My+Low+and+Humble+Home+by+Nathaniel+Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote many different works, and they were all equally important to the history of writing. He added a lot to writing styles at the time, and he continues to be used today. He thought a lot about darker human traits and he was not afraid to show it. It also showed through in his writing, and it is still clearly portrayed today. Nathaniel Hawthorne gave the Romanticism period a lot to think about by writing very creatively.

"My Low and Humble Home" is a poem written by Nathaniel Hawthorne about a young man that wants nothing more than to be a war hero (Hawthorne, "My"). This young man was very childish and did not know what he was getting himself into when he signed up for the army, he was just very excited about it (Hawthorne, "My"). He was eager and really yearned to become the very best (Hawthorne, "My"). The poem describes pictures of beautiful, grassy fields turning into bloody, torn up battlefields (Hawthorne, "My"). The narrator describes how the sounds and actions of war thrilled him, made his heart beat faster, and his senses ten times sharper (Hawthorne, "My"). War was addicting to him, and he loved doing it (Hawthonre, "My"). He quickly moved up the ranks of the army, though, and he began to think about his home and his life before he signed up for the army (Hawthorne, "My"). He realized that he really missed his childhood home, and he would have loved to go back (Hawthorne, "My"). He learned too late that all the glory that he had attained from his life in the military did absolutely nothing for him, and that it would never make him happy (Hawthorne, "My").

"My Low and Humble Home" is not an incredibly long poem, but it has a deep meaning and shows very well the style of Hawthorne's writing. The poem talks about the glory that the narrator thought he could get in the military and how he went with his intuition in joining. He did not necessarily think it all through, he thought to what it could bring him. He also was very youthful when he signed up, and the actions of war excited him, which happen much more in younger people than in older people. He was a hero to many people since he made it so far up in the military. His heroism was based on his youthful actions. He also figured out in the end that he really wanted to be in his childhood home, which falls in line with people looking behind them to find wisdom instead of looking forward to progress.

Nathaniel Hawthorne endured many hardships over the course of his life, possibly the greatest of which was his father dying while Hawthorne was still very young (Liukkonen). Hawthorne was most likely devastated by this loss, and that could have had a big part in his writing of "My Low and Humble Home". He also could have thought about his mother, and he could have missed her a great deal, causing his inspiration for the poem. Hawthorne also struggled in getting his poems written and published (Liukkonen). He may have dealt with a lot of failure, and may have wanted to write something that at least portrayed the main hero to be successful. He could have shaped the main character to have some of his traits, or he may have based them off of stories told to him by family members or friends. Hawthorne did a very good job in writing "My Low and Humble Home", even while he had to suffer so many blows to his confidence.

"My Low and Humble Home" is unlike a majority of Hawthorne's works in its theme. This poem has a theme of rememberance and longing, while most of his works have to do with the guilt and sins that humans go through. It seems somewhat like //The Scarlet Letter// in its message, though (Merriman). They both have to do with believing in something so much, that nothing else matters (Merriman). "My Low and Humble Home" compares in a variety of ways with "Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe" (Hawthorne, "Mr."). Both stories involve main characters that want all or the glory and attention. They both have morals that come at the end of the story. Both of the works involve main characters that follow their hearts and do not always listen to reason or logic. Hawthorne varied in the way that he wrote the works, becuase he made his poem very sad and desperate, while the story was more of a comedy and tried to get a point across. Hawthorne connects all of his works in some way, while making them all individual.

Hawthorne was a very creative author that added a lot to the Romanticism period. He brought unique views and standpoints, while still making his works interesting enough that they were sold. He added morals in stories, and he tried to make the world a better place by getting rid of hypocrisy. Hawthorne was not always popular, but he always persevered and continued on until he got what he wanted. He was a great man and author, and many people still look up to him today.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe." //Free Classic Books Online at Classic Reader//. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. <[]>.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "My Low and Humble Home." //Poetry Archive | Poems//. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <[]>.

Liukkonen, Petri. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." //Www.kirjasto.sci.fi//. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <[]>.

Merriman, C. D. "Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography and Works." //The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries//. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <[]>.