Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 - May 18, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his two classic masterpieces The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. His writings, which explore issues of morality and responsibility, are grounded in a deep antiquarian interest in the history, not only of his native town of Salem, Massachusetts, with its Puritan heritage, but also in the history of his own family. The use of allegory and symbolism are also distinguishing marks of his work, with The Scarlet Letter being the first American symbolic novel.