Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Snow Image is a story for children first published in 1851. It tells the story of a brother and a sister named Peony and Violet who go out one afternoon of a cold winter’s day to enjoy the faint sunrays. Their mother, who is a permissive and emotional woman, is left at home doing the house chores while the father, who is described as being rationalist and even strong-headed, is at work. He is a dealer in hardware with the combination of an impenetrable head and a mild heart. As the children play in front of their house, Violet suggests to use snow to make an image of a little girl who would be their sister and who would play with them. Peony agrees and they become amazed at the beauty of their own creation. When an icy wind blows all of a sudden, the image is strangely animated and starts to move. The mysterious snow girl starts playing and dancing with Violet and Peony. When the father gets back from work, he takes the snow girl for an ordinary child. Noticing her light clothes in such a cold weather, he takes her to the parlor and places her in front of the stove. The poor snow girl melts and disappears forever.

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