Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Man of Adamant" the character of Richard Digby is a religious zealot whose ideas are clearly anti-Christian. Digby disowns the brotherhood of man, and feels that he alone has earned favor in the eyes of God. He is so certain of his own piety, that his plan of salvation "could avail no sinner but himself." In his self-absorbed beliefs, Digby rejects some of the clearest beliefs of Christianity, including the principles of kindness, charity, and non-judgement. Ultimately, Digby rejects the mercy and light of Christ himself.

The Man of Adamant is the story of a man named Richard Digby. Digby was a man who was the "gloomiest and most intolerant" of all those who lived during "the old times of religious gloom and intolerance."

Digby's self-absorption and intolerance led him to venture into the wilderness, in search of a sanctuary from the heathens in the village where...
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