Hawthornes wilderness : nature and puritanism in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter and Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of Americas most noted and highly praised writers and a key figure in US literature. Although he struggled to become an acknowledged author for most parts of his life his work stands in the limelight of the American literary consciousness (Graham 5). For he is a direct descendant of Massachusetts Bay colonists in the Puritan era of the 17th and 18th century New England served as a lifelong preoccupation for Hawthorne and inspired many of his best known stories. Hence in order to understand the author and his work it is crucial to apprehend the historical background from which his stories arose. The awareness of the Puritan legacy in Hawthornes time and their Calvinist beliefs which contributed to the establishment of American identity serve as a basis for fathoming the intention behind Hawthornes writings. His forefathers concept of wilderness became an important part of their religious life and in many of Hawthornes tales nature can be perceived as an active agent for the plot and the moral message. Therefore it is indispensable to consider the development behind the Puritan perception as well as the prevailing opinion on nature during the writers lifetime. After the historical background has been depicted the author himself is focused. His ambiguous character and non persistent lifestyle are the source of many themes which can be retrieved from his works. Thus understanding the man behind the stories is necessary in order to analyze the tales themselves. Seclusion nature and Puritanism are constantly recurring topics in the authors life and work. To become familiar with Hawthornes relation to nature his ancestors and religion it is essential to understand the vast amount of symbols his stories. His stories will be brought into focus and will be analyzed on the basis of the historical and biographical facts and further his particular style and purpose will be taken into consideration.The second part of this book analyzes two of the authors most eminent and esteemed works namely Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter in terms of nature symbolism and the underlying moral intention. Further it is examined to which extent the images correspond to the formerly explained historical facts and Hawthornes emphasized characteristic features. The comparison of the two works focuses on the didactic purpose for in all of his works Hawthornes aim was to give a lesson. Thus it will provide an in depth understanding of the authors intentions and his utilization of Puritanism and nature perception.