Hawthorne says that he writes to the whole world hoping that someone will
             understand what he is talking about.
             He goes on to speak about Salem, where his relatives have lived and died since its
             existence. Over time Salem has become more of an instinct to his family, and has tried to escape, but always come back. His children were not born in Salem because he wanted to break free of the tradition. He compares people to plants in that if you do not transplant, future crops will be ruined.
             He descries his forefathers as Puritans. They would not approve of his lifestyle as a
             writer because it is to unproductive.
             He then describes his return to Salem and his new job at the Custom House. His
             employees are elderly veterans that both amused and pained the author. After the men found out he meant no harm they relax and spend their time telling stories.
             Custom House Inspector- head leader of all custom houses, great physical condition
             despite of old age, but had no brains. His father put him into his position. He has no memories of experiences, only food.
             Collector- very old, strong spirit, his age has physically affected him, in war he was
             brutal, but now he wouldn't hurt a fly.
             Surveyor- more in contact with his thoughts than with the real world, motto: "I'll try,
             sir!", described as a rusty sword
             Author's title: Surveyor of Revenue
             One rainy day he looks through old barrels of articles and finds a scarlet letter "A" and
             a document describing the life of Hester Prynne. He claims that these serve as documents of proof for his novel. (These were never found and were probably made up to give the novel a historical sense.) He decides to write a book based on this. He does his writing under moonlight or firelight.
             As he writes he realizes he must leave the Custom House. It's way of producing a stable
             life is addicting. It doesn't allow you to "support you...