full title · The House of the Seven Gables
author · Nathaniel Hawthorne
type of work · Novel, romance
genre · Satire, horror novel, moral fable
language · American English
time and place written · 1850–1851; Lenox, Massachusetts
date of first publication · 1851
publisher · James T. Fields
narrator · Third-person omniscient
point of view · Mostly told by third-person narrator, who occasionally
ventures inside the perspective of Clifford, Hepzibah, Holgrave,
or Phoebe.
tone · Varies between a straightforward narration of the facts
and the narrator’s gloomy, often sarcastic take on a number of issues
and characters. The narrator relies heavily on village gossip for
the story and hesitates to identify most “facts” as true.
tense · Immediate past
setting (time) · 1850s
setting (place) · A town like those found in the county of Essex, Massachusetts.
protagonists · Hepzibah Pyncheon, Phoebe Pyncheon,
Clifford Pyncheon, Holgrave
major conflict · Judge Pyncheon tries to coerce Clifford into giving
him information regarding their uncle’s missing inheritance. Since Judge
Pyncheon embodies the dogged ambition and greed that has characterized
the Pyncheon family, his persecution of Clifford and Hepzibah plays
out in microcosm their battle against the entire Pyncheon legacy.
rising action · The Judge order Hepzibah to summon Clifford; Hepzibah fearfully
goes to find Clifford
climax · Judge Pyncheon dies of apoplexy before he can interrogate Clifford.
The Judge’s death effectively ends the curse of the Pyncheons.
falling action · Clifford and Hepzibah flee the house; Holgrave and
Phoebe find the Judge’s body; all the protagonists leave the house
of the seven gables for good
themes · The sins of one generation are visited on the next;
the deceptiveness of appearances; class status in New England
motifs · Decay; mesmerism; the Judge’s smile
symbols · The house; the portrait of Colonel Pyncheon; the chickens
foreshadowing · The manner in which Judge Pyncheon is constantly
compared to his ancestor Colonel Pyncheon foreshadows
that the Judge will not be as pleasant as he seems, and hints
at his death from apoplexy.
