Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, the only son and second child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Manning Hawthorne (the “w” in is last name was added when he became an adult). At the age of four, he lost his father, who was diagnosed with yellow fever and died in Suriname, Dutch Guiana. After his father death his mother, Elizabeth Manning Hawthorne took Nathaniel and his two sisters, Elisabeth and Louisa, to live with Elizabeths family in Salem, Massachusetts.
In 1818, when Nathaniel was fourteen he and his family moved to Raymond,
Maine, where the Manning family owned a home. A year later Nathaniel moved back to
Salem, where he attended Samuel Archers school. A couple years later, after being
privately tutored by Benjamin L. Oliver, he enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick,
Maine where he earned his bachelors degree. Hawthornes classmates included Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce, who would become the future president of,
The United States, Pierce was one of Hawthornes closest friends.
After graduating from college, Hawthorne moved back in with his mother and
continued writing. He strengthened his writing skills by writing short stories and poems.
In 1828, Hawthorne had published his first novel independently called: Fanshawe: A
Tale. Disappointed with the outcome of the book he evoked the book and nearly
destroyed every copy.
During the next few years, Hawthorne began writing in various literary journals including
The Token and The Salem Gazette. In 1836, Hawthorne was given the opportunity to edit
The American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. He moved to Boston to
work as an editor, along with sister on Peter Parleys Universal History on the Basis of
Geography. In March 1837, his collections of short stories and sketches, Twice-Told
Tales, was published.
Later that year in November, Hawthorne met Sophia Peabody, and they became
engaged in 1838. Hawthorne realized that he wouldnt be able to support him and Sophia
off his writings, and delayed their wedding for several years . He then applied for, and
received a government job working as an in inspector in the Boston Custom House. His
new job paid well, but Hawthorne was forced to work long hours, which made it difficult
to write. He still managed to publish a book of historical stories for children called
Grandfathers Chair, as well as Famous Old People and Liberty Tree.
After to years of anguish and not having enough time to write he left the Custom
House. He moved to Brook Farm, an experimental Utopian community based on
Transcendentalist and Socialist (transcendentalists believed that humanity could become
perfect on this earth) philosophy. He left the farm for the same reason he left the Custom
House: he found it too difficult to write.
On July 9, 1842, Nathaniel Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody after a four year
relationship. He and his new wife moved to the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts,
where his writing career flourished and became full time. In 1844 Nathaniel and Sophia
had their first child Una. A year later financial problems arose and forced Hawthorne and
his family to return to Salem and live with his mother and his two sisters. He began work
quickly as an editor once again on Horatio Bridges Journal of an African Cruiser. Later
that year Sophia gave birth to their second child Julian. During that same year Hawthorne
published Mosses from an Old Manse.
In July 1849, tragedy hit the Hawthorne family, Nathaniels mother had passed
away. Later that year he began writing