The history of the Pyncheon family is one rooted in a terrible crime. The house is built on land stolen from Matthew Maule, who was falsely accused and executed for witchcraft due to Colonel Pyncheon’s treachery. Before dying, Matthew Maule cursed the colonel—a curse that is remembered by the townspeople, and which appears to shape the lives of his descendants even many generations later. Through the dilemmas of the present-day Pyncheon clan, Hawthorne explores the legacy of violence and how different people choose to grapple with an uncomfortable past.

Judge Pyncheon embraces his role as the heir to this violent legacy, and both his personal qualities and actions mirror those of his cruel ancestor, despite the two being separated by over 150 years. Judge Pyncheon both bears a strong physical resemblance to Colonel Pyncheon, as evidenced by the colonel’s portrait, and behaves in a similar greedy manner: He willingly enables Clifford’s imprisonment, and he attempts to extort Hepzibah and Clifford into handing over the old land deed to him so that he can become even richer. Judge Pyncheon’s behavior thus represents an active continuation of the family’s violent legacy, perpetuating cycles of violence and injustice instead of seeking to end them.