Lauren Fisher
Dr. Adam Johns
ENGCMP 0200 – Seminar in Composition
September 2, 2008
Dr. Adam Johns
ENGCMP 0200 – Seminar in Composition
September 2, 2008
A Family’s Sinful History
A person’s ancestry is with them since birth. They can’t change who their ancestors were or whether or not they were good or bad people. Some people spend all of their lives trying to rewrite history while others learn to accept who they are. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The House of The Seven Gables” the Pyncheon family learns to live with the curse that was placed upon them by their ancient ancestor, Colonel Pyncheon. The novel introduces the theme that sin and suffering will be carried on through future generations.
Colonel Pyncheon first accuses Matthew Maule of witchcraft so that he can acquire the weaker man’s land. Maule is convicted and hanged, but tells Colonel Pyncheon from the scaffold, “God will give him blood to drink!” (Hawthorne 3). This starts the chain of events that seem to carry down through the generations. The Colonel does indeed die with blood covering his beard and shirt at his first house warming party. Subsequently, old Jaffrey Pyncheon is murdered by his nephew. The theories about the curse and the similarity between the deaths suggest something paranormal about the way each sinful act reoccurs within a family’s lineage. This mystical aspect expresses the idea that individuals are somewhat unable to control their own destinies.
Another way to interpret the theme of a family’s history is that the Pyncheon family was not only cursed by Maule and his supernatural powers, but also by the family’s own greed. Hawthorne shows that the theme of greed eventually leads to one’s downfall. Colonel Pyncheon’s original motivation for executing Matthew Maule was so that he could obtain the property and build his home on Matthew’s land. Succeeding generations of Pyncheons show that history repeats itself. Colonel Pyncheon, old Jaffrey Pyncheon, Alice Pyncheon, and Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon all die because of either their own avarice or that of one of their close family members. In each case, the Pyncheon suffers due to their desire to obtain wealth. The cost of greed can be seen as a lapse in morality and also the loss of life itself. Hawthorne further explains,
“Of their legal tenure there could be no question; but old Matthew Maule, it is to be feared, trode downward from his own age to a far later one, planting a heavy footstep, all the way, on the conscience of a Pyncheon. If so, we are left to dispose of the awful query, whether each inheritor of the property – conscious of wrong, and failing to rectify it – did not commit anew the great guilt of his ancestor, and incur all its original responsibilities” (11).
In this passage, Hawthorne shows that the ghost of Matthew Maule still continues to haunt the Pyncheon family and make them feel regretful about their family’s past. The author also questions whether or not each Pyncheon tried to correct their family’s image. This also brings about the important issue that if a person just allows things to happen and doesn’t go about trying to set things right, then that person is no better than the one who created the misery and sin in the first place. Each Pyncheon lives in the House of Seven Gables and is still concerned about obtaining the deed to their territory. To expand, “this impalpable claim, therefore, resulted in nothing more solid than to cherish, from generation to generation, an absurd delusion of family importance, which all along characterized the Pyncheons” (Hawthorne 10). The Pyncheon clan is only worried about their supposed inheritance and nobility.
The theme of ancestry and history is very relevant in today’s world. It is important to study where one came from and to know what kind of people make up one’s parentage. Some people feel that if their parents are criminals or lawbreakers, then they too must follow in their footsteps. The opposite is also true. If someone’s parents are successful lawyer. In my own experience, I have found people that want to stay as similar as possible to their parents while others wish to break free from the status quo and choose their own paths. I believe that while it is important to know where you came from, it is also up to you to lead your own life and choose your own destiny. The Pyncheon family felt as if they were unable to change their future and that their fate was already chosen for them. If they hadn’t believed in the curse and hadn’t been so greedy, they probably could have avoided the similarity of the many deaths which have already occurred. Another important lesson that is always taught is that if we don’t study history, it will repeat itself. This is essentially true for wars and conflicts that may repeat themselves in 50 years if we don’t study and understand what happened the first time around.
Another contemporary issue that relates to the novel is the idea of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is a political philosophy common in the nineteenth century that held that the United States was destined to, or deserved to, conquer the heart of North America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, Colonel Pyncheon sees it as his right to first conquer Matthew’s land and then “build his house over an unquiet grave” (Hawthorne 4). Later on, Hepzibah tells Phoebe that “there was undoubtedly an immense treasure of English guineas hidden somewhere about the house” (Hawthorne 57). Each Pyncheon family member believes that they are entitled to some sort of treasure because it is their destiny to find it and be rich.
In these first few chapters of the book, Hawthorne introduces the theme of history by giving an account of the Pyncheon family’s history with much detail. He describes and explains how the actions of one man can have an impact on future generations of his family and what can happen if we don’t try to rectify those sins. These ideas can be applied to modern times because family lineage is very important but shouldn’t be the only thing deciding a person’s future. Although it is important to study your family’s roots, it is equally important to establish your own identity separate from your ancestors.
3 comments:
You should state in your thesis that the theme in the book and of your essay is history and expand on it. Also, introduce the passage from the book earlier in the essay since that was the assignment.
Organize your paragraphs differently to make your points more clear. The second paragraph should have some sort of opening line- you just go right into telling what happens in the book and that was a little confusing. The paragraph after you quoted the passage talks about the territory the Pyncheon's are trying to obtain. This is out of place here. Maybe it could be grouped with the third paragraph, which seems to have a theme of greed. The paragraph about manifest destiny goes too far off topic and should probably be taken out or shortened and also added to the third paragraph.
How did you find that the Pyncheon family felt they were unable to change their future? This is your argument, but you do not have anything backing it up. You need to elaborate and defend this point if you want to keep it.
The line in your conclusion, "the actions of one man can have an impact on future generations of his family" is a great part of your conclusion.
Lauren Fisher
Dr. Adam Johns
ENGCMP 0200 – Seminar in Composition
September 6, 2008
A Family’s Sinful History
A person’s ancestry is with them since birth. They can’t change who their ancestors were or whether or not they were good or bad people. Some people spend all of their lives trying to rewrite history while others learn to accept who they are. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The House of The Seven Gables” the Pyncheon family learns to live with the curse that was placed upon them by their ancient ancestor, Colonel Pyncheon. The novel introduces the theme of history and how sin and suffering can be carried on through future generations.
One way to interpret the theme of a family’s history is that the Pyncheon family was cursed by not only Matthew Maule and his supernatural powers, but also by the family’s own greed. Colonel Pyncheon’s accusation against Maule for witchcraft and Maule’s subsequent hanging starts the chain of events that seem to carry down through the generations. The Colonel’s death follows Maule’s curse of “God will give him blood to drink!” and later, old Jaffrey Pyncheon is murdered by his nephew (Hawthorne 3). The theories about the curse and the similarity between the deaths suggest something paranormal about the way each sinful act reoccurs within a family’s lineage. This mystical aspect expresses the idea that individuals are somewhat unable to control their own destinies.
Indeed, the Pyncheon family did feel that they were unable to change their future. Hawthorne shows that the theme of greed eventually leads to one’s downfall. Colonel Pyncheon’s original motivation for executing Matthew Maule was so that he could obtain the property and build his home on Maule’s land. Succeeding generations of Pyncheons show that history repeats itself. Colonel Pyncheon, old Jaffrey Pyncheon, Alice Pyncheon, and Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon all die because of either their own avarice or that of one of their close family members. In each case, the Pyncheon suffers due to their desire to obtain wealth. The cost of greed can be seen as a lapse in morality and also the loss of life itself. Hawthorne further explains,
“Of their legal tenure there could be no question; but old Matthew Maule, it is to be feared, trode downward from his own age to a far later one, planting a heavy footstep, all the way, on the conscience of a Pyncheon. If so, we are left to dispose of the awful query, whether each inheritor of the property – conscious of wrong, and failing to rectify it – did not commit anew the great guilt of his ancestor, and incur all its original responsibilities” (11).
In this passage, Hawthorne shows that the ghost of Matthew Maule still continues to haunt the Pyncheon family and make them feel regretful about their family’s past. The author also questions whether or not each Pyncheon tried to correct their family’s image. The Pyncheons are very concerned with upholding their Puritan appearances and viewpoints and feel that it would be un-Puritan to attempt to change how things are done. Hepzibah’s uneasiness about opening up the little shop and Phoebe’s sometimes unladylike qualities show that the Pyncheon family is not accustomed to making changes or adjusting to these changes. Therefore, they feel that it is impossible for them to alter their destiny and future. This also brings about the important issue that if a person just allows things to happen and doesn’t go about trying to set things right, then that person is no better than the one who created the misery and sin in the first place.
The theme of ancestry and history is very relevant in today’s world. It is important to study where one came from and to know what kind of people make up one’s parentage. Some people feel that if their parents are criminals or lawbreakers, then they too must follow in their footsteps. The opposite is also true. If someone’s parents are successful lawyers or doctors, then they too feel the need to choose an occupation where they will be successful. In my own experience, I have found that there are people that want to stay as similar as possible to their parents while others wish to break free from the status quo and choose their own paths. I believe that while it is important to know where you came from, it is also up to you to lead your own life and choose your own destiny. Another important lesson that is always taught is that if we don’t study history, it will repeat itself. This is essentially true for wars and conflicts that may repeat themselves in 50 years if we don’t study and understand what happened the first time around. If the Pyncheon family had learned from its family history and their previous mistakes, then they probably could have avoided the similarity of the many deaths which have already occurred.
In these first few chapters of the book, Hawthorne introduces the theme of history by giving an account of the Pyncheon family’s history with much detail. He describes and explains how the actions of one man can have an impact on future generations of his family and what can happen if we don’t try to rectify those sins. These ideas can be applied to modern times because family lineage is very important but shouldn’t be the only thing deciding a person’s future. Although it is important to study your family’s roots, it is equally important to establish your own identity separate from your ancestors.
Your first couple paragraphs show a strong grasp of an important *theme* in the novel but, in contrast to the assignment, you don't have anything to say about Hawthorne's *concept* of history. Of course families *have* history - but how would Hawthorne even define the word? This gives your opening paragraphs a sense of vagueness which doesn't really need to be there.
As Kate points out, you don't really justify your claim that the Pyncheons cannot change (or don't *think* they can change? Here your vagueness about Hawthorne's *concept* of history or change causes you problems). Your discussion of their inability to change needs more evidence and less repetition, in other words.
Here's something important: you keep coming back to "sin," and "sinful" is even in your title for the paper. Implicitly, it's clear that you think that Hawthorne's understanding/concept of history is related to sin - making that explicit would have provided the boost that the paper needed.
I think you struggle a little at the end to connect your reading of the book to the modern world. Your discussion of how people relate to their parents isn't wrong, but nor is it terribly interesting. Similarly, your original discussion of Manifest Destiny (Kate had a point about it, as you recognized) is only loosely connected to the topic at hand.
I think that if you'd recognized that you were really writing about "history as sin," or "the sins of history" or whatever -- that is, if you'd had a clear concept *of* history -- then you'd have been able to show us *why* you wanted to connect either to the importance of breaking free of one's parents, or of Manifest Destiny.
Kate: Very good response.
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