Nathaniel Hawthorne's hatred of Puritanism was so great that he described it in many of his writings such as The Scarlet Letter and The Minster Black Veil. He generally called them evildoers and creators of sin, not saints and zealous for Christ as they described themselves. Hawthorne also used the effects of the mysterious human mind and spontaneous action to portray the Puritan as satanic worship and disobedience to God. As a result, his writings reflected much of his Puritan ancestry affections. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1804. His father named Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sr., died in the shipwreck, and his mother, Elizabeth Manning Hawthorne, who remained a widow. In 1825, Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin College and began his career as a writer. He published a few volumes of short stories and children's literature in the Brook Farn community over the next 10 years. On July 9, 1842, he married Sophia Peabody and moved to Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, where they lived for about four years (Werlock). Hawthorne wrote his famous collection of short stories, Twice-Told Tale in 1837. The Minister's Black Veil opened the collection and introduced his readers to Reverend Hooper, who had a black veil over his face. Whenever he attended church or funerals, he could preach the word of God informatively but not forcefully to the audience. The reverend's fiancée wanted to remove her veil at the wedding, but he refused, which created an awkward situation at the wedding. Several years later, he became mentally ill and required Elizabeth's care. He continued to wear the veil until his death with a dark and mysterious affection (Wright). Many critics considered Reverend Hooper a sinful and demonic preacher...... middle of paper ......fweb.com>Heims, Daniel. “An Introduction to Selected Elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Fiction.” Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Blomom Literary Reference Online. Fact On File, Inc. January 21, 2011. Mellow, James R. “Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times.” Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. January 27, 2011. Werlock, Abby HP, ed. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” New York: Fact On File, Inc, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Fact On File, Inc. February 21, 2011. Wright, Sarah Bird. “The Minister’s Black Veil”. “Critical Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work.” New York: Fact On File, Inc, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Fact On File, Inc. February 28, 2011.