in which he uses complete symbolism.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne one of the most successful and intriguing American novelist. He defines himself in the American literature with a unique dark romantic tone in his short stories that sets him apart from other novelists. Nathaniel Hawthorne puritan decency has helped him set a dark romantic tone in his writings because it showed him how evil people can really be. Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. Hawthorne grow up in a family of Puritans that worship the omnipotent God.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays