When Nathaniel, a heartbroken man, went home to tell his wife that he was a failure and had been fired from his job in a customhouse, she surprised him with an exclamation of joy.

• 父亲去世后，他随母亲迁至萨莱姆外公家，萨莱姆浓厚的宗教气氛和激烈的宗教派别斗争以及霍桑一家的宗教传统都对霍桑的思想和后来的创作产生了极大的影响。