In their short stories, Edgar Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne explore the psychological peculiarities of their characters and the transformation of their inner world. This paper is aimed at discussing such works as Young Goodman Brown written Hawthorn and Poe’s famous short story The Fall of the House of Usher. Overall, one can argue that both authors show how characters perceive and respond to the disintegration of the world that has been familiar to them. These people suffer a severe emotional trauma. This is one of the main themes that these writers explore. These questions can be better examined by looking at the setting of these short stories, conflicts, the transformation of the protagonists, and style because they can show the techniques used by these writers. These are the main issues that should be taken into account by the readers of these texts. First of all, Hawthorn and Poe focus on the setting since this element can better explain the behavior of various characters. For instance, Hawthorn emphasizes that the action takes place in the Puritan New England, probably in the seventeenth century. In particular, the readers learn the characters live in Salem, a village which is notorious for numerous witch trials that were held there (Hawthorne 7). To a great extent, this detail suggests that the narrative will describe some dramatic events. The location is very important for the writer because in this way, he can introduce supernatural element into the narrative. In turn, Edgar Poe does not directly identify the exact time and location of the story, but the readers can see that the action takes place in some desolate location which is not easily accessible to other people. The first sentence of the story illustrates how Poe describes the setting, “I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher” (Poe 4). One can say that both authors strive to create an atmosphere of suspense. To some degree, this goal is attained by looking at the setting of these short stories. This is one of the main aspects that can be identified. Furthermore, much attention should be paid to the main characters of these stories. For example, Goodman Brown is firmly convinced that he lives in a virtuous community in which people try to be immune to sin. He can be described as a virtuous and slightly naïve person who wants to see the better qualities of other people. Nevertheless, he can sense that something is wrong. He feels that the hidden life of people can differs dramatically from their public life. In turn, the unnamed narrator of Edgar Poe story can notice that his friend Roderick Usher is in the state of physical and psychological collapse, even he cannot understand why he has changed so significantly. He can be viewed as a very perceptive individual who can detect the changes in the behavior of other people. Thus, these characters can be described as very responsive people, and this is one of the similarities that should be taken into consideration. Additionally, it is vital to look at the conflicts which drive the narratives presented by the authors. Nathaniel