Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Das Schneebild und andere zweimal erzählte Geschichten
Go deeper: the whole of Das Schneebild und andere zweimal erzählte Geschichten
About 5 h to read.Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who love short fiction with a strong image and a moral edge, and anyone curious about Hawthorne before his novels.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales is a collection of short fiction by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1851. Hawthorne had already printed many of these pieces in magazines and gift books years before. He gathered them again, as he had done with his earlier Twice-Told Tales, and added a preface in which he looks back on his early writing with modest humour. The book arrived soon after The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, so many readers met it as a chance to see the quieter, earlier Hawthorne.
Inside you will find a children's fantasy about a girl made of snow, a tale of a valley that waits for a man who will look like a mountain, and a dark story of a lime burner who goes in search of the worst sin in the world. There are also shorter pieces on Salem's past, on grief, and on a boy who tries to escape work. Each one is built around a simple image that carries a moral question. Let us begin with the story that gives the book its name.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A snow child tests a familyFree
- 2A valley waits for a face
- 3A lime burner hunts a sin
- 4Salem's past and a night of grief
- 5Lighter tales with a moral point
- 6Symbols, voice and the common thread
Punkt 1 von 6
A snow child tests a family
The opening tale carries the subtitle A Childish Miracle. It begins on a bright winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall. Two children, Violet and Peony, beg their mother to let them play in the garden. Violet is the older and more thoughtful. Peony is younger, round-faced and full of bursts of energy.
Their mother wraps them up and sends them out, then watches from the window. The children decide to build a little snow sister. They work with great care, shaping her face and figure as if she were a living playmate. As they work, the story lets us feel that the figure is gaining life. Even the mother, glancing out, seems to see a third child among them.
Then the father comes home. He is a practical man who deals in hard goods and relies on common sense. He has no patience for fancies and likes things plain. The mother and children see one thing in the garden, and he sees another.
The tale is short, but it sets up a clash that runs through the whole book. Imagination faces common sense, and each has a claim to be right. Watch how kindly the father means to act, and ask what his kindness costs. The story tells you early that good intentions and sound judgment may not be the same thing.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
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Go deeper: the whole of Das Schneebild und andere zweimal erzählte Geschichten
About 5 h to read.Questions about Das Schneebild und andere zweimal erzählte Geschichten
What is The Snow-Image and Other Twice-Told Tales about?
It is a collection of Hawthorne's short fiction published in 1851. The stories include a snow child brought to life by play, a valley waiting for a noble man, and a lime burner who seeks the worst sin.
What does Twice-Told Tales mean in the title?
It means the stories had been told before. Hawthorne first printed most of them in magazines and gift books, then collected them again in book form, as he had done with his earlier Twice-Told Tales.
What is The Great Stone Face about?
It follows Ernest, a boy in a valley beneath a mountain shaped like a human face. A legend says a native son will resemble it and be the noblest man alive. Ernest waits and watches.
What is the unpardonable sin in Ethan Brand?
Ethan Brand, a lime burner, spends years searching for the one sin that cannot be forgiven. The tale uses his search to ask what happens when a person puts a single idea above human feeling.
Is Hawthorne hard to read?
The tales are short and built on clear images. The stories are a gentle way into his novels.
Cite this edition
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-snow-image-and-other-twice-told-tales.
Hawthorne, N. (2026). The snow-image, and other twice-told tales. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-snow-image-and-other-twice-told-tales (Original work published 1851)
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-snow-image-and-other-twice-told-tales.
@book{hawthorne2026snowimage,
author = {Hawthorne, Nathaniel},
title = {The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-snow-image-and-other-twice-told-tales},
note = {First published 1851}
}
