than we think; it exists, indeed, among different classes of organized life, and vibrates

from one to another" (Hawthorne 178). Loosely based on the events of Hawthorne's own

life, The House of the Seven Gables attempts to show the suffering of descendants forced

to repent for the sins of their "father", while they are unknowingly renewing the curse by

nurturing the ancestral greed that has passed through the generations (O' Connor 6) .

Thus the various themes of the novel reflect the central idea of continued sin through the

greed and guilt of a declining family.

Each generation struggles to escape the sins of the past, only to be thrust

forcefully back to face the offenses of their forefathers. The House of the Seven Gables

is a tale of loneliness and greed caused by the sin of preceding generations. The opening

of the novel is set in puritan times during the Salem witch hunts. The villainous Colonel

Pyncheon wrongly accused the innocent Matthew Maule of witchcraft so that the Maule

land would fall into the Pyncheon family's hands. Upon his death, Maule "addressed

[Colonel Pyncheon] from the scaffold,

Each of the novel's themes is a more detailed aspect of the central theme of past

avoided for so long. "The providential ending amounts to a wistful settling of old scores

ostrich would not have been ashamed of." The descendant chickens are no larger than

good citizen, the horticulturist, and the gentleman" (Hawthorne 21). But, when he is

both socially and sexually" (Crews 179). Socially, with the loss of the "Pyncheon

where to find the deed to the "Pyncheon territory". But Maule took control of Alice,

Also, the remaining members of the family, again save for Jaffrey Pyncheon, are of either

human contact. As Phoebe uses her light to help them, Jaffrey's dark influence threatens

protector and will ultimately guide the other characters to their redemption. However,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hepzibah Clifford, Clifford Pyncheon, Jaffrey Hepzibah, Interbreeding Colonel's, Seven Gables, Hawthorne's Crews, Holgrave Jaffrey, Matthew Maule, FO Matthiessen, Colonel Pyncheon, house seven, house seven gables, seven gables, hepzibah clifford, colonel pyncheon, matthew maule, jaffrey pyncheon, life house, house hearts, pyncheon territory, pyncheon family's, descendant maule lineage, marriage phoebe holgrave, hepzibah clifford pyncheon,
Approximate Word count = 2866
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)