Project Gutenberg 2005-11-01 Public domain in the USA. 399 Hawthorne, Nathaniel 1804 1864 Earth's Holocaust (From "Mosses from an Old Manse") Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosses_from_an_Old_Manse David Widger and Al Haines "Earth's Holocaust" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a thought-provoking piece that can be categorized as a philosophical allegory, likely written during the mid-19th century. As part of the collection "Mosses from an Old Manse," this work delves into themes of societal values, materialism, and the nature of humanity. The story unfolds in a dystopian setting where humanity decides to rid itself of accumulated "trumpery" through a massive bonfire, prompting reflections on the worth of various societal constructs. The narrative follows an observer at this extraordinary event, where a multitude contributes items of personal and societal significance to the blazing pyre. From remnants of nobility, such as coats of arms and badges, to symbols of war and alcohol, each item cast into the fire represents a rejection of historical values and vices. As the fire consumes these objects, various characters express contrasting sentiments about the implications of this destruction. The climax reveals a profound critique of human nature, suggesting that the underlying flaws reside not in these symbols of societal constructs but rather within the human heart itself. Ultimately, the story leaves readers questioning whether mere destruction of physical representations can lead to true reform, probing the relationship between external actions and internal moral integrity. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 62.2 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Short stories PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: American Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics 71623 2025-08-04T08:24:57.160783 text/html 71483 2022-11-09T05:00:04 text/html 116232 2025-08-04T08:25:02.746765 application/epub+zip 115112 2025-08-04T08:25:00.420774 application/epub+zip 85286 2025-08-04T08:24:59.275769 application/epub+zip 297684 2025-08-04T08:25:04.473753 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 291004 2025-08-04T08:25:02.030810 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 246260 2022-09-05T03:33:44.849546 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 65105 2025-08-04T08:24:56.918797 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 64756 2022-11-09T05:01:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18637 2025-08-04T08:25:04.606779 application/rdf+xml 21584 2025-08-04T08:24:59.782772 image/jpeg 4646 2025-08-04T08:24:59.521769 image/jpeg 26011 2022-11-09T05:01:40 application/octet-stream application/zip 27421 2022-11-09T05:02:01 application/octet-stream application/zip 117444 2025-08-04T08:24:57.168781 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia