earticle

영어

In regard to Nathaniel Hawthorne at the Boston Custom House from 1839 to 1841, most biographical researches have mainly and limitedly dealt with familiar information about his secret engagement or metaphorical “marriage” to Sophia Peabody, news about his family, and the efforts that Elizabeth Peabody exerted to get him his job as Measurer of salt and coal so far. It is generally known that Hawthorne spent intolerable times of longing for Sophia, loneliness, dejection and solitude because of the separation from his love and the recognition of his failure as a writer. However, new details of that period by “Duncan” that this research argues will be helpful for modern readers to understand Hawthorne’s private social life at the Boston Custom House richly. Hawthorne had social relationships with his friends who did not perceive his secret engagement with Sophia, and enjoyed drinking with them at night at Madam Dunlap’s house, where there were “boxes” for private conversations. Contrary to Sophia’s imagination that Hawthorne spends hard times caused by the separation between them, the writer enjoyed his hard times which the word “hard” refers to “liquor” as well as “times.” In addition, “Duncan” enumerates the names of friends Hawthorne socialized with, and describes details of Hawthorne’s daily and nightly life at the Boston Custom House. He, furthermore, reports a new fact about William B. Pike’s progression on Hawthorne’s biography which conflicts with that of the editors of the Centenary Edition. From now on, it is needed for Hawthorne scholars to reconsider Hawthorne’s life at the Boston Custom House.