In his celebrated Preface to the novel, Hawthorne makes a point of calling The House of the Seven Gables a romance.

Intent on distinguishing it from the novel, which he asserts is bound more closely to tenets of verisimilitude, the novelist insists his work is less concerned with representing with exactitude the everyday life of the people he writes about than it is with offering readers a portrait of human nature that is psychologically true. Hawthorne makes use of the intrusive and omniscient narrator, who comments on the actions of the men and women in the story and directs readers to an understanding of both character and theme.

A master of the use of symbolism, Hawthorne fills this novel with objects and people who serve to highlight his themes and suggest a greater dimension to his work. Without question, the central symbol is the House itself.

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