Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Dark Side of Human Nature

For this installment of P&C’s Shortcut to the Classics, we turn to one of America’s earliest great writers: Nathaniel Hawthorne.

We discuss four of Hawthorne’s short stories — “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “The Birth-Mark,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “Young Goodman Brown” — and find a surprisingly consistent vision running through them.

Can age make us wise? Can science perfect human nature? Are our flaws an essential part of being human? And what happens when a man becomes convinced that everyone around him is secretly corrupt?

Along the way, we talk about Hawthorne’s Puritan ancestry, the Salem witch trials, his place among the writers of the American Renaissance, his uneasy relationship with Transcendentalism, and his recurring fascination with sin, the devil, and the darker corners of the human heart.

Plus, we sample Dad Strength IPA and wonder whether 2.9% ABV is really an appropriate way to honor fathers everywhere.