The House of Seven Gables

Kristine Latham

Dr. Adam Johns

Seminar in English Composition

September 3, 2008

History in “The House of Seven Gables”

“There will be a connection with the long past—a reference to forgotten events and personages, and to manners, feelings, and opinions, almost or wholly obsolete—which, if adequately translated to the reader, would serve to illustrate how much of old material goes to make up the freshest novelty of human life” (Hawthorne 5). History is inescapable in “The House of Seven Gables.” In the first five chapters of the romance novel, it is made clear people are doomed to recreate the faults of the past.
The actions of the past affecting the current generation is first demonstrated by Mrs. Hepzibah. Mrs. Hepzibah is a good woman who is trying to survive. She goes through life largely isolated and lonely, with the exception of her one friend Mr. Holgrave. Mrs. Hepzibah is giving to others that come to her shop. It does not take much convincing, even thought she was originally skeptical, for her to allow Phoebe to reside in her house, even after Master Clifford returns. Mrs. Hepzibah is a humble person and yet, she lives a life of loneliness. Her appearance is saddened by a permanent frown, and her unfavorable social conditions are only made worse by her facial predicaments.
Mrs. Hepzibah’s misfortune, as tale and legend claims, is a result of her residence in the house of seven gables. When Matthew Maule curses the Pyncheon estate, all of the inhabitants of the house from that point on have in some way been affected by negative circumstance and events.
Hawthorne’s interpretation of history is extremely well founded: People are subject to repeat history, not because of curse or spell, but rather because of common flaws that span from generation to generation. The judge does not need to be such a terrible person, but much like the first Pyncheon, he shows no affection towards others, thinking only of himself.
In our world, history is repeated, not due to a curse, but do to a refusal to learn from the past. In 1848 women spoke out and fought for their rights as citizens for the first time. In 1920, America took the first step towards ending sexism. Today, woman still fight discrimination in the work force. It took people 72 years to decide that women should be treated as equals to men. Today, in school, children are taught the horrible history of sexism. Our society preaches the positive effects of the women’s rights movement, glorifying the women that stood up against society to say that they are equals and should be treated as such.
A similar historical timeline takes place during the civil rights movement. Another time glorified by the history taught in elementary schools. Every fifth grader in America can tell you about the hero Martin Luther King who stood up against discrimination and Rosa Parks who refused to succumb to the injustice of the law.
Today, homosexual and bisexual individuals do not have the same privileges as all Americans. They are discriminated against by our government, a system formerly designed as a democracy to represent the rights of the people. Yet, in 2008, members of our society cannot marry in most states and do not have equal tax breaks as heterosexual couples in the states that they can be wed. Furthermore, homosexuals do not have the right, as spouses would, to make life altering decisions for their loved one while in a hospital.
In “The House of Seven Gables,” Hawthorne states that history is repeated not because of curses, but because of common faults across generations. His statement can be seen in the history of the world across many different cultures and through many different generations. Discrimination is the fault of our people; homosexuals are the group discriminated against in this generation. In generations to come, there will be history books that glorify the individuals that stood up against this injustice, and fought to protect our notion of equal rights.