Decay In The House Of The Seven Gables

In a passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The House of the Seven Gables, he reveals the complex character that is Judge Pyncheon. Hawthorne suggests that the virtuous appearance Judge Pyncheon exhibits covers the immoral reality that lies behind his lies. Hawthorne leads the reader to speculate on Judge Pyncheon’s questionable character through his skeptical tone and syntax.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the greatest American authors of the nineteenth century. He published his first novel Fanshawe, in 1828. However, he is widely known for his novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables. His novel, The Scarlet Letter, can be analyzed from historical, psychological and feminist critical perspectives by examining his life from the past, as well as his reflections while writing The Scarlet Letter. In order to understand the book properly, it’s necessary to use these three perspectives.

The Dark Side of Judge Pyncheon in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel, The House of the Seven Gables

Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America's most renowned authors, demonstrates his extraordinary talents in two of his most famed novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. To compare these two books seems bizarre, as their plots are distinctly different. Though the books are quite seemingly different, the central themes and Hawthorne's style are closely related (Carey, p. 62). American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne is most famous for his books THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, which are closely related in theme, the use of symbolism, characterization, and style.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, is a novel that portrays the Christian beliefs of Original Sin. Much like Adam and Eve, Hester Prynne was a woman who was ostracized from society due to her relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout her expulsion, Prynne gains sympathy for the poor, donating all of her income to help them. The sympathy that Prynne gained is similar to the knowledge that Adam and Eve gained about the good and evil in the world because in both stories, the characters gain knowledge as a result of their sin. Similarly to The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables is based upon the Christian belief of Original Sin. Characters like Judge Pyncheon and Clifford suffered due to the sins of Colonel Pyncheon.

American Literature reflects life, and the struggles that we face during our existence. The great authors of our time incorporate life’s problems into their literature directly and indirectly. The stories themselves bluntly tell us a story, however, an author also uses symbols to relay to us his message in a more subtle manner. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The House of Seven Gable’s symbolism is eloquently used to enhance the story being told, by giving us a deeper insight into the author’s intentions in writing the story.

Clifford Pyncheon, although he is absent for majority of the first part if the story, becomes a fairly large and mysterious aspect in the novel The House of The Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Clifford is an almost child-like character who is carefully watched over by his sister, Hepzibah, and needs constant attention. 30 years prior to the reader seeing Clifford arrive back at the Pyncheon house, Clifford was sent to prison by his cousin, Judge Pyncheon after being accused of murder. Because of this immense amount of time spent in prison, he left the facility a changed man. Hepzibah carries around a small portrait of Clifford before he went to prison in which a delicate young man can be seen.

In The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the Maules’ witchcraft as a key to revenge on the Pyncheon family. Many Pyncheon generations later, they still believe they have control of the Maules because they ended up with the land. They possess a sense of entitlement because they believe they are becoming close to millionaires and the Pyncheon inheritors are willing to do anything to obtain the fortune. The Maules, however, have their secret legacy, guaranteeing them to receive not only the money, land, and house but also revenge for the years of superiority from the Pyncheon’s.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of Seven Gables, the unfortunate life and history behind the once-wealthy and cursed Pyncheon family is exploited. Due to selfishness and greed over a plot of land to build what is known as the House of Seven Gables, bad blood came about between the Pyncheon family and the Maule family. The novel picks up over a century after the murder of the man who stole the plot of land from the Maule family, Colonel Pyncheon. The main character, Hepzibah Pyncheon, lives alone in the House of Seven Gables while her brother, Clifford, is in jail for the framed murder of their uncle. Jaffrey Pyncheon, their cousin, is the wealthy yet greedy judge that accused and framed Clifford for this murder.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables, the characters of young Matthew Maule and Alice Pyncheon mirror those of their descendents Holgrave Maule and Phoebe Pyncheon. Both portray what can happen in love when good meets evil. One relationship ends tragic with the loss of Alice, while the other ends happily with marriage.

The House of The Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne chronicles the generations of a Puritan family and the curse which haunts their fates. Although the Pyncheons are a respected family in their small Massachusetts town, their past is riddled with secrets, mysterious deaths, and the curse of a dying man. Few in the family ever believed in the curse, giving the generational disasters of the family the name of coincidental misfortunes, the simple results of human action. And, while the author attempts to explain away these coincidences with logic and science, he also conveys mysterious hints as to the supernatural phenomena existing within the house of the seven gables. Because of the secrecy surrounding the story, we, as readers, are

Except in Phoebe’s situation Caroline decided to keep Phoebe has her own. Phoebe was given a good life unlike this man’s brother. His brother died in the institution, unknown by all his family even his own mother. Edwards heard this story and was stuck with an idea of a story, but with a happier ending. At first she was not going to write the novel, but the secret at the center of the family compelled her to do so.

In this passage from “The Custom House” Hawthorne establishes a patronizing tone toward Salem, “the scorned city.” Providing readers with a dreary lulling view depicting the city, exampling the “wharves crumbling to ruin,” Hawthorne paints a scene of dull misery. As a ship master returns to port, he carries a tarnished box, representing

Purchased in 1675, The Witch House (otherwise known as Corwin House) is home to the family who partook in the infamous Witch Trials in American history. The 1878 Salem Witch Trials saw twenty innocent people being accused of practicing witchcraft and were thereby condemned to death. Sign up for a tour, and observe the architecture of a 17th Century house.

While Hawthorne wrote his novel two hundred years in the future, within the authorial time frame, he witnessed widespread revolt across all of Europe. Hawthorne displays this connection between timelines in “The Custom-House,” when he finds the physical scarlet letter. He uses himself as “a symbol of continuity,” linking both frames of time together as he holds the A to his breast (Bercovitch 20).