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This thesis deals with the prominent women figures in two of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories and four of his novels. These women characters have been categorized in several ways as Eve in the New World Garden, but this study classifies them specifically as the temptress or dark lady stereotype and her opposite, the American Princess or the pale maiden stereotype. The dark lady is an alluring woman who lives outside of society and does not conform to societal norms. The pale maiden, on the other hand, is Eve before the fall from the Garden of Eden; she is innocent in every aspect. In his creation of women in his writings, Hawthorne utilizes these basic stereotypes although he reverses them under the surface of the story or transcends them completely. The second chapter deals with Hawthorne’s short stories “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” These short stories establish the stereotypes in Hawthorne’s early writings and give a foundation for his creation of later female characters, especially his masterful portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. In the “Artist of the Beautiful,” Hawthorne portrays Annie Hovenden as the pale maiden who changes from an innocent-appearing woman to a vindictive one in the sight of Owen Warland who is enamored with her. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” Hawthorne portrays the dark woman, Beatrice, as evil and tempting to Giovanni, the man who seems to be in love with her. Just as Annie changes, Beatrice changes also. Although she outwardly appears evil, she actually is a loving and caring individual. These tales exhibit Hawthorne’s reversals of the stereotypes. The third chapter deals with the one woman character, Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, who transcends the stereotypical molds altogether. Although Hester begins the tale as the dark temptress who causes a Puritan minister’s sinful fall from grace, she ends the novel as a complete character who relies on both her head and heart to rule her life. Hes