Summary:
Through use of detail, irony, and his sarcastic tone, Hawthorne is showing the reader the contempt he feels for Judge Pyncheon. He is letting the reader know that the Judge is far less than what the townspeople believe him to be.
In Nathaniel Hawthorns, The House of Seven Gables, Judge Pyncheon appears, in the public's perception, to be the model of austerity and morality, but these perceptions differ sharply from what Hawthorne suggests to us about the dark truths that such popular perceptions hide. Through his use of: "praiseworthy" detail; irony, illustrated by the Judges appearance; and his sarcastic tone; Hawthorne revels that Judge Pyncheon is a man capable of great cruelty.
Hawthorne goes into great detail about how wonderful the Judge is and how the community would be at a loss without him. Hawthorne goes on about his accomplishments and good deeds for eighteen lines, all the while, spewing a tone of sarcasm and distaste. "There was enough of splendid rubbish in his life to cover up and paralyze a more active a subtitle conscience than the Judge was ever troubled with." He mentions everything from always being pure in his office to handling the money for a widow and an orphan. He presents these details in such a vague way; one can't help but wonder what he's leaving out. He never states how pure his character was off the bench, what principles he was sticking to, and where he was getting the funding for all the nice apparel he owned. The lack of detailed detail and the abundance of praiseworthy detail lead the reader to believe that Judge Pyncheon's character is far from perfect.
Hawthorne uses the Judges appearance to tell of his deceitful nature. With his brilliant smile, "the smile of broad benevolence wherewith he made it a point to gladden the whole world." Judge Pyncheon is viewed, by himself and by others, as a pillar of the community, but is in fact a greedy and self serving man.. A smile is normally used as a sign for kindness, but in the Judges case, the smile is used to mask his cruel nature and shady past. "Many year ago... he had committed some one wrong act..." Hawthorne uses this smile to establish that an appealing appearance can mask underlying evil.
Hawthorns sarcastic tone reveals from sentence one how he feels about Judge Pyncheon. His use of sarcastic syntax makes Judge Pyncheon the butt of his contempt and ridicule. "Would you characterize the Judge by that one unnecessary deed, and that half-forgotten act, and let it overshadow the fair aspect of a lifetime!" Hawthorne is showing how the villagers are putting this sinful man on a pedestal, while they are overlooking his shadowy past and character. He is revealing his contempt through his sarcastic words.
Through use of detail, irony, and his sarcastic tone, Hawthorne is showing the reader the contempt he feels for Judge Pyncheon. He is letting the reader know that the Judge is far less than what the townspeople believe him to be. Through his literary skill Hawthorne is telling that outward appearances are often misleading, and that the Judge is not all he is cracked up to be.
This is the complete article, containing 491 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
