One night, by the glow of a lime kiln’s fire, a stranger returns to the village he once called home. Ethan Brand set out long ago in search of the Unpardonable Sin—an obsession that led him far from ordinary life and deep into the dark recesses of the human soul. Now, standing among the simple townsfolk, he carries with him the answer he sought. But knowledge comes at a cost, and some truths can never be undone.
First published in 1850, Ethan Brand is one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most thought-provoking short stories. Combining gothic imagery with psychological insight, it tells the tale of a man consumed by his own pursuit of absolute knowledge, and the consequences of seeking evil in its purest form.
Nathaniel Hawthorne [1804-1864] is counted among the great American writers. In addition to his psychological novels, with The Scarlet Letter being the most famous, he wrote a large number of short stories. Many of Hawthorne's tales are set in colonial New England, and he often drew inspiration from his own Puritan heritage.
