During the nineteenth century, Nathaniel Hawthorne honored America with The Scarlet Letter. Of all his works, the lauded author's most enduring and famous novel is The Scarlet Letter. The narrative is set in the 1600s around the same time as the historic Salem witch trials. Over the years, this classic story has been reviewed by numerous essayists. Nathaniel Hawthorne's most popular novel reflects the injustice of the Salem witch trials and has received considerable analysis from prominent literary critics. Born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Manning Hathorne (Pennell 1). Finding the harshness of his strict Puritan ancestors disturbing, Hawthorne later decided to add the “w” to his name to separate him from his predecessors (Leo 11, 12). In 1808, Hawthorne's father dies of yellow fever while at sea (Pennell 1). Ultimately, Hawthorne enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1821 and graduated in 1825 (Leo 13, 14). In 1828, Hawthorne published his first novel Fanshawe, but the book received unfortunate reviews. Thinking he had failed miserably, Hawthorne attempted to destroy every copy he could find. Beginning in the 1830s, Hawthorne began publishing numerous short stories and sketches in magazines and periodicals (Pennell 3). In the future, during the spring of 1838, Hawthorne met Sophia Peabody. Similar to Hawthorne, Sophia suffered from her fair share of illnesses and possessed enthusiastic artistic abilities and interests. Towards the end of that year they were privately engaged (Leo 16). Hawthorne found work as a salt and coal measurer at the Boston Custom House in 1839. For the next few years, Hawthorne's day job petered out... mid-paper... after enjoying and learning several lessons from his essay and historical content. Overall, the novel is enjoyed by many writers and will continue to be a source of inspiration for all generations to come. Works Cited Blumberg, Jess. "A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials." Smithsonian.com. October 24, 2007.Web. April 7, 2014.James, Henry. "Flaws in the Scarlet Letter." Readings on The Scarlet Letter. Ed. Bruno Leone.San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998. 26-31. Stampa.Leone, Bruno, ed. Readings on The Scarlet Letter. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998. 26. Print.Pennell, Melissa McFarland. Nathaniel Hawthorne's student companion. Westport: Greenwood, 1999. Print. "Salem Witch Trials: 1692-1693." Global Events: Milestone events throughout history. Ed.Jennifer Stock. vol. 6: North America. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. World History in Context. Network. April 2. 2014.