Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews February 12, 2023 February 5, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
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.
Please wait while we process your payment