The OPEN Door

The great inventor Alexander Graham Bell once said: “When one door closes, another opens; but we look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

How often and sadly true that is! Here one is reminded of the life of the great writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, who almost did not see the new door opening in his life.

Born on 4 July 1804 in Salem (Massachusetts), United States, Hawthorne had from an early age, nurtured the dream of becoming famous as a writer some day. After four years at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, he returned to Salem in 1825. After finishing his formal education, he spent a decade reading as much as he could, trying to master the art of writing fiction.

Nathaniel Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody in 1842, and they began family life happily in Concord, USA. Their first child, a daughter (Una), was born in 1844. Although he continued to write minor literary pieces, these brought in very little money. The demands of a growing family made it imperative to find a steady job, and his dream of becoming a big author began to gather dust.

Hawthorne’s job at the Boston Custom-House helped make ends meet but his heart was clearly not in it. He wrote in his diary: “I have been measuring coal all day on board of a little British schooner, in a dismal dock at the north end of the city.”

In 1846 Sophia gave birth to their son Julian. By this time, Hawthorne had been officially appointed the Surveyor for the District of Salem. The family’s condition improved materially, but his dream of being an author seemed to become more and more distant. In a poignant letter to his friend Longfellow, he admitted: “I am trying to resume my pen ... Whenever I sit alone, or walk alone, I find myself dreaming about stories, as of old; but these forenoons in the Custom House undo all that the afternoons and evenings have done. I should be happier if I could write.”

How heavy the sensitive heart of a writer must be in that spirit-dampening environment, one can only imagine! Although his new job eased their financial burden, Hawthorne found little time to pursue what he loved most -- writing. In fact, during this time, he had already formed an idea for a novel but how and when to put it on paper?

And then came a massive blow - in 1848, after the ruling dispensation changed (and political loyalties shifted) Hawthorne lost his position. With their already strained circumstances, it was a financial shock to the family. He was heartbroken. How would he tell Sophia he had just been fired from his job? She would be devastated!

Hawthorne came home dejected and broke the dreadful news to his wife. To his astonishment, she faced him with a big smile and said brightly: “Now you can write your book, Nathaniel !”

He, however, found it hard to share her enthusiasm. “And what shall we live on while I’m writing it?” he asked. To his amazement she pulled out a drawer and showed him a wad of money she’d carefully saved out of her housekeeping budget. “I always knew you’d write a masterpiece.” she told him.

And he did – he wrote a masterpiece called The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850. The success of this book gave him all that he had been craving for – fame, name and recognition. With that, Nathaniel turned to writing full-time, never looking back.

The Hawthornes’ third child, a daughter, Rose, was born in 1851. Meanwhile, part of the burden of putting food on the table fell on Sophia’s shoulders, but she never complained. She supported the family’s finances by making and selling hand-painted lampshades.

It is interesting to note that the turning point in Hawthorne’s life came the day he was fired from his job. He was crushed, as any man in his situation would have been. However, the critical difference was in the way his wife saw - and made him see - the situation.

Had she responded by expressing her anxiety at the bleak situation, he may never have got around to writing his masterpiece. On the contrary, she openly expressed her joy and optimism, encouraging him to focus on achieving his dream. Not just that, she supported the family financially so that he could devote himself entirely to his calling, with a mind free of worry.

To put it in Bell’s words, Sophia Hawthorne wasted no time in looking “regretfully upon the closed door”. Instead, she quickly saw the one which had opened … a door of immense opportunity for her gifted husband.

Hawthorne later wrote of his wife, that she “is, in the strictest sense, my sole companion; and I need no other - ... Thank God that I suffice for her boundless heart!”

The author is a free-lance writer and translator based in Gurgaon.