Gothic chiaroscuro in nathaniel hawthorne's the house of the seven gables and Toni Morrison's Beloved

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables and Toni Morrison’s Beloved share some important elements of the gothic tradition. One of the most complex themes of these two gothic romances is the past and its haunting. Whereas in Seven Gables the theme of the past is linked with the decline of “aristocracy” (colonialism) and growth of democracy; in Beloved it is closely associated with the theme of race. Both stories are haunted by the ghosts of the colonial past, addressing the connections between colonialism and the Negro. While Africanism is subtly woven into Seven Gables, Beloved focuses on the historical effect that slavery had on African-Americans. Both Hawthorne and Morrison delve into the ethical repercussions of human scientific endeavors for the soul and the anxieties about Western rational discourse. They depict the danger of the Faustian scientist’s pursuits. In Seven Gables, nineteenth-century science and technology appear as a counterforce of the Gothic burden of the past and the American pastoral myth. Beloved, however, attacks the racist use of science in a rural, pre-industrial society, conveying the complicity between slavery and science. Seven Gables and Beloved deal with magic and the supernatural. Both Hawthorne and Morrison move between a realistic and fantastic world. They explore the supernatural and the connection between physical and spiritual life, fabricating a psychological and symbolical dimension through which they delve into the Gothic self. However, Hawthorne’s dealings with magic can be framed in the superstitious Puritan beliefs of New England, whereas Morrison’s ghosts should be inscribed in the black tradition. Both novels have as their primary settings the haunted house, a defining element of the Gothic tradition, the ruined Pyncheon mansion and 124, the spiteful house. The haunted house is a complex symbol and an organizing principle: the unreal world where Gothic nightmares come true. These two romances depict the patriarchal family as the source of the individual’s gothic plight in Western society and as a basic structure of the Gothic narrative, and the fragmented Gothic self, its extreme feelings and its altered states of consciousness. Seven Gables and Beloved deal with Gothic stereotypes, such as the Gothic villain, characterized as an artist-scientist figure who engages in a Faustian contract. They also examine the role of the Gothic heroine, both the Fair and the Dark Lady, and gender relations in their gothic romances. There are other important gothic characterizations, such as the male friend and the old spinster. Both Hawthorne and Morrison explore how sin and guilt are the shadows that darken the present life of the characters, symbolizing the tragedy of the sinful human soul. They are the main motivations of the characters’ actions. The wicked past of the Pyncheon family haunts them and rests upon their present lives as a result of their ancestors’ sins. Beloved draws clearly from Hawthorne’s tradition of delving into the guilty mind and the all-powerful evil, which pervades his romances. Evil is at the core of the slave system and its aftermath. Hawthorne and Morrison analize the relationship of the sinner with the community. They portray a Gothic world in which a guilty and ostracized individual engages in a search for self-definition. In both romances detachment from society is the result of a crime, while the continuity of the state of aloofness is due to the individual’s proud attitude. Its final consequence is punishment. However, the only way to have a future and fight the grasp of the past is inside the community. Seven Gables and Beloved are tales of expiation and retribution. After man’s fall from paradise, the guilty individual must fulfill his/her retribution to gain redemption.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables y Toni Morrison’s Beloved comparten importantes elementos de la tradición gótica. Estas novelas muestran un mundo perverso en el que reinan la oscuridad y la opresión, una visión gótica que se aleja de las narrativas optimistas de la identidad americana. Uno de sus temas más complejos es el pasado y cómo éste atormenta a los personajes. Ambos romances describen las pesadillas de la historia americana; los fantasmas del pasado colonial y sus conexiones con la presencia del Negro. Estas novelas se convierten en metáforas sobre la identidad nacional. Hawthorne y Morrison examinan las repercusiones éticas del proyecto científico y la inquietud ante el discurso racional occidental. Seven Gables y Beloved se mueven en un mundo a la vez realista y fantástico, explorando la conexión entre la vida real y espiritual. Hawthorne y Morrison crean una dimensión psicológica y simbólica a través de la cual analizan la identidad gótica. Ambos romances tienen como su principal escenario la casa encantada, elemento definitorio de la tradición gótica. Seven Gables y Beloved recrean un mundo irreal donde las pesadillas góticas se hacen realidad. Estas dos novelas analizan como la familia patriarcal, como estructura básica de la narrativa gótica, está en el origen del conflicto de identidad del individuo en la sociedad occidental. Describen sus traumas a través de los estereotipos góticos: el villano, la doncella o la femme fatale. Hawthorne y Morrison muestran como el pecado y la culpa, las motivaciones principales de las acciones de los personajes, son las sombras que oscurecen su vida presente, simbolizando la tragedia del alma humana. Estas historias exploran la relación del “pecador” con su comunidad: el individuo culpable y marginado entabla una búsqueda de auto-definición. Éste sólo puede encontrar su futuro y finalmente liberarse de la carga del pasado en el seno de la comunidad. Seven Gables y Beloved son romances de expiación y retribución. Después de la expulsión del Paraíso, el “pecador” debe pagar por sus culpas para poder redimirse.