Nathaniel Hawthornes Salem Heritage - Research Paper Example

The Creative Path: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Salem Heritage Nathaniel Hawthorne’s literary legacy is directly related to his family’s heritage and the unique influences of the town of Salem, Massachusetts. This paper will explore that aspect of Hawthorne’s life and examine how this important part of his personal background influenced the writings that would make him one of America‘s most influential authors. While a writer’s background and the many ways in which his history can influence his works can prove to be a complicated meshing of factors, it is clear that Hawthorne’s past--and that of his family and the town of Salem--helped form the basis for many of his stories. The focus will be threefold: the unique role of the town of Salem; the self-imposed weight of Hawthorne’s ancestry; and the characteristics--and dangers--of strict Puritan beliefs. In order to better understand Hawthorne’s influences, we must examine the historical happenings in his birthplace, especially those years prior to his birth. Salem, Massachusetts has a rich history illustrating early American culture, representing both the good and bad aspects unique to this time. Hawthorne’s great-great-grandfather William was an early leader in Salem, known for his theocratic Puritan beliefs and a strong conviction to rid the community of anyone who did not share those strict tenets. In 1692 Salem, William’s son John was a judge who presided over the Salem Witch trials. He, too, was well known for issuing harsh judgments for a wide variety of wrongs--real or imagined. Often times, innocent people were maimed or put to death (Meltzer 10). It is this legacy that Nathaniel could not escape, even when removed by generations. As biographer Milton Meltzer believed: There is no evidence of William or John Hawthorne ever suffering pangs of conscience. But Nathaniel bore their guilt, and his tormented heart would influence what he chose to write about, and how he did it. (14) Nathaniel Hawthorne’s personal history began on July 4, 1804 in Salem. Subsequent generations had taken on more ordinary, less noteworthy roles in the community; Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain (online-literature). He inherited from his father a reserved nature, together with a moodiness that made him more suited for solitude. When Hawthorne was four, his father contracted yellow fever while traveling in Dutch Guiana; his death would always haunt Hawthorne as he struggled with losing a father he barely knew (Meltzer 16). It is the legacy of family--and this great familial loss--that would help shape Hawthorne as a writer and give him insight into aspects of the human condition. This legacy is so closely tied, however, to the town of Salem that one cannot be separated from the other. Hawthorne grew to have mixed feelings about his hometown. Perhaps haunted by Salem’s heritage and weary of the small town characteristics of its people, Hawthorne nonetheless felt a connection to his birthplace. There were times, however, when he saw himself as a complete outsider--though often by choice. Hawthorne himself proclaimed: “Nothing makes me wonder more than that I found it possible to write all my tales in this same region of sleep-head and stupidity” (Moore 2). The citizens of Salem had their own misgivings, as one resident described Hawthorne as “a strange and picturesque figure with gloomy brow and repellent manners.” He was known to walk the streets without raising his eyes from the ground and was a bit of a mystery to many of his fellow Salemites (3). As with most writers, he spent a great deal of time living in his head and observed people--particularly those in the lower-income neighborhoods--with intense curiosity (Meltzer 19). As a youngster, Hawthorne loved to read and enjoyed exploring the Salem bookstores and libraries, making it an influential component of his education. Soon, this love for words transferred into a desire to write and express his own ideas. His earliest stories addressed Salem history and explored such subjects as civilization overtaking and destroying the countryside and the plight of the local Indians (Moore 17). Hawthorne was simultaneously working through both the awful legacy of his forefathers and the influences of small town Salem, while gaining his own voice and the strength to express his unique interpretations. A love for the art of storytelling was also an aspect of Hawthorne’s early life that helped to spur his need to write. As a supplement to the books he was reading, Hawthorne enjoyed the tradition of sharing and hearing the traditional tales handed down from one generation to the next. His son, Julian, would remember how his father talked of sitting by the hearth as a young boy, listening to old stories and legends that encouraged his interest in storytelling (19). Hawthorne, in turn, used the art of storytelling as a dramatic tool in his own writings. Clearly, the influences of Salem were helping to shape Hawthorne, not only making him into the man he would become, but also encouraging him as a writer and creator of his own tales. An examination of Hawthorne’s years in Salem and how they affected his writings would be incomplete without a look into the past transgressions of the Puritans. This topic can be seen throughout his works, primarily as a tool to expand on the complexities of human nature as well as shed light on the darker side of strict ideals. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne makes clear his disdain for the Puritan leaders who condemn Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In fact, Hester is the heroine of the story, as the reader grows to admire and respect the life she has lead. The Puritan leaders are shown as true villains unbending in their hatred for any human frailty. Both Puritan leaders and followers are described as “being the most intolerant brood that ever lived” (Hawthorne 90). Again, the Hawthorne family legacy is brought out as a way to resolve the writer’s own misplaced guilt and perhaps to showcase his desire to right the incredible wrongs of the past. His biographer Henry James described Hawthorne’s work as “combined in a singular degree the spontaneity of the imagination with a haunting care for moral problems” (Bloom 2). The themes of sin, repentance and the repercussions of Puritan morality brought Hawthorne much acclaim and success as a writer. While he later moved onto other topics such as individual responsibility, the need for creative expression and the nature of man’s relationship with his environment (online-literature), his original themes of good versus evil and well-regarded morality tales would continue to be the basis for his increased popularity. His Salem heritage and the Puritan dogma of his ancestors would forever remain a part of his own legacy, allowing him to educate others and share the lessons of the past. As years passed, despite his connections there, he became more removed from the environment of Salem. While he spent his college years in Maine, he would also eventually move to Boston where he would marry and raise three children. As a U.S. Consul he would travel the world and write about his many adventures overseas. He died May 19, 1864 a well-respected author and would remain an important part of American literary history (online-literature). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s literary legacy can easily be traced back to his family’s heritage and his sometimes reluctant connection to the town of Salem, Massachusetts and its Puritan past. The aspects of Hawthorne’s personal background and later life show the influence of these factors in his writings that would make him one of America‘s most well-known and respected authors. It can be difficult sometimes to understand a writer’s true intentions and motivations. For Nathaniel Hawthorne, the presence and power of his birthplace and background is always clear. Works Cited Bloom, Harold, ed. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Chelsea House, 2007. Print. Hawthorn, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Franklin Center, PA: The Franklin Library, 1978. Print. Online-literature.com. Web. 4 December 2010. Meltzer, Milton. Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Biography. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2007. Print. Moore, Margaret B. The Salem World of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1998. Print. Read More