Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life in His Works

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Erin Smith
Mrs. Hemmings
American Literature
January 11, 2011

Hawthorne’s Background Thrust into His Work

With most writers, readers can identify what topics they tend to write about, how long their pieces often are, and what personal style these authors develop. While this is true of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are different elements that influence his writings. His life included many times of trials, many joys, and many ancestors that caused some turmoil within his mind. Two of his major works are influenced almost directly by his background (Werlock). Nathaniel Hawthorne threw his life into every single piece of his writing. His experiences, background, and the setting in which his life took place are prominent …show more content…

The family moved numerous times over the years and couldn’t get away from ill-fortune. Over the years, Hawthorne grew close with President Franklin Pierce and was even given the opportunity to write Pierce’s pre-election biography (Werlock). After this, the president aided the family by giving Nathaniel the job of US Consol in Liverpool, England. So once again, Hawthorne and family relocated – this time across an ocean. It was there that he wrote his last novel, The Marble Faun. After Pierce’s presidency ending four years later, Hawthorne no longer had a job. However, his recent novel was doing rather well so he took his family on a grand tour of Europe. It was on this tour that while in Italy, his daughter fell ill, causing the family to reside in Rome for the next several years. After his eight years abroad, Nathaniel moved his family back to the United States where they returned to the Wayside in 1860 and once again, the family was out of money. A short time after returning to America, Nathaniel Hawthorne died while on a trip with President Pierce. Four days after his death, he was buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on May 23rd, 1864. He is buried in what is called Author’s Row along with famous authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau were also laid to rest. Even with his death in 1984, his career didn’t end for quite a while. Although nothing new was written, Doctor Grimshawe’s

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