Hawthorne's novel is full of prime examples pertaining to domestic ideology. In Hawthorne's novel we stumble upon a certain kind of domestic ideology specifically engineered for this novel. Instead of having a majority of good examples of domestic ideology we receive the flip side. We are introduced to what we can call the Pyncheon version of domestic ideology. This version of ideology revolves around the male side of the family predominantly. This form of domestic ideology consists of a no holds barred route in which to achieve victory. This particular way of going about things comes with a price, a hefty price. To better understand the notion of the Pyncheon version of domestic ideology and how it applies to both sexes one must look towards the text.
In the novel the House of Seven Gables is the focal point of everything. It is in the house that we uncover the legacy of the Pyncheon family, descendants of a strict Puritan heritage and the Maule's (descendants of paupers). In the novel the house becomes personified. The house becomes a character that symbolizes the values and feelings of those inside. "The aspect of the venerable mansion has always affected me like a human countenance, bearing the traces not merely of outward storm and sunshine, but expressive also, of the long lapse of mortal life, and accompanying vicissitudes that have passed within." (11) Hawthorne describes the house as symbolic of the Pyncheon family that resides within, with its "shadowy and thoughtful gloom," and its "scattered shavings, chips and shingles." (17) .
The story begins in the 17th century, when the Pyncheons settled in Salem under the attentive watch of the covetous Colonel Pyncheon. The property on which the house stands didn't originally belong to the Colonel but to the Maule family. When Colonel Pyncheon found the land to his satisfaction, he brought Matthew Maule, the lawful owner of the property, up on trumped witchcraft charges.
