The House of the Seven Gables · Chapter
XII: The Daguerreotypist explained
Phoebe finds freedom from the oppressive Pyncheon house in walks and errands, while Clifford's demands exhaust him early.
What happens
Phoebe finds freedom from the oppressive Pyncheon house in walks and errands, while Clifford's demands exhaust him early. She grows more thoughtful and womanly. Her frequent companion is the daguerreotypist Holgrave, who in the garden speaks passionately against the tyranny of the Past, calling it a dead weight on the Present. He reveals his literary ambitions and offers to read a story based on Pyncheon family history.
Themes in this chapter
The Past vs. the Present
Holgrave's central speech condemns the dead hand of the Past, which he says lies on the Present like a giant's corpse, enslaving the living.
Inherited Sin and Guilt
Holgrave links the Pyncheon family's present misery to the original sin of Colonel Pyncheon, whose image and character persist in Judge Pyncheon.
Isolation and Community
Phoebe's need to escape the house's oppressive atmosphere highlights the isolating effects of the Pyncheon legacy; her friendship with Holgrave offers a counterbalance.
Characters to notice
- Phoebe Pyncheon
Grows less girlish and more womanly; seeks outside activities to avoid the house's decay; interacts frequently with Holgrave.
- Clifford Pyncheon
Exhausted by daily life, retires early; his presence drains Phoebe's vitality.
- Hepzibah Pyncheon
Described as a kind of lunatic from long imprisonment in the house, with one bitter sense of wrong.
- Holgrave
Speaks earnestly against the Past; reveals he writes stories for magazines; reads a legend about the Pyncheon family.
- Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon
Referenced as the living image of the old Colonel, perpetuating the family's wretched inheritance.
- Colonel Pyncheon
Mentioned as the original founder of the house and the source of the family curse.
Key passages
“Shall we never, never get rid of this Past? It lies upon the Present like a giant's dead body!”
Holgrave asks if humanity can ever escape the burden of history, which he compares to a corpse weighing down the living.
Holgrave's passionate critique of the Past's influence on the Present.
“We live in dead men's houses; as, for instance, in this of the Seven Gables!”
Holgrave points out that people inhabit homes built by the dead, using the Pyncheon house as an example.
Illustrates the theme of the Past vs. the Present.
“I have put an incident of the Pyncheon family history, with which I happen to be acquainted, into the form of a legend, and mean to publish it in a magazine.”
Holgrave tells Phoebe he has written a story based on a Pyncheon family event and plans to publish it.
Foreshadows the upcoming legend of Alice Pyncheon.