If there was to be one premier writer, particularly in the nineteenth century, I would most assuredly award Nathaniel Hawthorne with high honors. Hawthorne's writing techniques seem to create many appealing plots that are woven in his works, which symbolize his view of the world during his lifetime. Perhaps during our lifetime, his works might have a slightly different perspective among of the daily rituals that enable his fictional characters to come alive. There are many fascinating tales that he has written which need to be given some thought in order to gather all the information concisely. Basically, most of Hawthorne's writings have a subtle motive that encourages the reader to appreciate the way he creates a dramatic plot, his ability to describe an overall theme, and finally his sense of morality that most of his short stories illustrate.
Most good writers have a well-balanced plot to motivate the reader on, but Nathaniel Hawthorne excels at providing his reader with many essential facts. The way Hawthorne leads his reader into a story's plot is masterful to observe. For instance, his first publication, "Fanshaw", which is about a true romance, illustrates the facts of love (Hawthorne i- vii). At the time he wrote "Fanshaw", he was a very young man deeply involved in the moral viewpoints of others.
Some other topics of which Hawthorne wrote primarily concerned the Puritan background. Being raised by both of his parents, who were Puritans, he become interested in the Puritanical form of life. One of the his best novels even written is perhaps, The Scarlet Letter, which displays a mother's love for her child by not having a mark removed from her bosom. By the end of the story the mother finds no letter "A" on her breast; which gratefully enables a happy, but gloomy ending for her child, Pearl, and herself. (Hawthorne 1-127) Another story with almost an identical plot is "The Birthmark." Basically this story is about a husband, Aylmar, not appreciating his wife, Georgina, because she has an ugly mark on her cheek. In other words, Aylmar would much rather that the birthmark disappear, but Georgina wanted him to be reasonable about the situation. Being well-educated, Aylmar plans to find a cure or solution to remove the dreaded mark; however, Georgina thinks she looks good enough not to worry about such a childish thought. By the end, Aylmar realizes that he should just let her decide if she is not pretty because of her birthmark, herself (Hawthorne 227-238). So it appears that Hawthorne's approach to writing about Puritan beliefs greatly reflects some of the themes of his stories, but not all of them.
Hawthorne's use of theme to enhance his writings literally carries his reader into a world of enchantment. His overall theme for most of his stories that I have read captures many fine details of his character development. For example, in his story "Young Goodman Brown," he describes how Faith/faith overpowers the man's soul and destroys the only Faith/faith he has allowed himself. In general, Goodman Brown felt as though his wife truly appreciated him, but shamefully he did not feel the same emotions, until it was too late (Hawthorne 247-256). In a way, Hawthorne's motives make this short story come alive with very little confusion because his characters are the most important figures in his works. One story which illustrates this is "The Gentle Boy." This story takes place around 1650 when the New World was just being discovered. The timeframe of this very short but detailed tale is important to the plot. As the story begins, the young boy, Ilbrahim, is lurking over his father's grave wishing he could forget his misery. Ilbrahim and Tobias Pearson exchange words and come to peaceful terms; then, Ilbrahim goes home with Tobias. Dorothy Pearson, Tobias's wife, simply mothered the young lad with lots of affection and charity. At the home of the Pearsons, Ilbrahim felt very welcomed by their company, but still something felt weird. Ilbrahim did not seem completely satisfied with the Pearsons because he wanted his own father by his side instead (Hawthorne 47-67). The way that Nathaniel Hawthorne makes the reader envision the ending of this story is quite remarkable, but also heart-breaking. His compassionate method of unity creates the sense of moral support thoughout his works.
Finally, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses morality compensation in his writing to distinguish certain topics more clearly. His complete awareness of moral value enables the reader to focus on all the facts from his literary works. For instance, he gives an insight of what should be instead of what is almost. From "The Lily's Quest," Hawthorne illustrates the love between Adam Forrestor and Lilias "Lily" Fay. Both Adam and Lily set out on a romantic mission to find their so called "Temple of Happiness," which is simply a place of refuge for the two lovers ("The Lily's Quest"). Unfortunately, a man named Walter Gaserigne tells them of many other places to pursue happiness; still, none of these sites were suitable for either Adam or Lily. At the end of the story, both Adam and Lily realized Gaserigne was not being very nice to them after all, so they ignored his comments. At the end, Lily's death takes place where Adam and Lily can finally call their own, which makes Adam very pleased and satisfied (Hawthorne 148-168). Hawthorne's style in this story enables the reader to determine his perspective about certain topics.
Yet another classical story by Nathaniel Hawthorne is "The Snow Image: A Childish Miracle." This story definitely deserves to be recognized as being outstanding because of the miracle of the children's imaginations coming alive. First of all, the two children in the story are like two pieces to a puzzle that make it fit correctly. Both Violent and Peony make a marvelous snow-image with all the snowflakes that just have fallen. This image comes alive by the end of the story. Their mother is inside the house simply watching and imagining what they are thinking about as she sews one of Peony's shirts. So when the children tell their mother that the snow-image has talked to them, she gives a sigh that acknowledges their intelligence; however, the father's reaction to their quite absurd thoughts is completely different. Acting arrogantly , the father invites the snow-image into the house to stay warm. Now, did the father know exactly what he is doing to prove a lesson to his children? Maybe he does not know because in no time at all, there is a wet puddle from old snow on the kitchen floor. The children are very angry with their father for killing their new friend. Also the mother was quite upset with her husband (Hawthorne 68-83). In other words, the father has no clue that a snow-image could be so important in anyone's life, but it was to his family. Hawthorne explains many fascinating wonders with such grace and charm that it makes the reader decipher his message more clearly.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Hawthorne has a lot of historical value in his literary masterpieces. From "Fanshaw" to The Scarlet Letter, all of his stories seem to have a close relationship with nineteenth century morality. The discovery of the New World in most of his works makes him an excellent storyteller, too. Many scholars, authors of his time, and even some people today, have been influenced by his works and show it in their own writings. Hawthorne is a perfect example of a writer, who allows the reader to understand his message with great ease. Finally, Nathaniel Hawthorne will always be remembered for his literary works because he has illustrated many fine points with his support of his moral beliefs, lifestyles, and personal dignity.
Work Cited
Hawthrone, Nathaniel. "The Ghost of Doctor Harris." The Complete Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthrone: Seventy-two tales of fantasy and imagination. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York: 1959. 564-568
Hawthrone, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. The Works of Nathaniel Hawthrone. One Volume Ed., Rosyln, New York. 1-127
Hawthrone, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Complete Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthrone: Seventy-two tales of fantasy and imagination. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York: 1959. 247-256
Hawthrone, Nathaniel. "The Gentle Boy." The Complete Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthrone: Seventy-two tales of fantasy and imagination. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York: 1959. 47-67
Hawthrone, Nathaniel. "The Birthmark." The Complete Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthrone: Seventy-two tales of fantasy and imagination. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York: 1959. 227-238
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Lily's Quest." The Complete Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthrone: Seventy-two tales of fantasy and imagination. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York: 1959.
