Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of America s most noted and highly praised writers and a key figure
in US literature. Although he struggled to become an acknowledged author for most parts of his
life his work stands in the limelight of the American literary consciousness (Graham 5). For
he is a direct descendant of Massachusetts Bay colonists in the Puritan era of the 17th and
18th century New England served as a lifelong preoccupation for Hawthorne and inspired many
of his best-known stories. Hence in order to understand the author and his work it is crucial
to apprehend the historical background from which his stories arose. The awareness of the
Puritan legacy in Hawthorne s time and their Calvinist beliefs which contributed to the
establishment of American identity serve as a basis for fathoming the intention behind
Hawthorne s writings. His forefathers concept of wilderness became an important part of their
religious life and in many of Hawthorne s tales nature can be perceived as an active agent
for the plot and the moral message. Therefore it is indispensable to consider the development
behind the Puritan perception as well as the prevailing opinion on nature during the writer s
lifetime. After the historical background has been depicted the author himself is focused. His
ambiguous character and non-persistent lifestyle are the source of many themes which can be
retrieved from his works. Thus understanding the man behind the stories is necessary in order
to analyze the tales themselves. Seclusion nature and Puritanism are constantly recurring
topics in the author s life and work. To become familiar with Hawthorne s relation to nature
his ancestors and religion it is essential to understand the vast amount of symbols his
stories. His stories will be brought into focus and will be analyzed on the basis of the
historical and biographical facts and further his particular style and purpose will be taken
into consideration.The second part of this book analyzes two of the author s most eminent and
esteemed works namely Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter in terms of nature symbolism
and the underlying moral intention. Further it is examined to which extent the images
correspond to the formerly explained historical facts and Hawthorne s emphasized
characteristic features. The comparison of the two works focuses on the didactic purpose for in
all of his works Hawthorne s aim was to give a lesson. Thus it will provide an in-depth
understanding of the author s intentions and his utilization of Puritanism and nature
perception.
