Nathaniel Hawthorne Weaves Dreams Into Reality In Much Of His 19th Century Prose

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own narrative in his short story, The
Birthmark, published in 1850 during the latter part of the period of
Puritanism expands his observations of mankind with keen insight.


Truth often finds its way to the mind close-muffled
in robes of sleep, and then speaks with uncompromising
directness of matters in regard to which we practice
an unconscious self-deception, during our waking
moments. (par.15)

The prophetic statement was made by Hawthorne to open the reader's mind and
perhaps inject an introspective glimpse of his perspective that dreams do
indeed contain precursors or warnings of future conscious realities. He
also contends that people often purposely disregard the contents of their
dreams and do not face the realities that they are confronted with while in
unconscious moments of slumber. Hawthorne's writings are marked by
intrinsic depth and a sincere desire to crawl inside of the ...

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and gives
them wisdom and instruction, causing them to change their
minds, and keeping them from pride, and warning them of the
penalties of sin, and keeping them from falling into some
trap. (Book of Job 33:14-18)

Elihu's speech and other similar biblical scripture were part of
Hawthorne's personal conceptual beliefs. His foundation consisted of
these early Puritanical Christian precepts. These teachings reveal the
significance as to the reason he believed dreams to be a reflection of the
waking mind and subsequent approaching events. The Bible was considered
the law among Puritanists and sacred biblical history is threaded ...

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