(1575)The Pyncheon Curse: An Analysis of the Theme of Free Will in The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
In beginning, the central plot of The House of Seen Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne revolves around the Pyncheon family curse, which originated when Colonel Pyncheon illegally accused a landowner, Matthew Maule, of witchcraft. This curse, however, defines a complex causality for the family’s misfortunes, as they create imprisonment, poverty, and extremely hostility between family members in the household. After Maule has cursed Colonel Pyncheon and his family, it is evident that the curse has some merit when the Colonel is found dead in his armchair. The cause of the deaths remains mysterious, which provides a critical basis for the failings of the family to be of their own choosing or free will. Jaffrey Pyncheon is the most important character related to the Pyncheon curse, since he is …show more content…
However, Jaffrey is not a superstitious man, which removes the specter of Maule’s curse in his scientific approach to social climbing, theft, and corruption as a local judge: “I do not belong the dreaming class of men” (Hawthorne 132). Of course, Jaffrey is an opportunist (much like the Colonel), but he does not exhibit any type of “curse” that may prevent him from committing crimes to other in the family. Jaffrey will eventually put his cousin, Clifford, in prison by falsely accusing him of killing his father. In no uncertain terms, the “curse” may allow this type of unethical and immoral behavior to continue in the family, but it is never clearly identified as the specific cause of these misfortunes that fall upon the family. In this manner, there is no objective proof that the curse caused the family misfortunes, but the superstitious nature of the family preserves this state of consciousness neatly two hundred years later. However, Hephzibah and
In beginning, the central plot of The House of Seen Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne revolves around the Pyncheon family curse, which originated when Colonel Pyncheon illegally accused a landowner, Matthew Maule, of witchcraft. This curse, however, defines a complex causality for the family’s misfortunes, as they create imprisonment, poverty, and extremely hostility between family members in the household. After Maule has cursed Colonel Pyncheon and his family, it is evident that the curse has some merit when the Colonel is found dead in his armchair. The cause of the deaths remains mysterious, which provides a critical basis for the failings of the family to be of their own choosing or free will. Jaffrey Pyncheon is the most important character related to the Pyncheon curse, since he is …show more content…
However, Jaffrey is not a superstitious man, which removes the specter of Maule’s curse in his scientific approach to social climbing, theft, and corruption as a local judge: “I do not belong the dreaming class of men” (Hawthorne 132). Of course, Jaffrey is an opportunist (much like the Colonel), but he does not exhibit any type of “curse” that may prevent him from committing crimes to other in the family. Jaffrey will eventually put his cousin, Clifford, in prison by falsely accusing him of killing his father. In no uncertain terms, the “curse” may allow this type of unethical and immoral behavior to continue in the family, but it is never clearly identified as the specific cause of these misfortunes that fall upon the family. In this manner, there is no objective proof that the curse caused the family misfortunes, but the superstitious nature of the family preserves this state of consciousness neatly two hundred years later. However, Hephzibah and