Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne, created many short stories which
involved strange, or even stranger, supernatural events and behavior. Many of
Hawthorne’s stories were written on the basis of his life occurrences and what
he believed and also what he wanted his readers to believe. Also, almost every
single one of Hawthorne’s characters in each of his short stories are faced
with a choice in which they most choose between either doing something in which
that is right, or doing something of which that is wrong, and there are
consequences that follow either decision. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his romantic
short story “The Hollow of the Three Hills” illustrates his view through the
main character, that life is short, and you need to do the right things while
you have the time.Hawthorne’s life, what he did, and what happened to him,
greatly influenced his writings, in fact, that is the only basis in which he
wrote upon. When he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, he was determined to
become a writer of fiction. Composition was the only subject in school he had
shown interest in and actually excelled in. His wife, Sophia Peabody was the
most important person who was in his life. He had the happiest years spending
most of his life with her in Concord, New Hampshire. For Hawthorne, Sophia was
his salvation, his only link to human companionship. As in the story “The
Hollow of the Three Hills”, life and death are circumstances in which
Hawthorne particularly likes to write about. Many other occurrences also
influenced his writings, such as historical and legendary pasts, and his own
life at Brook Farm, where he once lived. He would also often write about people
who go through real life situations, but he likes to put a twist on them.
Another thing that inspired him to write was what he could not see, rather than
what he could see. He thought that writing on things that he could see, everyone
one else could see as well, but if he wrote on things that he could not see,
most likely no one else could see those things either, which would, in turn,
make his stories more interesting to read about. Hawthorne was born in Salem,
Massachusetts in 1804. During this time was the age of Puritanism, which was
also an idea that he often wrote upon. Biographers view Hawthorne’s
preoccupation with Puritanism as an outgrowth of his background. He also wrote
about supernatural events. As in the story “The Hollow of the Three Hills”,
supernatural events occurred. An example of this would be when an anonymous
young character seeked advice from a much older anonymous character. The older
character gave her the advice she needed through “fortune telling” and
spells. After the younger character got the advice she seeked, shedied instantly
in the lap of the older character. Hawthorne frequently uses characters which
have mesmeric powers. Mr. Hawthorne’s distinctive trait is invention,
creation, imagination, and originality. These traits are the prime example of
Romanticism. He also wrote about the positives and the negatives of romance, and
the affects in has on common people.Hawthorne, not only through his short story
“The Hollow of the Three Hills”, but in other short stories that he has
written, explains or rather tries to tell his readers that life is short, and
you need to do the right things while you have the time. Because if you do not
do the right things while you have time, you will most likely regret the choices
that you have made, or did not make. Some of Hawthorne’s life experiences
influenced his writing. Hawthorne liked solitude, he often roamed forests and
lakes by himself. Troubled about money and saddened by the death of his mother,
inspired him to write “The Scarlet Letter”. “The Marble Faun” was
written by the influence of Rome’s historical and legendary past, it’s
artistic treasures, and the blended grandeur and squalor of life. Recurring
thematic patterns occur in Hawthorne’s work, this shows Hawthorne’s emphasis
on the events on the human heart rather than on the events themselves.