Critics and general readers alike agree that most of Hawthorne's fiction has a quality of "density" about it; that is, the surface tale is related in such a way as to suggest deeper levels of significance. The House of the Seven Gables is no exception. Although the work has all the trappings of a Gothic romance, the story of the curse on the House of Pyncheon appears to most readers to be more serious than its surface details indicate. Careful attention to parallels established between characters, and between characters and setting, as well as allusions to other literary works and events in history, give the novel a richness of meaning which becomes apparent on repeated readings.

1. Hawthorne takes great pains to describe in detail the physical setting for his story, especially the House and its contents; he is also concerned with the physical setting of the...