“Half-way down a by-street of one of our New England towns, stands a rusty wooden house with seven acutely peaked gables facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst” (6).
The Book
In his preface, author Nathaniel Hawthorne calls The House of the Seven Gables a “romance”. There is love of power, love of land, and love of money. It is not until the end that the reader encounters a taste for what we would typically call “romance”. Woven throughout these “loves” are themes focused on guilt, sins of forefathers, fear, and a touch of joy.
Hawthorne begins the story in the past. His third-person omniscient narrator explains how the Pyncheon family came to own the land where the House of the Seven Gables stands. It was by nefarious means, during the witch hysteria, resulting in a curse on Pyncheon descendants. The current resident of the house is Hepzibah, an old maid who has lived in seclusion for over 25 years. She leases a few rooms to a young man, Holgrave, who mostly keeps to himself. Facing poverty, Hepzibah is forced to open a cent shop on the first floor. The narrator paints a pitiful portrait of a women anxious about failure and interacting with her neighbors. It is not long after the cent shop opens that two more people take up residence: Phoebe Pyncheon, a young cousin from the country, and Clifford Pyncheon, Hepzibah’s brother who seems to have experienced something traumatic. The three Pyncheons fall into a comfortable routine, with Phoebe bringing joy and light back into the house.
This comfortable routine is rocked when Phoebe returns home for a brief stay and Judge Pyncheon, another cousin, demands to see Clifford. Hepzibah is desperate to protect her brother and the reader is left suspecting something sinister is going on. Hepzibah only relents when Clifford agrees to see the Judge. To avoid giving any more away, I will leave my readers in suspense with this statement: it was hard to stop reading chapters 15 through 21.
The House of the Seven Gables was an engaging read. The narrator has a sense of humor, commenting on their own abilities and what the characters do. The book doesn’t have much dialogue; instead, the narrator spends a lot of time describing the mundane every day, character personalities, and reactions of characters. This helps the reader feel like they are a part of the story, present in the House of the Seven Gables, and invested in what happens to Hepzibah, Phoebe, and Clifford. I enjoyed the ability to picture what I was reading, both from the narrator’s descriptions and my tour of the actual house. Without giving the ending away, I will say that you will be satisfied with how Hawthorne wraps up his tale of The House of the Seven Gables.
The Place
The House of the Seven Gables is about a 15-minute walk from the center of Salem. It stands on the banks of the Salem Harbor, with views of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. Visitors are able to wander the grounds behind the house and step into the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne (the building was moved here in 1958). We visited in mid-April and I can only imagine how beautiful the grounds would be when the spring flowers are in full bloom or the fall colors are out in force. While we were able to walk up and purchase tickets, this may not be possible during busier times.
Visitors have two options when purchasing tickets: the Mansion Tour Experience (which includes a Grounds Pass) or a Grounds Pass. I would recommend the Mansion Tour Experience; after all, the reason why this is a tourist locale is the House of the Seven Gables. You are free to roam the grounds at your own pace, but the Mansion Tours have set times. I had not read The House of the Seven Gables or seen the movie prior to visiting. The tour guide did refer to some characters on the tour, without explaining the plot, but it did not detract from my experience. My favorite part of the tour was walking up a narrow and steep staircase to stand beneath the gables. It was here that our tour guide showed how the house was built with a small model.