What historical event strongly influenced hawthorne's choice of subject?

his tongue, i believe, was bloody and hanging out of his mouth.

he looked as if he were hungry.

he has several wolf-like qualities; a gray coat, sharp claws and yellow fangs.

those eyes made me feel, dear reader, like the end was near.

as i reached for a stick, he moved to the other side of the hill.

panting and hungry, he looked at me, a defenseless human and he snarled.

well i said my prayers, however, he simply turned and limped off.