The House of the Seven Gables
Obviously, the biggest symbol in this novel is the House of the Seven Gables itself. Hawthorne helps us out with this one by putting it right there in the title! The house represents a ton of thin...
Maule's Well
One of the reasons Colonel Pyncheon chooses this particular acre to steal from his neighbor, Matthew Maule, is that there is a spring of fresh water on the property. But as soon as Colonel Pyncheon...
The Pyncheon Garden and Alice's Posies
The only healthy social space in the House of the Seven Gables seems to be outside, in the garden. That's where Clifford and Phoebe go so that Clifford can heal in the presence of fresh air and lov...
The Looking-Glass
This is a passing detail in the first chapter, but we find it interesting nonetheless. The story goes that there used to be a mirror in the House of the Seven Gables that showed all the shapes of t...
The Portrait of Colonel Pyncheon
Colonel Pyncheon makes it a condition in his will that his portrait cannot be removed from the parlor wall of the House of the Seven Gables. This portrait makes it impossible for any of his descend...
The Daguerreotype of Judge Pyncheon
Like the looking-glass symbol in Chapter 1, Hawthorne uses the daguerreotype (an old kind of photograph) to pierce through outward appearances to the inner soul of his characters. Mr. Holgrave clai...
The Ghosts in the House of the Seven Gables
We discuss this symbol a bit under "The House of the Seven Gables," so we won't repeat ourselves too much here. We just want to point out that the House is not only haunted by Pyncheon specters of...
The Barrel-Organ Monkey
There is a man who carries a hand-held organ to Pyncheon Street to play for pennies. He is accompanied by a small monkey who goes out into the crowd dancing and begging for coins. Hawthorne seizes...
The Train
If the House of the Seven Gables represents the past, stagnation, gloom, and rot, what is its opposite? Why, modern technology in the form of the train, of course! The train is gleaming, new, and f...
Character Doubles
The double (or doppelganger) motif is a big thing in Gothic novels like The House of the Seven Gables. It makes things creepier to have two characters who look just like each other wandering throug...