The House of the Seven Gables
Book Details
Looky Rating System Score adjusted for ages 13+
Content Intensity
How strong or frequent is this content? Higher scores mean more intense content.
Story Themes
What is this book about? Higher scores mean the theme is more central to the plot — not a warning.
Description
<p>A gloomy New England mansion provides the setting for this classic exploration of ancestral guilt and its expiation through the love and goodwill of succeeding generations.<br> Nathaniel Hawthorne drew inspiration for this story of an immorally obtained property from the role his forebears played in the 17th-century Salem witch trials. Built over an unquiet grave, the House of the Seven Gables carries a dying man's curse that blights the lives of its residents for over two centuries. Now Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, an iron-hearted hypocrite and intellectual heir to the mansion's unscrupulous founder, is attempting to railroad a pair of his elderly relatives out of the house. Only two young people stand in his way — a visiting country cousin and an enigmatic boarder skilled in mesmerism.<br> Hawthorne envisioned this family drama of evil, revenge, and resolution as a microcosm of Salem's own history as in idealistic society corrupted by greed and pride. His enduring view of the darkness at the heart of the national soul has made <i>The House of the Seven Gables</i> a landmark of American literature.</p>
Themes & Topics
Based on the book description, categories, and metadata — not verified against the full text.
How our ratings work →Book has been rated by our custom AI. We do our best to provide accurate information, but we know sometimes we may have missed something. If you feel we missed our mark on a rating, please suggest a correction so we can review the book independently of any publisher relationship.