The present inhabitants of the Pyncheon
mansion, who are among the worst sufferers, are Hepzibah Pyncheon and her
brother Clifford. Hawthorne's pages contain nothing more pathetic than the
picture of helplessness presented by these two innocent souls, bearing a
burden of crime not their own. The brightness of the story comes through
the simple, joyous, home-making nature of Phoebe Pyncheon. She it is who
can bring a smile to Clifford's face and can attract custom to Hepzibah's
cent shop. Hawthorne never loses sight of his purpose. The curse finds its
last victim, and the whole story is a slow preparation for this event. The
scenes, however, in which Phoebe, that "fair maker of sunshine," reigns as
queen, are so peaceful and attractive, the cent shop, which Hepzibah is
forced to open for support, offers so many opportunities for comic as well
as pathetic incidents, and the outcome of the story is so satisfactory that
it is the brightest of all Hawthorne's long romances.
In _The Marble Faun_, Hawthorne's last complete romance, the Puritan
problem of sin is transplanted to Italian soil. The scene is laid in Rome,
where the art of Michael Angelo and Raphael, the secret orders of the
Church, the tragic history of the eternal city, with its catacombs and
ruins, furnish a rich and varied background for the story.
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