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The House of the Seven Gables is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the middle of the nineteenth century. The story revolves around a gloomy mansion in New England, which is believed to be haunted since its construction this aspect has even made Hawthornes work the father of the modern haunted house novel (Cardin 419). The House of the Seven Gables explores various themes such as guilt, atonement, revenge, and the influence of mistakes of the past on the present. Moreover, Hawthorne discusses the issue of aristocracy, wealth, and power. Thus, all the elements of the novel work to develop these discussions and teach valuable lessons. This paper aims to show how decay and the passing of time are presented in the novel and determine its meaning for the whole book.
The theme of decay and passing of time is one of the central to the novel, and it is presented from the start of the story in the first sentence of the book. It begins with describing the house and an elm-tree growing next to it and includes adjectives such as rusty and old . Moreover, both the house and the tree are called antiquities (Hawthorne). Moreover, throughout the novel, the author emphasizes the physical decay of the house and its surroundings. In this connection, the most revealing description is given by Clifford: a rusty, crazy, creaky, dry-rotten, dingy, dark, and miserable old dungeon (Hawthorne). The color scheme used for describing the house is also quite revealing. Throughout the whole novel, the reader comes across multiple mentions of different shades of the black, gray, crimson palette. It is not surprising that these gloomy surroundings affect the inhabitants.
The decay and passing of time are also shown through the description of the novels characters. For instance, the owner of the house, Miss Hepzibah Pyncheon, is characterized as The Old Maid , and this epithet is used by the author throughout the whole novel, describing not only her age but beliefs. She is deeply entrenched in her belonging to aristocracy and finds great pride in her origins, despite poverty. Furthermore, it is significant how the author uses the imagery of sounds when introducing her. Thus, the reader can almost hear the decay and old age of the heroine through, although inaudible, creaking joints , agony of prayer , groan , a struggling silence (Hawthorne). It is significant that the houses depiction also includes multiple sounds, where the creaking is dominant: the door, carpetless staircase, gate. As for Clifford, Hepzibahs brother, the houses atmosphere aggravates his state after serving a 30-year old prison sentence and makes him even more crude and unhappy.
Moreover, the theme of passing time is developed through plot development. The story is not a direct narrative. The flashbacks to the houses history, connected to the wrongful seizure of ground and the following curse, provide a glimpse into the past. Furthermore, the introduction of young characters like Phoebe and Holgrave gives the reader a future perspective. Thus, the author shows the inevitability of time change and demonstrates how its progression depends on peoples choices.
To determine why Nathaniel Hawthorne concentrates on the theme of decay and the passing of time, it is essential to look at the novel as a whole. First, it is crucial to realize the symbolism of the house and its inhabitants. Built to demonstrate the status and power of the Pyncheon, the house becomes associated with terror and curses. Instead of celebrating the familys fortune, it almost immediately becomes the icon of its decay and affects people who live in it. Thus, the author shows the direct correlation between greediness and vanity with unhappiness and destruction.
Second, it is significant how Hawthorne contrasts the house and its inhabitants to other locations and characters. One of the best examples is Phoebe, a young cousin of Pyncheon, who comes from the countryside and moves into the house of seven gables. She, contrary to her relatives, is cheerful, charming, helpful, and light. Hawthorne emphasizes her origin and describes her as a native of a rural part of New England, where the old fashions and feelings of relationship are still partially kept up (Hawthorne). Based on this passage, it is possible to conclude the critical understanding of the authors position. Phoebe and her future husband, Holgrave, who happens to be the descendant of the original owner of the ground, become examples of a new way of life and regeneration.
Thus, it can be concluded that developing the theme of decay and passing of time serves as a way to demonstrate to the readers the outdated and wrong way of living. As a symbol of aristocracy, the house, and Hepzibah, clinging to her aristocratic past, is presented by the author as something that does not have a place in the modern world. The author also teaches a lesson of the necessity to look into the future and value human relationships, instead of being devoted to the ideas of power and status that lead to unhappiness and death.
Works Cited
Cardin, Matt, editor. Horror Literature through History: An Encyclopedia of the Stories that Speak to Our Deepest Fears. ABC-Clio, 2017.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The House of the Seven Gables. Project Gutenberg, 2008. Project Gutenberg, Web.
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