The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne "The House of the Seven Gables" is a romantic novel set in a grand and rustic, old house with seven gables in New England town. The story opens with its history, beginning in the 1690's, when witch-hunting was rampant. Afterwards, it revolves around the course of one summer in the 1850's. At his housewarming party, Colonel Pyncheon, the socially noted owner of the house was mysteriously found dead in one of the rooms. Although he was highly esteemed for his wealth and high position, legend has it that he usurped the land on which his house stood from a poor fellow named Matthew Maule. Maule was a nobody. Furthermore, he was rumored to be practicing witchcraft. For this, he was hanged and it was rumored that Pyncheon was responsible for it because he wanted the land for himself. However, his social prominence and Maule's infamy allowed him to get away with the crime smoothly. Before Maule died though, cursed him saying, "God will give him blood to drink." For years, the Pyncheon-Maule dispute carried on. The long line of Pyncheons struggled to keep the land from their rivals. Though they succeeded in this, their greed became their own undoing. Alice Pyncheon dies because her father, Gervayse, allowed her to be hypnotized by a Maule also named Matthew, because he believed him when he said that he needed Alice's mind to find a the hidden Pyncheon treasure. Clifford Pyncheon was another victim of the greed of his cousin Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. He framed him and sent him to prison for killing their uncle so that he could have the Pyncheon fortune to himself. However, after many years, the once talked-about mansi... ... middle of paper ... ...return home. Since Judge Jaffery Pyncheon is dead Clifford, Hepziah, and Pheobe inherit all of his wealth and riches. They later find out that Jaffery was responsible for Clifford's 30 year imprisonment. They realize this because all three of the Pyncheon men that had died the same unusual deaths. Due to this fact you can assume that it is a genetic trait. They then conclude that as a youth Jaffery planted evidence as to appear that Clifford committed a murder. Finally, at the end of the story, Holograve finally tells Phoebe that he is a Maule. He also tells her the house is made of wood instead of stone. Holograve finds a spring that Clifford vaguely remembered. He remembered that it was behind the old portrait, there they found the deed to the vast lands near Maine. They then move into the county to leave the house behind and their memories behind.

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