# Penelope Lapham — The Rise of Silas Lapham character guide > Penelope Lapham in The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Pen, Penelope **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot The elder Lapham daughter: sharp-tongued, self-aware, and secretly wounded, she becomes the quiet center of a courtship everyone misreads. ## Who they are Penelope is the witty one, the daughter her father roars through comedies for, the one who works his private figures at night when his troubles outgrow his wife's arithmetic. She loves her sister too well and thinks too little of herself, so when Tom Corey's attentions seem aimed at Irene, Pen does what she always does—steps back and says nothing. Her silence and her conscience make her the moral pivot on which the novel's central misunderstanding turns. ## Relationships ### [Silas Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/silas_lapham) _family_ Penelope is Silas's elder daughter, more intellectual and independent, often clashing with his bluntness. ### [Irene Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/irene_lapham) _family_ Sisters who are close but experience tension when Tom Corey's affections shift from Irene to Penelope. ### [Tom Corey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/tom_corey) _romantic_ Penelope and Tom fall in love, leading to a complicated courtship that hurts Irene. ### [Irene Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/irene_lapham) _family_ Sisters who are close but experience tension when Tom Corey's affections shift from Irene to Penelope. ### [Silas Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/silas_lapham) _family_ Penelope is Silas's elder daughter, more intellectual and independent, often clashing with his bluntness. ### [Tom Corey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/tom_corey) _romantic_ Penelope and Tom fall in love, leading to a complicated courtship that hurts Irene. ### [Irene Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/irene_lapham) _family_ Sisters who are close but experience tension when Tom Corey's affections shift from Irene to Penelope. ### [Silas Lapham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/silas_lapham) _family_ Penelope is Silas's elder daughter, more intellectual and independent, often clashing with his bluntness. ### [Tom Corey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/tom_corey) _romantic_ Penelope and Tom fall in love, leading to a complicated courtship that hurts Irene. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as having an odd taste for reading and taking private lessons; the family is amazed at her intellectual pursuits. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/iii) Teases Irene about the newspaper, calling it a 'love-letter in the form of a puff to a cattle-ranch.' ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/iv) Accompanies the family to the new house, teases her father and Irene, and engages in a playful conversation with Irene about Tom Corey's appearance. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/v) Mentioned briefly as the sister who is not pretty but interesting, and is like her mother. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/vi) Penelope is at the summer cottage with her family and greets Corey with a drawling 'Oh, how do you do, Mr. Corey?' She engages in light conversation about the beach. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/vii) Teases Irene about Corey's arrival, showing a playful and sharp wit, and comforts her sister after revealing the truth. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned as the older, plain sister who reads Middlemarch and has a humorous, droll way of looking at things. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/ix) Mentioned as having finished Middlemarch and being satirical; Irene reports her opinion that she would have been as bad as Rosamond Vincy in the same place. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/x) Engages in witty conversation with Tom Corey on the veranda; described as having more brains than Irene but being less practical. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xi) Laughs at her father's plan to invite Bromfield Corey to a fish dinner. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xii) Sits in on the visit, responds with ironic detachment, but later breaks down in tears, revealing deep emotional distress. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xiii) Initially shares her mother's discomfort with Mrs. Corey's behavior and declares she will not attend the dinner. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xv) Though not directly present, Corey's thoughts of her voice and her influence on his feelings are central to his internal struggle and his decision to remain loyal. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xvi) Receives Corey alone, discusses the book 'Tears, Idle Tears', and displays her characteristic wit and intelligence. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xvii) Reveals to her mother that Tom Corey proposed to her, struggles with guilt over Irene's hopes and her own feelings. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xviii) The object of Tom Corey's affections; her potential marriage to Tom is the central dilemma, as it would cause Irene pain. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xix) Sits silently as Irene returns Tom's gifts, later meets with Tom Corey to discuss the misunderstanding, expressing guilt over the situation. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxi) Mentioned as not coming to supper; her emotional state is a concern for Mrs. Lapham. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxii) Writes a note to Tom Corey asking him not to visit, supports her father through his financial troubles, and works with him on accounts. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxiv) Shows resilience and pride, dismissing Tom Corey's offer as 'very silly' and smiling despite the family's troubles. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxvi) Mentioned as the object of Tom Corey's affections in Bromfield Corey's reflections. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxvii) Marries Tom Corey and spends a week with the Coreys in Boston, feeling the strain of social differences but finding humor in the situation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters/penelope_lapham - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/characters