Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols and characters to portray the struggle between aristocratic and democratic ideas in his novel, The House of Seven Gables. The democratic ideas that develop throughout the novel prevail over aristocratic greed, injustice and pride. Hawthorne begins his novel with the reign of the aristocracy describing Colonel Pyncheon's acquisition of the house through the means of power and greed. The novel is set during the lives of Hepzibah and Jaffery Pyncheon, descendants of the original Colonel, who built the house and laid the foundation for generations of resentment and hatred between the Pyncheons and the Maule. The judge eventually falls, taking with him the negative aspects of the aristocracy and allowing the rest of the characters to live democratically and freely. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hawthorne illustrates the lesson of false appearances by comparing the judge, an aristocratic and deceitful member of society, to rotten roses in the garden. When Phoebe looks out the window of the house, she sees a rose bush “of luxuriant growth” that is “covered with a rare and very beautiful species of white rose” (59). Yet he later discovers that “most of the [roses]…had rust or mold in the heart” (50). From afar, the rose bush looks “as if it had been brought from Eden that same summer,” but when looked at closely, the core is moldy and decayed. (59) This same notion of falsehood and disguise is highlighted several times throughout the novel, particularly in reference to aristocratic characters such as the colonel and the judge. Both appear to be prominent figures in society, but their hearts are rotten with greed and arrogance. Early in the novel, the judge is described as "showing more Pyncheon qualities...than any member of his race since the original Puritan" (17). The Judge is similar to the Colonel, not only in appearance, but in personality and attitude. Both men embody aristocracy by being "extremely respectable" in society, but also deceitful in many ways. (17). Just like the rose, the Judge deceives those in society who respect him for “the purity of his judicial character; his extraordinary zeal as president of the Bible society; and the cleanliness of his moral behavior” (196). He hides behind the mask of a religious puritan and an honest judge, but his downfall ultimately exposes his true self. Despite the sudden and violent death of the judge, Hepzibah finds a way to escape this consequence by freeing herself from the family pride to which she is tied. she grabbed on. He opens a dime store and makes a revolutionary change in his life by challenging the greed of the colonel and the judge. Despite the fact that society views Hepzibah “with little satisfaction,” Hepzibah still considers herself a woman of high social status. (43) She proclaims: «I was born a Lady, and I have always lived... always a Lady!». (36). Raised with rules, manners and pride, Hepzibah finds it difficult to let go of her past and start a new life. He continues to cling to his family's aristocratic values, while his wealth rapidly declines. Eventually, Hepzibah opens the dime store and frees herself from everything that tied her to her name by making an honest living. Hawthorne describes Hepzibah not as a lady, but "merely Hepzibah Pyncheon... keeper of a penny store" (42). This quote indicates the independence he gains by defying the characteristics of his greedy ancestors. Hepzibah, opening her shopcents, frees himself from the limits of his ancestral pride and shifts his life towards a more democratic lifestyle. As such democracy increases in the novel, Hawthorne illustrates the decline of aristocracy through chickens. These “hens of aristocratic stock” (76), consist of “Chanticleer, his two wives, and a solitary chicken” (74). They are pure breeds of a breed of chickens that, “in their prime,” achieved great size and prestige; however, as the generations passed, he became thin and "had a strange rusty and shriveled appearance" (74). By intermarrying within the same group for years, chickens lost their “delicate flesh” and former prestigious size as “a consequence of too rigorous vigilance to keep it pure” (74). These chickens symbolize the degeneration of the Pyncheon family through the generations. Once described as "such an admirable race of birds", the Pyncheon dynasty became "dismal" due to their greed and arrogance. (74)The garden at the back of the house, however, is a symbol of democracy and renewal throughout the novel. Hawthorne writes about the garden in great detail, describing it as a "sheltered and sunny" retreat for Pheobe, Clifford, and Holgrave. (72) A refreshing change from the dark darkness of the house, the garden transcends the ancestral disputes between the Pyncheon and the Maule. When Phoebe first enters the garden, she observes a pair of robins "who had built their nest in the pear tree, and were busying themselves exceedingly busy and happy" (73). In this quote the robins nest symbolizes a creation while their happiness and freedom are all examples of democratic traits found in the garden. Phoebe also finds “flowers of the garden” that seem “as if they were endowed with feeling and intelligence” (125). The rebirth and happiness found in the garden are all democratic characteristics that contrast with the “melancholic” house that “never lets the sun in.” (61) The "dust" and the "continuous deterioration" demonstrate that the house is no longer habitable. (62) Likewise, the aristocracy, which the house embodies, is no longer accepted and appreciated in society. Instead, democracy, with its attitude toward happiness and freedom, ultimately triumphs. Furthermore, Holgrave is a character who represents democratic views in the novel. On Hepzibah's first day of work in the penny store, she cries hysterically to Holgrave saying, "I wish I were dead, and in the old family grave, with all my ancestors!" (35) Afterwards, she adamantly states that she is a woman of dignity and too old to participate in the world. However, Holgrave is not one to linger in the past. He comforts Hepzibah's cries by criticizing the archaic titles of "gentleman and lady," stating that they "imply not privilege, but restriction!" (36-37) The quotes above illustrate Holgrave's belief in the evolution a society undergoes over time. For him, keeping up with society's development is paramount, and those who refuse to conform are only living in the past, like Hepzibah. Intending to “get rid of the past,” Holgrave tells Phoebe one day in the garden, “[the past] lies on the Present like the corpse of a giant!” (155) He continues to explain that “we are sick with the physical and moral diseases of the dead” (156). These illnesses could be interpreted as symbolic of the ancestral disputes from which Hepzibah continually suffers. If she freed herself from the Colonel's mistakes, Hepzibah would be a healthier, more independent woman and not a slave to the past. Ultimately, Holgrave learns to be less radical in his ideas about democracy. Once stating that public buildings “should fall into disrepair once every twenty years” so that citizens can have a chance to “examine them” and..