How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
"You must take the lead now, Hepzibah!" murmured he, with a torpid and reluctant utterance. "Do with me as you will!" She knelt down upon the platform where they were standing and lifted her clasped hands to the sky. The dull, gray weight of clouds made it invisible; but it was no hour for disbelief, – no juncture this to question that there was a sky above, and an Almighty Father looking from it!
"O God!"—ejaculated poor, gaunt Hepzibah, – then paused a moment, to consider what her prayer should be, – "O God, – our Father, – are we not thy children? Have mercy on us!" (17.50-1)
When Hepzibah has no one else to turn to, she turns to God, an indication of the incredible power religion has in Hepzibah's world. Even though Hepzibah is not an actively practicing Christian, Puritan Massachusetts is so saturated with religion that her roots and habits bear the mark of the Christian faith. What's more, Hepzibah's sudden plea to the sky for help works as a dramatic tool for Hawthorne to emphasize the extreme desperation of Clifford and Hepzibah's situation.