Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the more well-known American authors and is studied in classrooms all over the world. While his most popular work is arguably "The Scarlet Letter," his short stories are also critically acclaimed (Barna, 1998). One theme appears to run through all of his stories: that of "secret sin". Hawthorne believed that there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with secret sin. He believed that the fall made you (the sinner) better, and allowed you to redeem yourself. Those who judge you are hypocrites, and are worse than you for hiding their sin (Donoghue, 2003).

In "The Scarlet Letter" ...