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he thought The Scarlet Letter was too short to print by itself

Hawthorne chose to include the Custom House to add "validity" to his work. It was to express where the underlying tone of the book was coming from (being that of isolation).

"Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in a small house three blocks from the Custom House. By the 1840s, he was a well known author, but he found it difficult to support his family on his writing. Fortunately, his best friend was Franklin Pierce, who later became President of the United States. Pierce and other friends in the Democratic Party got the job of Surveyor for Hawthorne (who had worked for the Customs Service in Boston a few years earlier) in 1846. With the change in administration from the Democratic to the Whig Party in 1848, however, Hawthorne lost his job after a painful and prolonged fight to continue as Surveyor.

He turned the pain, anger, and betrayal he felt into his first great novel, 'The Scarlet Letter.' In the introduction to the novel, he describes the Salem Custom House and pretends to find the story among the papers of a previous surveyor."

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Darius Kuhic

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What does Hawthorne say he found in the custom house in The Scarlet Letter?

Hawthorne says that he found the script of Hester's life in the Custom House attic.


Did Nathaniel Hawthorne was fired from the Salem custom house?

Yes, Nathaniel Hawthorne was fired from his job at the Salem Custom House in 1849 after the political party in power changed. This event inspired him to write "The Scarlet Letter."


What reason does Hawthorne give for losing his job in the custom house?

Hawthorne cites political changes as the reason for losing his job in the custom house. He was a Democrat and when the Whigs came into power, they replaced him with one of their own appointees.


Is it true that Herman Melville was a customs house inspector or was it actually Nathaniel Hawthorne?

Herman Melville worked briefly as a customs inspector, but it was Nathaniel Hawthorne who held the position for many years at the Salem Custom House. Hawthorne's experiences at the Custom House influenced his writing, particularly in his novel "The Scarlet Letter."


Why did hawthorne leave the custom house?

Nathaniel Hawthorne left the custom house due to a change in political administration that led to his dismissal from the position. Additionally, he was seeking more time to focus on his writing career and felt disillusioned by the bureaucratic nature of the job.


Why does hawthorne want to tell the story of the custom house?

Hawthorne included the custom house as a prelude to set the tone for his novel "The Scarlet Letter" and to establish the moral and philosophical framework. It also provided context for his own life experiences and views, and allowed him to critique the society of his time. Finally, the custom house chapters serve as a literary device to transition into the narrative of Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale.


How does Hawthorne's family history contribute toward the custom house and his place in society?

Hawthorne's family history, which includes ties to the Puritan community and his ancestor's involvement in the Salem Witch Trials, influenced his writings and themes of guilt, sin, and hypocrisy. This background gave him a unique perspective on society and moral issues, which he explored in his works, including his time at the custom house.Collected in his custom house job, which he despised, Hawthorne's family history and social standing impacted his sense of alienation and disconnection from his society, themes that are reflected in his writing.


Why did Hawthorne write the custom house introduction?

he thought The Scarlet Letter was too short to print by itselfHawthorne chose to include the Custom House to add "validity" to his work. It was to express where the underlying tone of the book was coming from (being that of isolation)."Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in a small house three blocks from the Custom House. By the 1840s, he was a well known author, but he found it difficult to support his family on his writing. Fortunately, his best friend was Franklin Pierce, who later became President of the United States. Pierce and other friends in the Democratic Party got the job of Surveyor for Hawthorne (who had worked for the Customs Service in Boston a few years earlier) in 1846. With the change in administration from the Democratic to the Whig Party in 1848, however, Hawthorne lost his job after a painful and prolonged fight to continue as Surveyor.He turned the pain, anger, and betrayal he felt into his first great novel, 'The Scarlet Letter.' In the introduction to the novel, he describes the Salem Custom House and pretends to find the story among the papers of a previous surveyor."


Did Nathaniel Hawthorne write a slave narrative?

No, Nathaniel Hawthorne did not write a slave narrative. He was an American novelist and short story writer known for his works such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables," which focused on themes of morality, sin, and guilt.


Why did Hawthorne write Hawthorne and his mosses?

Hawthorne did not write "Hawthorne and his Mosses" Herman Melville wrote it as a critical analysis of Hawthorne's book Mosses in the Old Manse


Who wrote The House of Seven Goblins?

Do you mean the House of Seven Gables, that was Nathanial Hawthorne


Where did Nathaniel Hawthorne get his inspiration to write The House of the Seven Gables?

The title he got from the fact the his cousin Susanna Ingersol once lived in a Gabled house. Many of the Gables were torn down by Susanna's father in the late 1700's but Susanna explained to Hawthorne that it once had 7.