Summary — Chapter 3: The First Customer
The shop’s first visitor is actually the Pyncheon house’s
only lodger, Holgrave, a young man of twenty-two who makes daguerreotypes, an
early kind of photograph. Holgrave gently chides Hepzibah for being
so worried about losing her dignity, saying that now she will become
a “woman” rather a “lady.” Hepzibah’s decision to begin working,
Holgrave continues, means she is “lending [her] strength . . . to
the united struggle of mankind. This is success …!” Hepzibah resists
this interpretation, but Holgrave claims that in their modern world
the title of “lady” is more of a restriction than a privilege. Holgrave
asks for some biscuits, which makes him Hepzibah’s first customer,
but as he is her lodger she gives them to him freely. Hepzibah then
overhears a conversation between two workers. They are surprised
to see her shop open and discuss her business prospects quite openly
in front of her. One points out that better shops can be found on
every street corner, while the other adds that his own wife actually
lost money by trying to start a shop. As they walk off, Hepzibah
frets over their assertions that she will probably fail.
Hepzibah is even more concerned, however, with the casual
way that the workmen discuss her painful fall from dignity. She
finds their frank conversation about the mechanics of her fall mortifying, and
she is especially offended by the way that what is so important to
her is of only passing interest to the two workmen. The shop bell rings
again, and in walks a small boy, who asks for a gingerbread man.
Hepzibah, who appears to have a low opinion of her own goods, thinks
its wrong to take a child’s pocket money for a piece of stale baking,
so she gives him the cookie for free. Five minutes later, however,
the small boy returns for another cookie. This time Hepzibah, having
overcome her disdain for pocket change, takes his money. Now that
her day has begun to pick up, Hepzibah begins to feel better about
opening up her shop. Throughout the day, she experience brief uplifting
moments, and things begin to look better. Several more customers
come through, and most of them are quite grouchy. Unable to keep
up her good spirits, Hepzibah begins to worry again that the shop
will ruin her. When a wealthy woman walks by, Hepzibah wonders bitterly
what use such people serve, then instantly feels guilty about her
bitter sentiments.
Summary — Chapter 4: A Day Behind the Counter
As the day wears on, an elderly gentleman walks by the
house. With his cane and fine clothes, he is clearly someone of
importance. The man peers into the newly reopened shop window and
frowns briefly. When he sees Hepzibah, the man smiles, nods at her,
and moves on. She recognizes the man as Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon,
a wealthy cousin who has built a house for himself just outside
of town. Hepzibah is visited by “Uncle Venner,” an elderly man who
is known around the neighborhood as something of a character. Uncle
Venner is pleased to see that Hepzibah is working, and he stops
to offer her advice on shop-keeping. He assures her that the days
of minding a store will probably only be temporary and that “[s]omething
still better will turn up for you.” The statement inspires Hepzibah
to dream up many fantasies of sudden, untold wealth. Venner also
asks whether an unnamed “he” will return soon, and adds that everyone
in the village has been speaking of “him.” After Venner leaves,
the rest of the day does not go particularly smoothly for Hepzibah.
She has trouble concentrating on helping her customers and getting
the specific items they want.
Just as she closes her shop, an omnibus arrives and stops
in front of the house. A girl hops out and knocks on the door, and
Hepzibah realizes that it is Phoebe, a young Pyncheon family “offshoot”
who has come to visit, unaware that her letter, sent in advance,
never arrived at the house of the seven gables. Hepzibah decides
to let her in, but tells her that she can only stay one night because
she might disturb Clifford.
Analysis — Chapters 3–4
Between Holgrave, the workmen, and the wealthy lady, Chapter 3 features
a varied sampling of New England society. We learn a great deal
about the society’s class and social structure from the way Hepzibah
interacts with her fellow villagers. The young Holgrave, a daguerreotypist
by profession, is something of an early bohemian, defined entirely
by his personality rather than by his money. (Daguerreotype was
an early form of photography.) Holgrave represents a new kind of
socially mobile New Englander, one who can interact comfortably
with the snobbish Hepzibah but certainly does not meet the criteria
necessary to be considered a gentleman. The workmen, however, have
little connection to Hepzibah’s world. Where her house is somber
and grave, the banter between the workers is Hawthorne’s equivalent
of comic relief. They openly discuss their financial success and
their wives, whereas Hepzibah seems to see both money and romantic
relationships as taboo topics. In spite of herself, however, Hepzibah
begins to see life through the eyes of her profession, as evidenced
by her scorn for the wealthy lady. That Hepzibah wonders aloud what
such people contribute to the world indicates that she no longer
sees herself as being in the same social category as the wealthy
woman. In her descent from haughty aristocrat to embittered shopwoman,
Hepzibah becomes a powerful symbol of the importance of money in
determining New England social status.
Both Uncle Venner and Judge Pyncheon are introduced to
us in this chapter, and the way they are first presented provides
clues about the roles they will play in the novel. Uncle Venner
is immediately recognizable as a colorful neighborhood character.
He is so uncontroversial a character that he even helps the author
along: after offering Hepzibah sound advice, Uncle Venner alludes
to the fact that a certain “he” is expected home, allowing Hawthorne
to alert us that something is in the works without breaking the
pattern of his narrative. Judge Pyncheon is a mysterious figure,
and Hawthorne’s approach underscores the fact that the Judge’s appearance may
well be deceiving. Hepzibah’s dour response to the man’s good-natured
smile signals that his outward kindness may mask something less
pleasant. Hepzibah’s final observation connecting the Judge to the
deceased Colonel Pyncheon adds an ominous note to this initial depiction
of the Judge.
