The Wives of the Dead

In “The Wives of the Dead”, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s eerie tale of somnambulance and wish fulfillment, the author tells the story of two women faced by tragedy and then given relief, whether real or imagined.

Nathaniel Hawthorne had many obsessions. Firmly a member of the Romantic literary tradition that stressed emotion and inspiration over rationality, Hawthorne brooded about life and death, shame and redemption, love and betrayal, and the dark horrors that lurk deep in the human soul. His preoccupations are on display in “The Wives of the Dead,” a story with the eeriness of a Twilight Zone episode, in which tragic news may not be what it seems.

The title itself invokes the macabre. Not many stories outside Gothic horror have the word “dead” in their titles, and few titles are so formal and funereal. Though not strictly Gothic—in this story, tragedy replaces horror—the story contains some of its effects, and it straddles Gothic and dark romanticism, which may contribute to its enduring popularity.

Hawthorne’s writing style mirrors Gothic horror as well, painting layer upon layer of gloom until a feeling arises of deep sadness tinged with dread.