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House of the seven gables research paper
House of the seven gables research paper
Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing style and how it reflects his time period
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Many significant people have been revered for their services towards their community. Judge Pyncheon examples this belief, even though some select few are able to truly see the character within. Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals the character of Judge Pyncheon in his novel The House of The Seven Gables through his grammatical choices, syntax and diction, as well as the attentiveness to details to showcase the misleading facade that the Judge parades. Through Hawthorne’s grammatical choices the audience learns the truth behind the actions the Judge has taken throughout his years in service, and these specific choices reveal the truth in the Judge’s deliberate facade. In one sentence the audience is hit with an abundant amount of information regarding …show more content…
At the first run down, the story seems to portray this Judge Pyncheon as an angel to the people who adventures on doing great deeds to all and affecting everyone in a positive manner. However, the details that Hawthorne includes provide a quick-witted rebuttal to the fake facade that Judge Pyncheon portrays. After listing Judge Pyncheon’s deeds to society, Hawthorne states, “what room could possibly be found for darker traits, in a portrait made up of lineaments like these!” (34-36). Referring to the Judge as a portrait exemplifies the idea that the Judge is acting as something not real to please those around him. Hawthorne’s attentiveness to details is shown through syntactical choices. The choice of having the incorrect punctuation, an exclamation instead of question mark, This grammatical choice is seen on numerous occasions, such as when Hawthorne exclaims, “what room could possibly be found for darker traits, in a portrait made up of lineaments like these!” (34-36),” and “what is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb’s bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!” (50-52). These choices portray the heavy sarcasm that Hawthorne contains towards these rhetorical questions. The questions serve to place the Judge on a pedestal of greatness, so that even with these
The Dark Side of Judge Pyncheon in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel, The House of the Seven Gables
Nathaniel Hawthorne strategically reveals Judge Pyncheon’s seemingly good side to the reader in order to show how “fake” Pyncheon really is. Judge Pyncheon is a man of “eminent respectability” (line 3), who is always “faithful to his public service” (line 8) as Judge and “devoted to his party.” (line 9) The Judge also has “unimpeachable integrity” as the treasurer of a club for widows and orphans. But Judge Pyncheon was unlike any of the characteristics afore mentioned. Truly, Judge Pyncheon was the man who “cast off” his son and only forgave him when forgiveness was useless, in the final fifteen minutes of his own son’s life. Judge Pyncheon definitely wanted to cast a good impression of himself onto the public so he said his pra...
In the acclaimed novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses juxtaposition, as well as parallel structure, to illustrate the negative effects of Puritan’s religious traditions, and the harmfully suppressive nature of Puritan culture as a whole.
The style of Hawthorne is deft and effective. His examination of Pyncheons two-facedness is formatted like a courtroom interrogation with Pyncheon on the witness chair. The climatic last tirade of the narrator releases all of Hawthorne’s disgust and revulsion in a captivating fashion. The organization and attention to what the reader is expecting keep the argument subtle and critical.
Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us(54).
Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us (54).
The House of the Seven Gables written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that engages the reader in an intricate love story that blends history and a fanciful ancestry. Hawthorne stays true to the Romantic era’s convections through his detailed development of the plot. Through his writing, the reader can capture the emotions, morality and motives of each character. Although Hawthorne writes in the romantic style, he does not fail to go against the social norms with the plot. He defines the normal roles of women and he emphasizes the role of wealth in society. Furthermore he asserts his opinions on issues that were prevent in that time, such as, racism, slave emancipation and Jim Crow. The story was not created to just provide a creative love
Lang, H.J. “How Ambiguous is Hawthorne?” In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
In the first Chapter of The Scarlet Letter, "The Prison-Door", the reader is immediately introduced to the people of Puritan Boston. Hawthorne begins to develop the character of the common people in order to build the mood of the story. The first sentence begins, "A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes" (Hawthorne 45). Hawthorne's use of vivid visual images and his Aaccumulation of emotionally weighted details" (Baym xii) creates sympathy for the not yet introduced character, Hester Prynne, and creates an immediate understanding of the harshness of the Puritanic code in the people. The images created give the freedom to imagine whatever entails sadness and morbidity of character for the reader; Hawthorne does not, however, allow the reader to imagine lenient or cheerful people.
III. Comparable aspects of Hawthorne's characterization in The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables
Nathaniel Hawthorne's literature exhibits the influence of many factors. Much of his literature addresses Puritan culture in early America, commonly focusing on the shortcomings and hypocrisies that became apparent during the numerous witch hunts. Many of his works are allegorical, using the Puritan setting to portray his own ideas about ancestry, history, and religion. While The Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables are among Hawthorne's most known works, he produced a large sum of work, including many famous short stories. The most important of these, "Young Goodman Brown," is noted for its vivid depiction of witch craft and Puritan culture. However, it is of greater significance because the story clearly exhibits the marks of Hawthorne's influences.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. American Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Penguin Academics, 2004. 592-778. Print.
.... Jo Kinnick in “Stories Derived from New England Living.” In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.
The author asks question of, "what room could possibly be found for darker traits, in a portrait made up of lineaments like these!" Hawthorne has revealed that he does not find the Judge as a great person. It also says that, the face that the Judge beholds in "the looking-glass" is far from pure. In the second column, Hawthorne explains that the Judge committed a wrong act. However, the socitey forgets this information and looks to his "good" deeds instead. Hawthorne has included, that the people have allowed themselves to be deceived by the Judge's open character. Hawthorne emphasizes the irony of the Judge's position and public consent with another exclamation: "would you characterize the Judge by that one necessary deed, and that half-forgotten act, and let it overshadow the fair aspect of a lifetime! What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other
A sin was committed by three of the main characters in the novel and throughout the novel Hawthorne tries to point out that sin, no matter how trivial or how substantial, is still sin. There have been debates on exactly who is the biggest sinner, but in Hawthorne's case, I think he believes that the sins were equal and throughout the novel he develops each of them, trying to get the reader to understand is reasoning.