Nathaniel Hawthorne was a disturbed soul.  He was so bothered by the fact that he was related to the judge who sentenced the "witches" in Salem to burn during the infamous Salem witchcraft trials that he changed the spelling of his name to distance himself from his family.  He hid in a house with seven gables for years as he struggled with depression and guilt.  During his darkest hours, he wrote numerous short stories and novels.

Hawthorne is the famous author of The Scarlet Letter, a book of Puritan sin and guilt-stricken remorse full of more figurative language than you could possibly imagine.  It has allusions and metaphors and similes -- it has them all!  My favorite works of Hawthorne, however, are his shorter works, including "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "Young Goodman Brown."  I enjoy the symbolism that resides within the short stories.  All of his works have symbols and messages that were particular for the time but can be somehow applied to us -- today.  The same goes with his short story "The Birthmark."  Since we will probably read "Young Goodman Brown" and/or "Rappaccini's Daughter" in class, let me tell you about "The Birthmark."  This is a fascinating story about a man who would or could not accept his wife for the way that she looked.  As a doctor, he was sure that he could correct "an imperfection" by removing a birthmark from her face.  Can you guess what happens when he performs the surgery?  Let's just say... it doesn't end happily ever after!  Nothing by Hawthorne does.  I've included some links below for your perusal, including a link to "The Birthmark."

   
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