Historical Influences on Hawthorne's "The House of The Seven Gables".

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The House of the Seven Gables, was influenced by events in Salem's history which occurred between the town's founding in 1626 and the publishing of the novel in 1851. Incorporated into the novel were historically important people and events, along with Hawthorne's own views of Salem and its history. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables tells a romantic story set before the Civil War, with characters who are haunted by a gloomy …

…sunlight of tolerance, generosity, and love." (Hill 325) Events such as Salem's founding in 1626, Quaker persecution between 1656 and 1700, and the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 influenced the history of the characters in The House of the Seven Gables. Also, people who lived in Salem at one time influenced the writing of the novel. Hawthorne incorporated his knowledge, interest, and interpretation of Salem's significant historical events to create the gloomy past of the Pyncheons and their dismal present.