Clifford and Hepzibah have no lack of affection for their young cousin, Phoebe. Phoebe is the heart of the household and lightens the mood. As Hawthorne writes, “Phoebe’s voice always had music in it, and could either enliven Clifford by its sparkle and gayety of tone or soothe him by a continued flow of pebbly and brook-like cadences.” Phoebe is integral for Hepzibah’s and Clifford’s well-being. She loves Clifford and wants to help him in any way she possibly can. Phoebe also loves Hepzibah and would do anything that Hepzibah may need.
Holgrave and Phoebe are slowly realizing their mutual interest in each other. In the garden when Phoebe and Holgrave are tending the …show more content…
crops, their conversation turns from the garden to their feelings about life and beauty. Holgrave even goes so far as to say “Any bright day, if you will put one of those rosebuds in your hair, and come to my rooms...I will seize the purest ray of sunshine, and make a picture of the wearer.” Hawthorne later writes “[Holgrave] retired towards his own solitary gable, but turned his head on reaching the door and called to Phoebe, with a tone which certainly had laughter in it, yet which seemed to be more than half in earnest.” Holgrave is falling in love with Phoebe, even though she does not yet realize her heart is turning towards him as well.
Clifford and Hepzibah, however, feel no affection towards Holgrave.
He is too modern for their tastes. The elderly siblings feel like the daguerreotypist is a young, ambitious, mysterious man. Hepzibah and Holgrave treat each other cordially but don’t go out of the way to welcome the other. Clifford enjoys Holgrave’s company, but not as much as he does Phoebe’s. Holgrave feels the same cordial detachment towards Hepzibah and Clifford.
Their polite, yet complicated relationships are confusing, but without connections of any kind, these characters wouldn’t even be able to live in the same building. As Dr. Dan Siegel said, “Relationships are the defining feature of being human.” Without relationships, humans would be below animals. Wolves, some birds, and even lizards run monogamous lives. They understand, in a way, what love is, and that love is
important.