A story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities Allegorical characters are often one-dimensional, since they are meant to represent only a particular aspect of human nature Allegories also contain a moral

Born in Salem, MA on July 4 th, 1804 His family had lost its wealth & fame by the time he was born One of his ancestors served as a judge in the Salem Witch Trials & played a role in the hangings of 19 people His father, a sea captain, died when Hawthorne was just 4 His grieving mother became a recluse Attended a college in Maine Classmates included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce He was more interested in playing cards & drinking than studies

After graduating, returned to Salem Locked himself in and tried to master the craft of writing for 12 years In 1837he published a collection of stories Twice-Told Tales – just enough success to keep writing In 1842, he married Sophia Peabody and settled in Concord, MA Knew Emerson & Thoreau but weren’t close friends In 1850, Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter The story of Hester Prynne, a girl who had an illegitimate child She refused to reveal the baby’s father Had to wear a scarlet A (adultery) on her chest

Published House of Seven Gables the following year Served as the post of US consul in Liverpool for 7 years Returned to America in 1860 Became despondent over health and money Died in 1864 while visiting Pierce Pallbearers included: Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson

Was aware of the guilt that accompanies the Puritan conscience He became remote and distant He wore black and a large cloak, often hiding his face Walked with his head down; would exit from the back of the house when people knocked at the front Didn’t handle aging and death well People were cautioned not to mention his birthdays or aging