Question

Which literary element does the author use chickens to symbolize in The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

a. The sustainance that can be gained from creation
b. The feuding between the Maules and the Pyncheons
c. The Pyncheon family's aristocratic bloodline that now fails them
d. The simpleness of life and death

Answer 1

Chickens in 'The House of Seven Gables' symbolize the declining Pyncheon family's aristocratic bloodline.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, the author uses chickens as a symbol of the Pyncheon family's aristocratic bloodline that is now failing them. The chickens reflect the decline of the once-great family, highlighting their current degraded state contrasted with their noble past. This representation is embedded within Hawthorne's broader exploration of themes like legacy, guilt, and the cyclical nature of history within the novel.