Nathaniel Hawthorne and House of Seven Gables

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables there is a comical contrast between the meaning of the name "Hepzibah" and the odd old maid who bears it. The name is taken from the Old Testament; it means "my delight is in her" (Strong 42). Hawthorne's character? however? is anything but delightful and is known far and wide for her perpetual scowl? which frightens children and irritates adults.

The name appears twice in the Old Testament? once in II Kings 21:1? where a passing reference is made to a Hepzibah as being the mother of King Manasseh. It occurs again in Isaiah 62:4? where the city of Jerusalem is called Hepzibah. A close reading demonstrates that Hawthorne has skillfully interwoven several aspects of this passage into his novel? thus making the prophet's declaration not only a prophecy of the city but also of the woman:

For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace?

And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest?

Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness?

And her salvation as a lamp that burns?

The Gentiles shall see your righteousness?

And all kings your glory

You shall be called by a new name

Which the mouth of the Lord will name.

You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord

And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

You shall no longer be termed Forsaken?

Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate;

But you shall be called Hephzibah? and your land Beulah;

For the Lord delights in you?

And your land shall be married.

For as a young man marries a virgin?

So shall your sons marry you;

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride?

So shall your God rejoice over you.

(Isaiah 62:1-5? New King James Version)

An understanding of the historical context can give us an appreciation for what is going on in the passage. In 587 B.C.? the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and its inhabitants carried off to Babylon (Harrison 808). In 538 B.C.? with the emergence of the Persian empire? King Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return to their homeland and to restore their country (Harrison 343-44). The city referred to in the passage is the one that existed between the two dates; she is a forsaken wasteland waiting for the return of her captives. The prophet expresses faith that God will make Jerusalem's future much brighter than her present.

At the beginning of The House of the Seven Gables? Hawthorne's Hepzibah? like Jerusalem? is described as forsaken and desolate. True? she lives in a mansion and is a member of a prestigious family? but that mansion is in a state of decay? and her family (at least her branch of it) no longer commands the respect it once did. Hawthorne describes her as a woman who? for over a quarter of a century? "has dwelt in strict seclusion; taking no part in the business of life? and just as little in its intercourse and pleasures" (31). Her financial condition is also precarious. She has already been forced to ...