"Without such purposes, on her part, and unconsciously on his, she made the House of the Seven Gables like a home to him, and the garden a familiar precinct."
-The House of the Seven Gables
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The dictionary.com definition of "home" is "a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household." However, Hawthorne mean much more than that Phoebe provided a place for Holgrave to dwell. Hawthorne means that Phoebe made the House of the Seven Gables pleasant to be in. This is a connotation; Hawthorne uses it to emphasize the growing relatinship between Holgrave and Phoebe. Generally a home houses family and memories, Phoebe was making their dwelling place reminiscent of this kind of home, where one feels one belongs. Hawthrone is also foreshadowing the time when Holgrave and Phoebe ultimately do share a home, as they become man and wife.
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