Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4,1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. He was the only son and second child to be born to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hawthorne. When Nathaniel was four years old his father died of yellow fever in Dutch Guiana. After Nathaniel's father died, his mother's family took in his family. As a child Hawthorne developed a love for story telling. When Nathaniel was nine years old, he got an injury to his foot that caused him to stay home for fourteen months. While nursing his injury at home, he got into the habit of constant reading. In his late teen years, he was a handsome, vigorous, and bright young man. Nathaniel was the first in his family to be sent to college.

While attending college, Hawthorne studied to be a writer were he met two other soon to be famous writers, Longfellow and Pierce. Hawthorne then graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825 in Brunswick, Maine.

After Nathaniel graduated, he went back to Salem and set his goals at becoming a professional writer. "Hawthorne was for many years the undistinguished man of America."1 Nathaniel's first project collection was "Seven Tales Of My Native Land". From 1825 to 1830, Nathaniel studied intensively, wanting to know more about New England history. In 1829, Nathaniel published, "The Token", an annual Christmas gift book, which contained fiction, short essays, and poetry. Hawthorne also published sketches and over seventy tales in various magazines. Hawthorne then met Sophia Peabody late in 1837, and in 1839, they got engaged. From 1839 to 1840, Nathaniel was the inspector in the Boston Custom House.

In 1841, Nathaniel invested in the Brook Farm Community from April to November. In 1842, Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody, and moved to the old manse in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1844, Nathaniel and Sophia's first child was born and they named her Una. They then moved back to Salem and their financial problems were more difficult than ever before. In 1846, Nathaniel and Sophia bore there second child who they named Julian.

In July of 1849, Hawthorne's mother, Elizabeth Hawthorne, died. It was during this time that Nathaniel began to write "The Scarlet Letter" . Shortly after, in 1851, Hawthorne wrote and published his final tale, "Feathertop". In this same year, Hawthorne's third child, Rose, was born. A few years later, he was able to obtain post as United States Consul in Liverpool, England.

From 1857 to 1859, Hawthorne lived in Rome and Florence, Italy. A year later he published his last novel "The Marble Faun". Four years later, Nathaniel left his home on a journey knowing that what lie waiting for him was death. On May 19, 1864, while in the company of Franklin Pierce in Plymouth, New Hampshire, Nathaniel Hawthorne breathed his last breath and died.

One night, a large group of people gathered in the Crystal Hillside to search for the Great Carbuncle. They came from all over, every man for himself. The Great Carbuncle was a big and beautiful gem wanted selfishly by all who knew of it. One man, who was known as "The Seeker", had such a lust for this gem that he had condemned himself to live on the mountain. Each man had a different reason for wanting