The Celestial Railroad and Other Stories Author:Nathaniel Hawthorne 18 short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. As in Scarlet Letter, the author explores the corroding desires of superior men and women, who thwarted in their pursuit of perfection, endeavoring to escape the reality of their existence, fall prey to a sudden lust for the Ideal and are unwittingly compelled to commit evils in the name of pride. — Conten... more »ts: