# Hepzibah Pyncheon — The House of the Seven Gables character guide > Hepzibah Pyncheon in The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Miss Hepzibah, Hepzibah, old Hepzibah, Miss Pyncheon, Hepzibah Pyncheon, poor Hepzibah **First appearance:** 0001-the-house-of-the-seven-gables ## Snapshot A proud, reclusive spinster who opens a cent-shop in her ancestral parlor to keep herself and her broken brother alive. ## Who they are Hepzibah has spent years sealed inside the House of the Seven Gables, nursing a fierce Pyncheon pride and a bitter grudge against her wealthy cousin Jaffrey. Forced by poverty to sell small wares across her own counter, she suffers each customer as a wound to her dignity, yet her devotion to Clifford overrides every scruple. Her stiff, sorrowful figure anchors the novel's early chapters, embodying the slow decay of an old family and the quiet heroism of love under strain. ## Relationships ### [Clifford Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/clifford_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Clifford's devoted sister, caring for him after his long imprisonment with protective and often anxious affection. ### [Phoebe Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/phoebe_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Phoebe's elderly cousin, and Phoebe brings warmth and practical help to Hepzibah's lonely life. ### [Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/judge_jaffrey_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah and Judge Jaffrey are cousins, but she fears and resents him for his role in Clifford's imprisonment and his cold, oppressive nature. ### [Holgrave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/holgrave) _social_ Hepzibah rents a room to Holgrave, a daguerreotypist, and treats him with cautious but growing respect. ### [Uncle Venner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/uncle_venner) _friendship_ Uncle Venner is a kindly, philosophical old neighbor who offers Hepzibah companionship and gentle wisdom. ### [Clifford Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/clifford_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Clifford's devoted sister, caring for him after his long imprisonment with protective and often anxious affection. ### [Phoebe Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/phoebe_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Phoebe's elderly cousin, and Phoebe brings warmth and practical help to Hepzibah's lonely life. ### [Phoebe Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/phoebe_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Phoebe's elderly cousin, and Phoebe brings warmth and practical help to Hepzibah's lonely life. ### [Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/judge_jaffrey_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah and Judge Jaffrey are cousins, but she fears and resents him for his role in Clifford's imprisonment and his cold, oppressive nature. ### [Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/judge_jaffrey_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah and Judge Jaffrey are cousins, but she fears and resents him for his role in Clifford's imprisonment and his cold, oppressive nature. ### [Clifford Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/clifford_pyncheon) _family_ Hepzibah is Clifford's devoted sister, caring for him after his long imprisonment with protective and often anxious affection. ### [Holgrave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/holgrave) _social_ Hepzibah rents a room to Holgrave, a daguerreotypist, and treats him with cautious but growing respect. ## In the story ### [The Old Pyncheon Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/i-the-old-pyncheon-family) Mentioned as a current inhabitant of the house, though not yet detailed; part of the family's present generation. ### [II: The Little Shopwindow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/ii-the-little-shopwindow) The elderly maiden lady, gaunt and rusty-jointed, who after sixty years of seclusion and idleness opens a small shop, struggling with her pride and the weight of her family's past. ### [III: The First Customer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/iii-the-first-customer) Opens her cent-shop for the first time, experiencing intense fear and despair, but is briefly heartened by Holgrave's visit. She struggles with her lost gentility and gives away the first item to a child. ### [IV: A Day Behind the Counter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/iv-a-day-behind-the-counter) Opens her cent-shop and endures a day of anxiety, comparing Judge Pyncheon to the portrait of Colonel Pyncheon and indulging in fantasies of rescue. ### [May and November](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/v-may-and-november) Runs the cent-shop with Phoebe's help, shows Phoebe the house's traditions, and reveals the miniature of Clifford Pyncheon, hinting that he may return. ### [Maule's Well](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/vi-maule-s-well) Sits in the dim parlor, speaks with a rich, emotional tone, and dismisses Phoebe to bed with a loving embrace. ### [The Guest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/vii-the-guest) Anxiously prepares for Clifford's arrival, speaks tenderly to him, and reveals her deep affection and sorrow beneath her habitual scowl. ### [VIII: The Pyncheon of Today](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/viii-the-pyncheon-of-today) Hepzibah defiantly blocks Judge Pyncheon's entry, insisting that Clifford has a home with her, despite the Judge's offers of a country retreat. ### [IX: Clifford and Phoebe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/ix-clifford-and-phoebe) Devotes herself to Clifford, attempting to amuse him with reading and music, but her harsh voice and melancholy nature fail to reach him. ### [The Pyncheon Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/x-the-pyncheon-garden) Hepzibah participates in the garden gatherings, maintaining her stately gentility and showing hospitality to Holgrave and Uncle Venner. ### [XI: The Arched Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xi-the-arched-window) Sits with Clifford at the window, attempts to go to church with him but retreats in fear. She shrieks when Clifford nearly leaps from the window. ### [XII: The Daguerreotypist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xii-the-daguerreotypist) Described as a kind of lunatic from long imprisonment in the house, with one bitter sense of wrong. ### [XIV: Phoebe’s Goodbye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xiv-phoebe-s-goodbye) Stands in the shadow of the doorway while Phoebe talks with Holgrave; is described as dead to society and dependent on Phoebe. ### [XV: The Scowl and Smile](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xv-the-scowl-and-smile) Grows increasingly grim and despairing during the storm, confronts Judge Pyncheon with long-suppressed resentment. ### [XVI: Clifford's Chamber](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xvi-clifford-s-chamber) Overwhelmed by dread and a sense of familial doom, she delays telling Clifford about Judge Pyncheon's visit and searches for Holgrave in vain. ### [XVII: The Flight of Two Owls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xvii-the-flight-of-two-owls) Leaves the house with Clifford, feeling adrift and cold, both physically and morally. She is tormented by the memory of Judge Pyncheon and the old house, and struggles with a sense of unreality. ### [Governor Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xviii-governor-pyncheon) Mentioned as a potential heir to the Pyncheon property. ### [XIX: Alice’s Posies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xix-alice-s-posies) Imagined by children as scowling and shaking her finger; later opens the garden door to admit Phoebe. ### [XX: The Flower of Eden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xx-the-flower-of-eden) Has fled the house with Clifford after discovering the Judge's death, leaving no word of their whereabouts. ### [The Departure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xxi-the-departure) Inherits wealth; joins Clifford and Phoebe in moving to the judge's country-seat. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/hepzibah_pyncheon - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters