Curses Inherited from Previous Generations (Smith 1)In the first chapter of The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we learn the dark story of how the house fell so easily into the hands of the Pyncheon family. Colonel Pyncheon had used his influence and political power to have Mathew Maule put to death on suspicion of witchcraft. As it happened, Mathew Maule was the owner of a piece of property that the Colonel had been trying to get his hands on for years. Before Maule was hanged, his last words were, "God will give him blood to drink!" Colonel Pyncheon began building an incredible home on the spot where Maule's shack once stood, known as the House of the Seven Gables. From the beginning it is clear that the house is founded on sin. Greed, murder and lies were built into the foundations of the house and would keep a dark cloud over the Pyncheon family for generations to come. The sins of previous generations haunting the next is a key theme in The House of the Seven Gables that manifests itself in rather cryptic and gothic ways. Maule's last words - "God will give him blood to drink" - are part of a curse. which remains with the Pyncheon family. Colonel Pyncheon was throwing a party to show off his new home when he was found dead in a chair, his beard and shirt collar soaked in blood. Almost 200 years later Judge Pyncheon is found in the same spot, sitting under Colonel Pyncheon's portrait and dies in exactly the same way. The family also inherits some other curses supposedly given by Maule, such as the mirror which is said to be cursed. The land that was taken from Mathew Maule was said to have a well with the best water around. Once t...... middle of paper......historical and captivating novel; but it is the individual greed and sin of particular family members, not the “curse” that proves their fall. Judge Pyncheon ultimately meets his demise while trying to force Clifford to tell him the whereabouts of a certain document that would give him a huge portion of land in Maine. Colonel Pyncheon dies while throwing a party to show off his new home which he acquired by having an innocent man killed. Alice Pyncheon is killed when her father greedily allows her to be put into a trance in hopes of finding the missing deed to the land in Maine. Clifford's uncle, Jaffrey Pyncheon, dies after seeing his nephew leaf through his notes. Maule's curse seems to hit the cruel and greedy people in the family hardest and somewhat spares those with healthy hearts, suggesting that it is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy..