House of Seven Gables.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The House of Seven Gables, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. His father, who was also Nathaniel Hathorne, was a descendant of John Hathorne, who was a judge in Salem during the witch trials of 1692. Nathaniel later changed his last name, adding the “w” in Hathorne to be separated from his relatives, such as John Hathorne and his great grandfather who were both involved with the witch trials. His ancestors were some of the first Puritans to settle in the New England area, and from the guilt he had from his relatives’ deeds, it inspired him the theme for many of his stories, including The House of Seven Gables.


The House of Seven Gables is located in Salem, like told in the book. In the book, Colonel Pyncheon fought Matthew Maul over land, who then “won” by the death of Maul. Colonel claimed Maul was doing witchcraft and was sentenced to hang. Puritans in the Salem area were a little overboard with the witchcraft trials. A few factors that influenced the trials were religion, family feuds, economics, imagination and fear from the people. 


Religion was a huge role in Puritans’ lives. Puritans believed they were building a society that God wanted, living the way they believed God wanted. They thought they were better than others, and they were a model for others to follow their rules. Today in our society, the government thinks along the same lines. We’re the “better” country than the others; we’re a first world country, not a third. We have “freedom” and apparently the model country for others to follow. In my opinion, Puritans were obsessed, and they weren’t a good model for others. However, American is obsessed as well, not with religion, but with wealth. Which isn’t a good model for others either. Puritan roots are hard to recognize in today’s society but they’re still there.