The House of the Seven Gables
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Contributed by Marinda Dreiling
Chapter 9
Summary

Clifford and Phoebe: For years Hepzibah had looked forward to the point at which she now found herself. She had asked for nothing but the opportunity to devote herself to the brother she so loved. She adored giving attention to Clifford, but she also troubled Clifford through innumerable ?sins of emphasis.’ The worst burden that she faced from Clifford was his distaste for her appearance. She was a grief to Clifford and she knew it. Phoebe did not quite know the effect that she had on Clifford. For Clifford, Phoebe was the only representative of womankind, yet this sentiment was chaste. He read Phoebe as he would a simple story; she was not an actual fact for him, but the interpretation of all that he had lacked. Phoebe gave him an affectionate regard because he needed so much love and seemed to have received so little.

Analysis

At the beginning of this chapter, Hawthorne returns the focus of the novel to Hepzibah Pyncheon, whose story had been displaced by the arrivals of Phoebe and Clifford. The return of Clifford had been the only event in Hepzibah’s life that she anticipated; with his arrival, Hepzibah actually becomes more bereft, for she now has lost any real hope for the future. She now must toil as a shopkeeper indefinitely. She cannot even please her brother, for her dreaded scowl makes her appearance distasteful for a man so obsessed with beauty. Even those small gestures that she makes for Clifford are met with indifference, such as bringing him reading. As part of a larger household, Hepzibah becomes even more marginalized from the rest of society.

Since Clifford has such a distaste for his sister’s appearance, Phoebe becomes the person with whom Clifford spends the most time. Just as she brought life back to the House of the Seven Gables, Phoebe restores Clifford, who responds to her beauty and innocence. Clifford comes to depend on Phoebe, who cannot leave the House of the Seven Gables without Clifford becoming anxious and upset. This is no burden on Phoebe, who remains unaware of her cousin’s dependence upon her, but still places her in an uncomfortable situation. Clifford ceases to view Phoebe as an actual person, viewing her instead as a symbol and exemplar of femininity.

The relationship between Clifford, Phoebe and Hepzibah demonstrates Clifford’s fragile and essentially superficial character. He is in most respects a child who responds only to simplistic pleasures and pains. Phoebe even serves as Clifford’s "guardian" and "playmate," reinforcing the His treatment of both Phoebe and Hepzibah is not commendable, for he depends too greatly on Phoebe while not responding to Hepzibah’s desire to aid him, but the only repercussion from this is that Hepzibah remains as dejected as she was before his arrival. Hawthorne thus illustrates the dynamic between the three characters as a means to show how ill-prepared Clifford is to deal with the rest of society, which foreshadows the later problems that Clifford will have in dealing with others outside of his narrow familial arrangement.

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