Hawthorne’s Life Versus Life In The Scarlet Letter To understand a book the reader must understand the background and lifetime of the author. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s childhood was one in which he was brought up by a conservative family in a Puritan Community. He was not totally sold on his culture’s ideas on many subjects. His own uncle was a judge in the witch trials of Salem. Hawthorne was embarrassed about his uncle and his involvement in the witch trials. Hawthorne was born July 4, 1804 and the only son of Captain and ....