Compare and Contrast: Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Compare and Contrast: Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne were two phenomenal authors of the Dark Romanticism period. These American authors were two of the first writers to delve into the human mind and create psychological literature. Dark Romanticism examines the conflict between good and evil, the psychological effects of guilt and sin, and the human minds madness and derangement. Poe and Hawthorne both successfully captured the dark romanticism elements, yet they each approach these dismal aspects differently. These two authors share qualities in their writing, but they were extremely different people. Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne show similarities and differences in their lives, writing techniques, and themes. Edgar Allen Poe’s and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s approach on life differed extremely. Poe was a depressed, chronic alcoholic who had experienced a great amount of loss; he felt that man was ultimately doomed because of itself. Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven,” is about a man’s descent into madness. Whereas, Hawthorne had a family and seemed to enjoy his life, he believed that man had the ability to overcome the very worst of itself. Hawthorne’s, “The Scarlet Letter,” is about one woman over-coming and sticking it to the system. Edgar Allen Poe is seen more as an idealist due to his psychological issues relating to his writings. The realist of the two would be Nathaniel Hawthorne, his intentions for writing was to eliminate degradation and to retain morality. Hawthorne and Poe use a wide range of symbolism in their writings. Hawthorne often made use of items such as scarlet letters, black veils, poison bushes, and haunted houses to symbolize for secret sin. However, Poe employed many symbols such as black cats, ravens, vulture eyes, harlequin costumes, catacombs,

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