SIALKOT LAW COLLEGE

THE HOLLOW OF THE THREE HILLS

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Prepared By:

Syed Mansoor Arif

 THE HOLLOW OF THE THREE HILLS

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer, who born in Salem
Massachusetts in 1804. Hawthorne was direct descendent of an ill-famed Puritan John
Hawthorne, a prominent judge in famous Salem witch trials. Nathaniel Hawthorne after the
death of his father moved to his relatives along with his sister and mother. He without any
interest in education completed his graduation in 1825. After completion of graduation he moved
back to Salem where shortly worked as an editor and published many of his short stories in a
local magazine. He died in 1864 at the age of 60.

CHARACTERS

The Young Woman

The young woman in the story is main protagonist of the story, who is very ambiguous and
mysterious. She appears in the story after abandoning her family and meets the old scorn to
know about the family she has left behind. She is ambiguous and mysterious in the sense because
there isn’t any hint in the story why she has left her parents, husband and a child behind and still
she is curious and worried about their condition. She even sacrifices her life to know about them
through evil spells of that old witch. It is actually shame and guilt that forces her to go to that old
witch and get information about her family members even at the cost her life. As the story
progresses, the young woman becomes more and more agitated and depressed by the revelations
of that withered old witch. Finally when she comes to know about the death o her child and listen
the voices and sobs of funeral, she dies because of her guilty act and shame, which is a tragic
consequence of her action and victory of evil.

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The Old Crone

The old crone is an elderly woman who is representing evil in the story. She is a witch who
meets the young lady at hollow of three hills in a remote area which is described in a horrific
manner by the writer. The old lady is portrayed as an evil in the story who grants acceptance to
wish of the young lady and by her magic spells she gives the young lady three different visuals
of her family by hiding her head in her cloak. She inflames more guilt and shame of that lady of
her wrong deed of abandoning her family behind. Because of her comments and shown visuals
the young lady dies which is called “a sweet hour’s sport” by the old crone.

THEMES

Guilt and Shame

The Hollow of The Three Hills is the short story of a woman who has abandoned her family
behind for an unspecified reason and now she is burdened with shame and guilt for her sinful act.
That burden on her bosom is now agitating her with guilt and that is why she meets that old
wicked crone in the hollow of three hills to know about her family. She is unable to forget or
forgive herself for her actions, which drives her to seek redemption and forgiveness. However,
her guilt ultimately leads to her downfall. The old crone shows her three different visuals of her
family and every image or voice increases feelings of guilt in the lady, especially the last one in
which she comes to know that her child has died in her absence. The woman is ashamed of her
past sins and avoids contact with others, which intensifies her feelings of shame and loneliness.
The last and the most devastating image of her little child’s death proves to be more destructive
and in that shame, she also dies at the feet of that old crone, which highlights that dying was
easier for her than living with feelings of shame and guilt for her past deeds.

Consequences of Sin

The main character of the story is a woman who is burdened by the guilt of her past sin. She has
committed a grave offense by abandoning her family and breaking a holy vow with her husband.
The old woman's guilt is so overwhelming that she seeks out a witch in the hollow of three hills
to find redemption for her wrongdoing. Throughout the story, her desperate attempts to seek

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redemption and atone for her sins only lead her to face the harsh consequences of her actions.
She is forced to witness the horrifying scenes of the past, which worsen her guilt and torment her
more. She ultimately realizes that the witch she has been seeking is, in fact, the embodiment of
her sins, and she is doomed to face the consequences of her actions. The consequences of sin are
not limited to the main character alone. The woman's sins have affected her loved ones as well.
The story portrays how the consequences of sin are not just limited to the individual but also can
have far-reaching effects on those around them.

Death

Death is another important theme of the story as the readers do witness two deaths in it. The
woman who has abandoned her family behind, but because of her feeling of guilt she goes to a
witch to know about them through magic. The old crone show her three different visuals and in
the last visual she sees that her little child whom she has abandoned, is died and she hears cries
and sobs of the people in that visual. Here the first death of the story has been shown which is of
a little child. Second death is also connected to the first one as the lady who witnesses this,
promptly dies at the spot. It happens because if immense burden of guilt on her which end in her
death. This is how theme of death appears in the story.

Triumph of Evil

Evil is represented by the old crone in the story who is a wicked old witch and who performs
impious and evil spells of magic in a remote and horrible area where no human can see them.
She actually performs this on request of the woman who has abandoned her family behind and
wants to know about them. The old crone has been defined by the writer by calling her ill-
favored and decrepit because she is an agent of the evil. However, she becomes triumphant in the
end of the story as the young lady dies after watching her family through magic to which the old
crone calls sweet hour’s sport. This is how evil has been shown triumphant in the story.