The Gentle Boy

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Gentle Boy is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story is set in the late 17th century and revolves around a young boy named Robert, who is known for his gentle and kind nature. Robert's mother died when he was young, and his father, a stern Puritan, raised him in a strict and austere environment.As Robert grows older, he becomes increasingly interested in the world outside his home and begins to question his father's strict beliefs. One day, Robert meets a group of Native Americans and is fascinated by their culture and way of life. He befriends a young Native American boy named John, and the two become close friends.However, Robert's father disapproves of his friendship with John and forbids him from seeing the boy. Robert is torn between his loyalty to his father and his love for John. Eventually, Robert's father discovers the friendship and becomes furious. In a fit of rage, he kills John, and Robert is left to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.The Gentle Boy is a powerful story that explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the clash of cultures. Hawthorne's vivid descriptions and masterful storytelling make this a must-read for anyone interested in American literature.The boy had bushed his wailing at once, and turned his face upward to the stranger. It was a pale, bright-eyed countenance, certainly not more than six years old, but sorrow, fear, and want, had destroyed much of its infantile expression. The Puritan, seeing the boy's frightened gaze, and feeling that he trembled under his hand, endeavored to reassure him.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Short Stories, Literature, American

48 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 1837

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This early tale of Hawthorne's (first published in The Token, 1832) was deemed by Longfellow “the finest thing he ever wrote.” I do not share Longfellow's opinion, for this long short story is too diffuse and sentimental to rank with Hawthorne's best. Nonetheless, the tale has undeniable power. There are ironies here to balance the sentimentality, and the story embodies classic Hawthornean themes.

It is set in 1656, during Puritan persecution of the Quakers. Tobias, a kindly Puritan who finds the orphan Quaker Ibrahim mourning over the grave of his executed father, takes the boy home, and he and his wife Dorothy raise the boy as their own. But the other Puritans—and their children—are not kind to young Ibrahim; his life is difficult, and his naturally joyous temper tour so eventually to melancholy.

Hawthorne refuses to take sides between the Quakers and the Puritans. The Quakers—at least the 17th century variety—are unbalanced in their enthusiasm, occasionally (as in the case of Ibrahim's mother Catharine) close to madness. The Puritans, on the other hand, let cold intellect not only to demarcate the limits of correct religious doctrine, but allow it also to circumscribe the limits of their compassion. Both would benefit by a union of the head with the heart.

This is an affecting, inspiring tale, filled with sadness yet touched by optimism, for we see how the Puritan culture in general—and Tobias and Dorothy in particular—subtly grow in tolerance and warmth as a result of what they have done and seen.

[Naia Pard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be the case that I am so sleep deprived that I almost felt a tear at the corner of my reddened eyes while reading this.

Everyone that endeavors to read this should take heed that THIS was not written in the 21 C and so, a story in which a boy dies for the believes of his parents is not THAT questionable.

(well, when I put it like that, it really seems modern-- but

He was a street boy (literally) when one night he was scooped by a Protestant man that brought him home. The man and his wife adopted the child.
They found out that he was a Quakers` child--in a sort of exorcist kind of revelations from his mother`s part. And then, some kind of fight ensued on: which side gets to keep the boy?

And the boy dies at the end,
because of course,
no one is right, everything is relative, life is short.)

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[Richard Subber · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may be surprised when I mention that Hawthorne wrote 72 short stories during his productive writing career that spanned nearly 40 years in the middle of the 19th century.
You may easily think of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, but “The Gentle Boy”? Maybe not so much.
I was intrigued by a casual reference to this story on Goodreads, a go-to website for readers and authors.
“The Gentle Boy” isn’t exactly a light read. Hawthorne spares no details in flogging our 17th century Puritan forebears for their strident and militant prosecution of Catholics and Quakers, in fact, all non-Puritans. Seems those Puritan folks had a rather narrow interpretation of the “right” of religious liberty and tolerance…
The story is, nevertheless, a tasteful and compelling anecdote about a delicate Quaker youngster whose father is hanged and whose mother is driven into the wilderness by Puritan ideologues who don’t care one whit about the young Ilbrahim’s prospects for survival alone. Tobias and Dorothy Pearson, stoutly devoted Puritans who have lost their own children, compassionately rescue the boy from his destitute vigil at his father’s grave, and take him in.
In dramatic episodes, the lad’s mother, Catharine, rediscovers him, commends him to the Pearsons’ care, and returns to his premature deathbed to give a loving mother’s final comforts.
“The Gentle Boy” is, in part, a beautiful story, told in lavish 19th century prose.
The history lesson is secondary, blunt, and unforgiving.
Read more of my book reviews on my website:
http://richardsubber.com/

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a haunting story encompassing a familiar theme of Hawthorne's - the religious intolerance of our Puritan ancestors and the destruction of lives that do not conform to the vision of the elect. With the prose of a master writer with poetry in his heart Hawthorne depicts the story of a young boy that will break your heart.

[Tim Nason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Hawthorne skewers the pious Puritans of Massachusetts for persecuting and murdering the equally pious but “fanatical” Quakers. Characters’ emotions are described vividly, and Hawthorne spins his word-magic in descriptions of weather and hearth-fire but the story of religious faith, empathy and endurance is muffled by excessive narrative summary, characteristic of that era’s prose. The story de-romanticizes Puritan ideals while perhaps holding a mirror to ungenerous attitudes within Hawthorne’s own community.

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragic story about the Puritan and Quaker conflict and the innocence that lies between. Hawthorne is very critical of the Puritans in this piece (justifiably in some instances). Interesting story based on the history of this period.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawthorne Hawks #21
Another well written somewhat interesting yarn from Hawthorne, this one a bit longer, and perhaps a little more difficult win accessibility than the previous read, but still a decent read.
I wonder how I will go with the longer reads?
The quest continues!

[Michel Van Goethem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over de wrede vervolging van Quakers door de Puriteinen in Boston en het einde ervan, gegoten in een mooi verhaal.

[Maddie Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written