"Cliff Notes - House of Seven Gables" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

the Colonel was before him, the model of respectability.

But a second glance shows that the Judge is not as beefy as
the Colonel, nor does he have the ruddy complexion of his
English ancestor. And there is a nervous quality about him:
His face changes rapidly and lacks the Colonel's steady
expression. Is this merely the difference between an American
and an Englishman, or is it something more? In a book so
concerned with the repetition of the past in the present, what
can these differences mean?

And what of the face revealed in Holgrave's daguerreotypes?
The forced smile creates a stifling and sultry atmosphere. It
is a smile that can barely mask the anger and displeasure
lurking just below its surface.

One of the great themes of The House of the Seven Gables is
the difference between appearance and reality, and the character
of the Judge is central to stating that theme.

Hawthorne developed his characters in relation to one
another, and he developed the character of Jaffrey in relation
to both Hepzibah and Clifford.

When you compare Jaffrey to Hepzibah (especially in the
chapter entitled "The Scowl and Smile"), you discover that
Jaffrey's smile is as meaningless as her scowl. She is not
fierce, and he is not benevolent. Jaffrey's life is full of
enough "splendid rubbish" to cover up a more active conscience
than his. Jaffrey is the palace built over the stinking,
"half-decayed, and still decaying" corpse.

When you compare him to Clifford, you see two men who were
both attractive in their youth. Clifford's beauty still shows
through his frail spirit and his old age. Jaffrey's couldn't be
guessed at under his portly body and heavy face. Clifford,
imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit, has missed out on a
lifetime while Jaffrey, who framed him, has had it all--a wife,
a son, a career as a public figure, a good reputation, and the
Pyncheon inheritance that was meant for Clifford. Clifford
appeared responsible for the death of his uncle. In reality it
was Jaffrey who brought the death about and covered his
tracks.

The two men, both Pyncheons, could not be more different.
And in an unforgettable image, Hawthorne likens the relationship
between Clifford and Jaffrey to a porcelain vase being thrown
against a granite column.

^^^^^^^^^^