John Inglefield's Thanksgiving

Yes, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a Thanksgiving story: "John Inglefield's Thanksgiving," which begins like this:

On the evening of Thanksgiving day, John Inglefield, the blacksmith, sat in his elbow-chair, among those who had been keeping festival at his board. Being the central figure of the domestic circle, the fire threw its strongest light on his massive and sturdy frame, reddening his rough visage, so that it looked like the head of an iron statue, all aglow, from his own forge, and with its features rudely fashioned on his own anvil. At John Inglefield's right hand was an empty chair. The other places round the hearth were filled by the members of the family, who all sat quietly, while, with a semblance of fantastic merriment, their shadows danced on the wall behind then. One of the group was John Inglefield's son, who had been bred at college, and was now a student of theology at Andover. There was also a daughter of sixteen, whom nobody could look at without thinking of a rosebud almost blossomed. The only other person at the fireside was Robert Moore, formerly an apprentice of the blacksmith, but now his journeyman, and who seemed more like an own son of John Inglefield than did the pale and slender student.

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The Custom House -- First Sentence

You may have noticed that in Hawthorne's introduction to The Scarlet Letter -- called "The Custom House" -- he is rather verbose and convoluted in his descriptions. A wonderful example of this writing style comes in the first paragraph of the actual tale -- on page 4 in your edition:

"In my native town of Salem, at the head of what, half a century ago, in the days of old King Derby, was a bustling wharf--but which is now burdened with decayed wooden warehouses, and exhibits few or no symptoms of commercial life; except, perhaps, a bark or brig, half-way down its melancholy length, discharging hides; or, nearer at hand, a Nova Scotia schooner, pitching out her cargo of firewood--at the head, I say, of this dilapidated wharf, which the tide often overflows, and along which, at the base and in the rear of the row of buildings, the track of many languid years is seen in a border of unthrifty grass--here, with a view from its front windows adown this not very enlivening prospect, and thence across the harbour, stands a spacious edifice of brick."

I was just commenting to Voice of Reason earlier today that it would be a real romp of an exercise to diagram that sentence. Lo, I find that someone has actually done this. Click here or onto the diagram above to enjoy the full-size diagram.

High School Essay Contest -- Nathanael Green

Here is an excellent essay contest opportunity from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. I encourage any and all to participate. In fact, I will speak to Col. Homan about the possibility for extra credit in your American History class for participating. Info follows:

I am pleased to announce ISI's annual National Founding Fathers Essay Contest for high school students. Students are invited to compete for scholarships prizes ranging from $250 to $1,000 and for a library of ISI titles. Essayists are asked to consider the life and character of the Quaker general, Nathanael Greene, and to discuss why his legacy as a military strategist, leader, and patriot should be remembered by contemporary Americans. Essayists are encouraged to consider all aspects of Greene's life in addition to his military career.

Participants must register by December 4, 2009; all registrants will receive a free copy of the biography, "Rise and Fight Again: The Life of Nathanael Greene". Essays are to be between 1,200 and 1,500 words long and will be judged on the basis of scholarship, imagination, and quality of writing. All essays must be postmarked or emailed to ISI by January 22, 2010.

For more information about the contest, please visit:
http://www.isi.org/programs/essay/greene0910/index.html

If you have questions about the contest please contact me by email or by phone (302) 524-6132.

Sincerely Yours,
Michelle Huntley

Please note that the website says the deadline for registration is November 20. However, since I received the notice about the essay contest on the 20th, I can only assume they are still accepting registrations.

More Hawthorne Short Stories

Here are a few more worthy and representative Hawthorne short stories in addition to those we've already studied. You may choose from among these or the stories we've already studied, or Rappacini's Daughter, which was already featured here.

The Bosom Serpent (also known as "The Egotism")
George Herkimer visits his old acquaintance, Roderick Elliston, who is rumored to have a snake residing in his bosom. Herkimer says he brings Elliston a message from his wife Rosina, but he retreats into his house before receiving it. Elliston and Rosina had separated four years earlier. Soon, people noticed a green tint to his skin and often heard a hissing sound coming from his bosom. Elliston sought the attention of others and pointed out the snakes they possessed within their own bosoms. His relatives placed him in an asylum, but his doctors decided his affliction did not demand confinement...

Feathertop
In seventeenth-century New England, the witch Mother Rigby builds a scarecrow to protect her garden. She is so taken with her own handiwork that she whimsically decides to bring the scarecrow to life and send it into town to woo Polly Gookin, the daughter of Judge Gookin, toward whom Mother Rigby bears an unspecified grudge. Once the stuffed man does come alive, Mother Rigby gives him the appearance of a normal human being - and a pipe, on which the Scarecrow must puff to keep himself alive...

Lady Eleanor's Mantle
Lady Eleanore Rochcliffe moves to Boston to live with her distant relative, Colonel Shute. She is known not only for her immense pride but also her magnificently embroidered mantle, which was made by a dying woman and is believed to possess magical qualities. When she arrives in town, Jervase Helwyse, a man who loves her but only receives her scorn, offers for her to step on him as she exits her coach. She accepts his offer. A ball is held in honor of her arrival. Although she remains within a circle, Rochcliffe looks upon the festivities with scorn. Helwyse arrives and asks Rochcliffe to drink from his silver cup to prove that she has not placed herself above the sympathies of others. He also asks her to remove her mantle. Laughing at him, she pulls it tighter over her head.

My Kinsman, Major Molineux
In the days before the American Revolution, Robin, a youth, arrives by ferry in Boston seeking his kinsman. Major Molineux, an official in the British Colonial government, has promised him work. Yet no one in town tells him where the major is. A rich man threatens the youth with prison, and an innkeeper calls him a runaway bond-servant. At every turn he meets a man with a red-and-black face, who seems at the center of many evil things. Later, he runs into the man with the painted face again, after blocking his path with a cudgel, he finally gets the answer that his kinsman will soon pass by. He waits at the spot on the steps of a church where he is greeted by the first polite gentleman he has met all night. Soon, the two men hear the roar of an approaching mob. At its head is the man with the red and black face and in its midst is Major Molineux, tarred and feathered...