Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Impact of Calvinistic Puritanism

Nathaniel Hawthorne was brought up in Salem, Massachusetts; this legacy and his Puritan ancestry are evident in his literary works. Many of his writings are expressions of Puritan ideals and the correlation of those ideals with human nature. Considered serious and solitary by nature, Hawthorne used these character traits to clearly portray his feelings toward Calvinistic Puritanism. Hawthorne found himself haunted as well as intrigued by the history of his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. Surrounded by the town's past, he struggled to rectify in his mind the in congruence of Puritan practice. Further adding to the complexity of his situation was the reality of his Puritan ancestry. Not only was he the descendent of Puritan immigrants, but had a great-great grandfather who served as a judge for the Salem witch trials.