‘‘Young Goodman Brown’’ (1835) is another of Hawthorne's short stories featuring a young man on a journey. Brown leaves his wife and ventures into the forest, where he encounters a witches' coven and discovers his wife among them. He returns to Salem as a despondent man, having lost his faith in human goodness.

Hawthorne's ‘‘The Birthmark’’ (1843) is an allegorical story about a scientist who marries a woman of perfect beauty, marred only by a small birthmark on her cheek. Obsessed with removing the mark, the scientist tries various methods, ultimately finding a potion that removes the birthmark but kills his wife.

The Scarlet Letter (1850) is Hawthorne’s renowned novel about the oppressive nature of Puritanism. Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest as a punishment for adultery, while her lover conceals his sin and endures the agony of guilt.

‘‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’’ (1853) is Herman Melville’s story about a Wall Street lawyer who struggles to connect with his new copyist. The young employee responds to every request with, ‘‘I should prefer not to.’’

Great Expectations (1860–61) is Charles Dickens’ novel about Pip, a village boy who goes to the city with hopes of finding wealth and love.

Henry David Thoreau’s ‘‘Civil Disobedience’’ (1849) is an essay asserting that ‘‘that government is best which governs least.’’ Thoreau argues that it is an individual's duty to disobey unjust laws.

Mason Weems’s History of the Life, Death, Virtues and Exploits of George Washington (1800) is a fictionalized account of the Revolutionary period, popular in the nineteenth century and read by Hawthorne. The 1806 edition includes the first telling of the story of Washington and the cherry tree.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Critical Biography (1949) by Mark Van Doren is a biography that candidly reveals the author's admiration for Hawthorne while still providing balanced criticism of his work.