Nathaniel Hawthorne

Date of Birth: July 4, 1804

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Date of Death: May 19, 1864

Biography

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer, born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. He is best known for his novels “The Scarlet Letter” and “The House of the Seven Gables.” Hawthorne’s works often explore themes of sin, guilt, and the dark side of human nature, influenced by his Puritan background and the history of New England. He attended Bowdoin College, where he became friends with future president Franklin Pierce and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After college, he worked in various government positions before achieving literary success. Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody in 1842, and they had three children. He died on May 19, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

5 Interesting Facts about Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. Nathaniel Hawthorne added the “w” to his last name to distance himself from his ancestors, including John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem witch trials.

2. Hawthorne’s first published work was a novel titled “Fanshawe,” which he later tried to suppress because he was dissatisfied with it.

3. He worked as a surveyor at the Salem Custom House, a job that influenced the writing of “The Scarlet Letter.”

4. Hawthorne was a member of the Transcendentalist community, and he lived at Brook Farm, a utopian experiment in communal living.

5. His friendship with President Franklin Pierce landed him a consulship in Liverpool, England, providing him financial stability for a period.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. “A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”

2. “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

3. “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

4. “Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”

5. “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

During his lifetime, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s highest net worth is estimated to have been modest, primarily derived from his writing and various government positions. Exact figures are not available, but he was not known to have amassed great wealth.

Children

Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia Peabody had three children: 1. Una Hawthorne (1844-1877) – The eldest daughter, who struggled with mental health issues. 2. Julian Hawthorne (1846-1934) – The second child and only son, who became a writer and journalist. 3. Rose Hawthorne (1851-1926) – The youngest child, who later became a Roman Catholic nun and founded an order to care for cancer patients.