Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered one of the best American fiction writers. His novels and short stories are deeply concerned with the ethical problems of sin, punishment, and redemption. Hawthorne's exploration of these themes was related to the sense of guilt he felt about the roles of his ancestors in the 17th-century persecution of Quakers. In his works, Puritanism is portrayed as an expression of "humanity’s potential for cruelty, obsession, and intolerance." .Many …showed first 75 words of 697 total…

…showed last 75 words of 697 total…the age of 60. Many of Hawthorne’s best pieces of literature were written in a time of turmoil in his life and are inspired by his own personal life lessons and conflicts within himself. Through his works, he provided insight about the secret motivations in human behavior and the guilt and anxiety that he believed resulted from sins against humanity, especially those of pride. His literary style has greatly influenced the development of American literature.