Hawthorne

Hawthorne's story Feathertop is another variant on the mad-scientist theme although in this case instead of a scholar of philosophy and medicine in search of the perfect elixer of life (and death) we have an ages, gnarled New England witch who starts off by creating a comically ugly scarecrow but becomes so enamored of her creation that she gives it animated life and send h out into the world. Once Feathertop so named goes into town the story becomes a "moralized" tale: because of his fine clothing all of the villagers mistake him for a continental aristocrat and he nearly wins the heart of a vain and beautiful village girl until his true nature is revealed. He returns to his creator who then opines that there are plenty of people in the world equally specious and vacuous who are mistaken for wise and profound. Ok not a greatly original story and hardly as profound and disturbing as some of Hawthorne's other stories involving sorcery and the dark sciences - in fact this one notable for its benevolent portrayal of a witch - all making it a story perhaps aimed at a younger readership and definitely today a very teachable because moralistic story.

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