The Dark Side of Nathaniel Hawthorne in The House of Seven Gables Essay

The Dark grimace of Nathaniel Hawthorne in The House of 7 Gables In The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorneexhibits the assign of a family out-of-pocket to a curse by analyzingthe most bothersome secrets of a mans soul (Great Lives1077). Hawthorne shows the decay of an aristocratic familydue to the sins of the past. He uses allegory at heart hischaracters personalities and emotions to expose the lawfulnessof the human heart (biography). Hawthornes chosen location for this novel reflectsgreatly on his life and specifically his childhood. capital of Oregonis the home of The House of the Seven Gables. Ironicallythis is the same town in which he was born in and lived inthrough adulthood. He was raised in this town, therefore hewas very aware of the dark side of its past. He was a dieof this past through his solutions. One of which was ajudge in the infamous Salem witch trials. At this trialHawthornes uncle is cursed by a so-called witch with thewords, God wil l give you parentage to drink (Magill 2736). This curse is much similar to Matthew Maules curse on thePyncheon family (Magill 2734). The solitude of hischaracters reflects his childhood as well. Growing up, his 2mother kept herself away from people which led him to becomea very alone(p) man for much of his life. As a young childHawthorne was lamed. During these historic period he became welllearned with the belles-lettres of Edmund Spenser, John Bunyan,and William Shakespear(CSLF 1570). From these men he hasgained technique and style. Having lived in Salem most of his life, Hawthorne isextremely influenced by Puritanism. His writings greatly reflect this. Hawthorne deals much with the sins of a manbeing glued down for generations. This is very much aPuritan belief. Puritans are a very superstitious type ofperson. Thus, this explains Hawthornes belief that acurse, such as Maules curse, can destroy a well-to-dofamily (Walker 1577). Hawthornes characters dealt withguilt forc ed on by their ancestor, much of which goes backas far as the Puritans. He commonly plays guilt againstinnocence within one character, Hepzibah Pyncheon. Shefeels strongly that she must maintain the lifestyle andtradition of her ancestor Colonel Pyncheon. He shows hermany personalitie... ....Nathaniel Hawthorne. Encarta Encyclopedia. (1997)Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Critical Temper. Ed. MartinTucker. Vol. 4. A Library of Literary Criticism. Frederick Ungar Publishing, 1979, 509-514.Nathaniel Hawthorne. worldly concern Literature Criticism. Ed.James P. Draper. Vol. 3. Detroit Gale Research Inc.,1992, 1592-1605.Nathaniel Hawthorne. Novels and Novelists A Guide to the World of Fiction. Ed. Martin Seymour-Smith. capital of the United Kingdom Shuckburgh Reynolds Ltd., 1980, 154-155.Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Cavalcade of the American Novel. New York Henry Holt and Company,1952, 90, 9, 20, 25, 38-57.Walker, Ronald G. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs Salem Press, 1983, 1314-1328. Van Doren, Carl. Nathaniel Hawthorne. The American Novel. Ed. Revised. Vol. 1789-1939. New York The MacmillianCompany, 1966, 58-83 135-137, 210, 213, 215.American Transcendentalism.PAL Nathaniel Hawthorne.