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Born: July 4, 1804 - Salem, Massachusetts
Died: May 19, 1864 - Plymouth, N.H.
Excerpt from The Scarlet Letter

ost of the spectators testified to having seen, on the breast of the unhappy minister, a SCARLET LETTER-the very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynne-imprinted in the flesh. As regarded its origin, there were various explanations, all of which must necessarily have been conjectural. Some affirmed that the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, on the very day when Hester Prynne first wore her ignominious badge, had begun a course of penance,-which he afterwards, in so many futile methods, followed out,-by inflicting a hideous torture on himself. Others contended that the stigma had not been produced until a long time subsequent, when old Roger Chillingworth, being a potent necromancer, had caused it to appear, through the agency of magic and poisonous drugs. Others, again,-and those best able to appreciate the minister's peculiar sensibility, and the wonderful operation of his spirit upon the body,-whispered their belief, that the awful symbol was the effect of the ever active tooth of remorse, gnawing from the inmost heart outwardly, and at last manifesting Heaven's dreadful judgment by the visible presence of the letter. The reader may choose among these theories. We have thrown all the light we could acquire upon the portent, and would gladly, now that it has done its office, erase its deep print out of our own brain, where long meditation has fixed it in very undesirable distinctness.

Link to the work

Teaching Topics in Social Studies
The community in which he lived and wrote (for part of his life), Salem, MA has a rich MARITIME HISTORY. Hawthorne's own family traced their roots back to the lives and times of the PURITANS and the SALEM WITCH TRIALS. His book, The Scarlet Letter could be considered a REVISIONIST HISTORY as it was a way for the author to come to terms with his own past.
Timeline
to the lives and times of the PURITANS and the SALEM WITCH TRIALS. His book, The Scarlet Letter could be considered a REVISIONIST HISTORY as it was a way for the author to come to terms with his own past. He was a close friend of PRESIDENT FRANKLIN PIERCE.
 

Teaching Topics in Language Arts
A successful ROMANTIC NOVELIST,
Scavenger Hunt
How did Hawthorne lose his job at the Custom House?
. . . answer . . .
Nathaniel Hawthorne also wrote short stories. He was very concerned with the perceptions of his STYLE and would often destroy original MANUSCRIPTS after their publication.

Facts About Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter
  • The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850; the original manuscript no longer exists
  • In its first week of publication, The Scarlet Letter sold 4,000 copies
  • The authors birth name was Nathaniel Hathorne, it is widely suspected that he added a w to avoid association with his puritan grandfather, Judge Hathorne, one of the Judges that oversaw the Salem Witch Trials
  • Nathaniel Hawthorne began writing The Scarlet Letter while employed as the Surveyor of the Salem Custom House
  • In the story, the scarlet letter is the letter "A" for adultery


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