Biographical Background Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts on July 4, 1904 to sea captain Nathan and Elizabeth Clark Hathorne. His ancestor was William Hathorne who first emigrated from England to America in 1630 who became known for his harsh sentencing. One of William’s son was one of the judges in the Salem Witch Trials. The reason Hawthorne’s ancestors last name Hathorne is because he added the “W” to differentiate himself from the dark side of the family. His ambition for reading and determination to become a writer arose at an early age. He received a leg injury leaving him immobile and open to nothing but knowledge. After recovering from his injury he went to live in Raymond, Maine with his widowed mother and siblings. Upon his arrival he felt free he explored the forest and it would become in the future the “most rewarding period in his life.” He met Sophia Peabody in 1938 they got secretly engaged and On July 9, 1842 he married her and had 3 kids. …show more content…
He graduated ranked 18th in his class of 38 with the prerequisites Latin Literature and English Composition for writing. After college he returned home and kept himself isolated for twelve years (1825-1837) reading, studying, and improving his skills. In 1837 he wrote “Twice Told Tales” which was the origin of two of “The Scarlet Letters” characters. He used chunks from previous books and his own pain and incorporated them in The Scarlet Letter (March 16, 1850) making it one his most famous works. Hawthorne died May 19, 1864 while on a trip to New Hampshire with friend Franklin Pierce (Bender