A review by wyemu
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

3.0

Hawthorne's novel of how perceived inherited guilt affects a family generations on from the original crime, is meant to be a healthier insight into his mind than his previous novel; 'The Scarlet Letter'. A grand mansion stands on the land once owned by Matthew Maule, a man conveniently hanged for witch craft, erected by Colonel Pyncheon and passed down the generations, as has the stigma of the Colonel's crime against Maule and Maule's curse against him. The house has always been believed to be unlucky and as more incidents occur against it the 'evidence' grows. Hawthorne seeks to explore in this novel the difference perceived guilt can have on a family and the, by now, age old argument about nature vs nurture. An excellent novel, dark at times but with more warmth overall than is to be found in 'The Scarlet Letter'.