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Peter Niles
Hazel Niles is Peter Niles’s sister and Orin Mannon’s love interest. Due to her friendly demeanor and her youthful naivete, Hazel is often held up by both Orin and Christine as a model of the innocence many of the other characters no longer possess. Orin even affectionately compares Hazel to the “lost island” he so idealizes. Though Hazel and Lavinia have a close friendship at the beginning of the trilogy, by the end of The Haunted, Hazel suspects Lavinia of foul play in Orin’s death. Indeed, it is Hazel’s anger—pleading with Lavinia that “in your heart you can’t be dead to all honor and justice”—that ultimately convinces Lavinia to look inward and punish herself, rather than continuing to repeat the Mannon family’s endless cycle of cruelty and harm.
Hazel Niles Quotes in Mourning Becomes Electra
The Mourning Becomes Electra quotes below are all either spoken by Hazel Niles or refer to Hazel Niles. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Hunted: Act 1 Quotes
CHRISTINE—Why can't all of us remain innocent and loving and trusting? But God won't leave us alone. He twists and wrings and tortures our lives with others’ lives until—we poison each other to death! (seeing Hazel’s look, catches herself—quickly) Don't mind what I said! Let's go in, shall we? I would rather wait for Orin inside [...]
ORIN—(as they enter looks eagerly toward the house—then with bitter hurt, disappointment in his tone) Where’s Mother? I thought surely she’d be waiting for me […] God, how I’ve dreamed of coming home! I thought it would never end, that we’d go on murdering and being murdered until no one was left alive! […] But the house looks different. Or is it something in me? […] Did the house always look so ghostly and dead?
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The Haunted: Act 3 Quotes
HAZEL—You don’t want her to marry Peter?
ORIN—No! She can’t have happiness! She’s got to be punished! (suddenly taking her hand—excitedly) And listen, Hazel! You mustn’t love me any more. The only love I can know now is the love of guilt for guilt which breeds more guilt—until you get so deep at the bottom of hell there is no lower you can sink and you rest there in peace!
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Hazel Niles Character Timeline in Mourning Becomes Electra
The timeline below shows where the character Hazel Niles appears in Mourning Becomes Electra. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Homecoming: Act 1
...last several days. At first, Vinnie says she has gone to stay with her friends Hazel and Peter—but Seth knows this is a lie. Vinnie then confesses that she actually went...
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Peter is nervous around Lavinia, and Hazel teases him for having a crush on her. Meanwhile, Hazel is anxious for news from...
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The Hunted: Act 1
Hazel joins Christine on the steps, eager for Orin to arrive. Desperate to avoid Orin falling...
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The Hunted: Act 2
...was involved in the Salem Witch Trials, while his grandfather served in George Washington’s army. Hazel and Peter are sitting on the sofa, fretting about Christine’s distressed state. In the hallway...
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Christine arrives with Orin tailing behind. Though Hazel expresses worry for Christine’s mental state, Christine assures Hazel that having Orin home will be...
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Orin now shifts his focus to Hazel. He is touched by Hazel’s youth and naivete, but he is also envious of it....
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Hazel and Peter head home, and Christine and Orin are left alone together. Orin wonders why...
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The Haunted: Act 1
...the other men discuss whether or not they believe the Mannon house is actually haunted. Hazel and Peter arrive, informing Seth that Lavinia and Orin have just arrived in New York...
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...“there’s been evil in that house since it was first built in hate.” Seth tells Hazel and Peter that they should convince Vinnie and Orin to live somewhere else. Seth goes...
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...Vinnie calms her brother down and reminds him that he will soon get to see Hazel, insisting that they must both start new lives.
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...death only because his grief has confused him. Peter and Vinnie kiss—but as they do, Hazel and Orin appear in the doorway. Orin is outraged to see Vinnie kiss Peter, though...
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The Haunted: Act 2
...sister’s horror) that Vinnie is just waiting for him to die. Now that Orin and Hazel are engaged, Vinnie is constantly hovering around them, terrified that Orin might let something about...
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The Haunted: Act 3
...Mannon family cook (“that’s what we git fur freein’ em!”). Vinnie leaves, and Peter and Hazel enter the study. The two of them debate whether it is healthy for Orin and...
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Peter leaves and Orin enters, holding a big envelope. He presses the envelope into Hazel’s hands, telling Hazel that the day before Vinnie’s wedding to Peter, Hazel needs to give...
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Vinnie walks in, immediately suspecting that Hazel is hiding something. Hazel keeps the envelope behind her back, firmly telling Vinnie that Orin...
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Hazel leaves, and Orin confesses that he loves Lavinia “too much”—sometimes he sees her as a...
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The Haunted: Act 4
...it up with all the portraits inside. As Vinnie waits for Peter to arrive, however, Hazel appears, accusing Lavinia of concealing the truth about her brother’s death. Hazel insists that if...
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...soon as he and Vinnie are married, they will escape this house. Vinnie confesses that Hazel just came to visit, which upsets Peter. In a panic, Vinnie asks Peter if he...
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