In his short story "The Burial of Roger Malvin", Nathaniel Hawthorne explores fundamental themes such as good, evil, sin, family, pride and penance. However, from the beginning he warns us, “my story is not of love” (Hawthorne 25). This is instead a tale of the depths of the human psyche and an explanation of the horrors of a tortured soul. Hawthorne uses Reuben Bourne's broken heart as a means to promulgate the consequences of not following one's conscience. Because from his story we can assume, as he makes quite clear, that the punishment for not following one's innate sense of right and wrong is harsh and to be suffered intensely. It is also a sin that must be atoned for. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin to understand Hawthorne's message, it is crucial to examine his primary vehicle and main character, Reuben Bourne. Bourne is presented to the reader as a carefree young man on the verge of being "born" into adulthood. As he returns home from battle his real journey begins. What initially seems slightly ironic in this section is Hawthorne's description of the surroundings: "The first rays of the sun hovered gaily over the treetops" (18). This seems unexpected here because he goes on to describe the wounded nature of the soldiers. However, this reflects Bourne's moral state, which is innocent and pure at the moment. As the story progresses, Bourne, against his better judgment, leaves Malvin to die alone in the forest. Here we get more insight into Bourne's character. We know he has a girlfriend at home, Malivn's daughter, and we can see that he intrinsically wants to do what is right for Malvin, "I will dig a grave here by the rock, in which my weakness will overcome me, we will rest together" (18) . Despite this, he allows Malvin to convince him that it would be more reasonable for him to leave. «Do not delay for such foolishness as this, but make haste, if not for your own sake, then for hers, which otherwise will be desolate»(20). This is where Bourne's internal conflict is conceived, as he lets his intellectual reasoning take over his innate sense of what is right. This is overcome by his "desire for existence and hope for happiness..." (22). When he leaves the forest, it begins to represent isolation and desperation. Here, isolation from oneself, despair over Malvil's death. Hawthorne also continues his meteorological metaphor: "On the second day the clouds gathering thickly in the sky, precluded the possibility of regulating its course by the position of the sun" (23). This is just the beginning of a series of references to light and dark representing good and evil that will gauge Bourne's moral temperature for the reader. Once home, Bourne exacerbates his feelings of guilt by avoiding the truth about what happened to Roger Malvin. He does it out of «pride, the fear of losing her (Dorcus, his love), affection, the fear of universal contempt have prevented him from rectifying this falsehood» (25). This fear of isolation is paradoxical because evading it ultimately creates it. The remorse he felt for leaving Malvin, though justifiable, was the impetus for this cover-up, which caused him to suffer "the mental horrors that punish the perpetrator of an undiscovered crime" (25). Once again Hawthorne employs light, which manifests itself well, as something unbearable to counteract the sinfulness of Bourne's soul, "... staggering from his sick chamber to breathe the sunny air, experienced by every tongue the wretched and humiliating torture of praise, 1987.17-32