Maule’s curse, can destroy a well-to-dofamily (Walker 1577). Hawthorne’s characters dealt withguilt forced on by their ancestor, much of which goes backas far as the Puritans. He commonly plays guilt againstinnocence within one character, Hepzibah Pyncheon. Shefeels strongly that she must maintain the lifestyle andtradition of her ancestor Colonel Pyncheon. He shows hermany personalities as a demonstration of the “secretmotivations” of the heart (biography). Hepzibah is chainedto the curse by her Puritan ancestors therefore her effortsto escape are often doomed. When she no longer has themoney to fight the destruction of her blood line she turns 3to the shop of the past for survival.The style with which Hawthorne portrays this characteramong others is very superstitious, and they deal much withthe evil side of a human being. He often uses a man’sbattle with sin and the devil as a source of controversy(Great Lives 1077). The Puritan background instilled in himthe reality of the devil and the evil of sinning. Incharacters such as Hepzibah he uses evil and pain as a game(Encyclopedia of World Biography 214). She spends her lifetrying to escape from the dreaded Maule’s curse which makesher suffer in the isolation she has received as apunishment. Hawthorne emphasizes the imperfection of manoften (Encyclopedia of World Biography). None of hischaracter are completely good. They all have evil thoughtsat one time or another. His characters must deal with thedividing line between what is real and what is imaginary(Great Lives 1077). He focuses on the point that the “truthof the human heart” cannot be found by any earthly source. Thus, Hepzibah’s changing personalities display thisquestion of whom a person really is. Are they good or evil? Are their actions black or white? This leads intoHawthorne’s Transcend...
