Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Hollow of the Three Hills"

The Hollow of the Three Hills In Nathaniel Hawthorne?s The Hollow of the Three Hills, a young woman seeks the help of an old witch to learn what has happened to her parents, husband and child whom she abandoned to commit sin through the use of the witch?s supernatural abilities. Hawthorne uses dark descriptive imagery to draw in his audience into the ambiguous and mysterious setting that characterizes this Gothic fairytale. From the get-go, Hawthorne clearly depicts the darkness, mystery, and evil of the world. The ambiguous diction of the first paragraph sets the eerie atmosphere of the story. The story takes place ?in those strange old times? at an ?appointed hour and place.? This lack of specificity leaves more to the imagination of the reader.