Hepzibah
First, Hepzibah has a very melancholy personality. She's regretful as she opens the shop, even melodramatic. On the day that she opens the shop, she spends longer than usual on her devotions and on her personal duties, trying to put off the task as long as possible. When she has arranged the shop as needed, she lingers for a moment at the door, hesitating. She opens the door. Then "she fled into the inner parlor, threw herself into the ancestral elbowchair, and wept." (page 42) To her melancholy personality, the opening of the shop represents not prudence, involvement with the world, and a new activity to master, but the debasement of her aristocratic family and of herself.
She's also quite a loner. The only human contact she has before Phoebe comes into the house is with Mr. Holgrave and her brother, Clifford. The people in her community have seen her as bad-tempered, scowling, and reclusive, and she has come to believe them. As a result, she removes herself from the world, choosing not to interact with other people. She does this out of fear that the people she meets will treat her badly, as if she were bad-tempered, scowling, and reclusive. She also does it out of pride. The Pyncheon family is part of the landed gentry of old. They must not mix with the commoners.
Consistent with her melancholy, lonely personality, Hepzibah is very hesitant. She finds comfort and security in routine, and doesn't wish to disturb it. When Phoebe comes to the house, Hepzibah welcomes her warmly, as a cousin should. She offers Phoebe her hospitality and does everything in her power to help her. However, she hesitates to allow Phoebe to stay in her house indefinitely. This hesitancy mainly comes from practical reasons, but she is also afraid of the change that Phoebe's presence would bring. Another instance demonstrating many facets of Hepzibah's personality is her flight upon finding Jaffrey dead. Instead of calling for help and bringing other people to help her, she takes her brother Clifford and simply leaves. She's afraid of what will be said about her, afraid that justice will not prevail, and she is also afraid simply of the task of interacting with other people.
Hepzibah's shyness makes her difficult to understand, but she has many good traits if one cares enough to see them. She is good-hearted, and has nothing but goodwill for the customers of her cent-shop, though she is afraid of them and they are afraid of her. She has a perpetual scowl on her face, not from any ill temper, but from the unfortunate circumstance of being near-sighted. Page 36 says this about her heart, though she is always frowning: "But her heart never frowned. It was naturally tender, [and] sensitive...." Her hospitality is evidence as well of her good heart. Although she describes Mr. Holgrave's friends as disreputable, and she suspects him of illegal activity, she willingly allows him to remain her boarder, and harbors no ill will towards him.
Another distinct virtue of Hepzibah's personality is her loyalty. She is entirely devoted to caring for her brother, recently released from prison. Although he treats her with disdain, her primary aim remains to make him as comfortable and happy as she possibly can. When we first meet Clifford, it is at breakfast the first day Phoebe arrives. Hepzibah is visibly upset and nervous about whether or not he will be pleased and contented by the breakfast, but she makes her utmost effort to effect his comfort. She knows that "he always liked bright faces" and "could never abide tears" (page 94) so she tells Phoebe to smile and be cheerful, and she herself almost hides from him, as not to upset him with her face, which is neither bright nor cheerful. She is willing to put Clifford's comfort before her own.
I don't identify fully with any of the characters of The House of the Seven Gables, but Hepzibah is the best fit, I think. I can certainly identify with her shyness. We both are afraid of people and develop very small circles of close friends. I can also identify with her loyalty. I care very deeply for my friends and would do anything to make them happy, like Hepzibah would do anything for her brother Clifford. I'm willing to overlook people's faults and give them the benefit of the doubt, as Hepzibah did for Mr. Holgrave.
There are some facets of Hepzibah's personality with which I don't identify. If I had been in Hepzibah's position and had been forced to open a cent-shop, I believe I would have thrown myself into it. I would have been excited for the change, for something new to do. I am not nearly as dependent on routine as she is. When I discovered Judge Jaffrey dead in the old Pyncheon's office, I would have first screamed very loudly. Then I would definitely have gone to get someone to help me. I would never have run away; I would be too frightened that they would assume my flight meant I had killed him. I can't identify with her family pride, likely because I'm not from a proud, aristocratic family and don't live in an awesome house with cool architecture. But I can still identify with Hepzibah much more closely than I can with any of the other characters. Phoebe is too perfect; Mr. Holgrave is too secretive; Clifford is too feeble and particular; Jaffrey is too cruel. Hepzibah is my favorite character of all of them, and the one I think I'm most like.
