A Truly Hawthorne Nation :: essays research papers

A TRULY HAWTHORNE NATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people have had an effect on this country. The reason for this lies in our country’s youth. The United States formed at a time when technological advancements allowed many more people to leave a legacy in its dawning. These advancements led to a creation of literary history. I find it hard to say one person had a larger effect on anything than anyone else, but some people do seem to stand out more than others. In helping to form, or even by just translating how others helped to form this country, authors were able to compile a great deal of literature. This literature has left us a way to learn about our history and many of the important people in it. One of these important people, whom also happened to be an author, was Nathaniel Hawthorne. He wrote about his own experiences, including his observations of other people’s experiences. His life led him to the right places at the right times. Today anybody can pick up his works and take from them the knowledge of what it was like to live during his times. Anyone who reads his work inherits just a little bit of his style into their own writing. There is so much of his own work, on top of so much work pertaining to him, in this world that it is hard for him not to have made an impact on it. He has served as a translator, taking in the influences of his time and especially the people of his time, to in turn influence the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel Hathorne was born July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts(Carey ed. 6). Here alone is where he gained much of his influence, both through his family’s history, as well as in his own time. Much of his persona can be understood by knowing some facts of his life. His father died, while at sea, of yellow fever in 1808(Carey ed. 6). Due to a leg injury in 1813 Nathaniel was unable to attend school and was thus home taught by Joseph Worcester for a short time(online:Dates 1800 to 1900- a timeline from Nathaniel Hawthorne: 4/1/99). In 1819 he attended Samuel Archer’s School, in preparation for college(Martin 11). In 1820 he was tutored by Benjamin Oliver(11). He began his studies at Bowdoin in 1821, where he was privileged enough to work along side Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Franklin Pierce, and other great minds(Carey ed.