The strategies that people use to come to terms with death mirror cultural beliefs about such crucial concerns as life's purpose, the idea of happiness, and the nature of ethical relationships. This book considers Nathaniel Hawthorne's representations of strategies of death denial and their compensatory consolations--emphasizing their effects on the relationship between men and women. Drawing upon a range of critical approaches, including cultural anthropology, psychoanalytic theory, political justice theory, feminist theory, and formal analysis, Weldon's thought-provoking study offers fresh insights into the ethical, gender, and religious questions raised by Hawthorne's novels.