Introduction
The Portrait of a Lady is one of Henry James’ best novels. In the book, James addresses the conflict between the spirit of independence and social norms. Throughout the book, James uses America and Europe as symbols of these qualities. Precisely, he uses America as a symbol of innocence and individualism. On the other hand, he portrays Europe as the centre of sophistication and social conventions. James uses a character, Isabel Archer, who is initially naïve, especially while in America, but goes through a drastic transformation.
The transformation makes her go against her principles. She believes in the independence of thoughts and disregards all the social conventions because they disagree with most of her principles. According to her, a woman does not need a man to survive. When her boyfriend, Casper Goodwood, proposes to her, she does not accept. She tells him that she needs time to tour the world with her aunt before making a decision about marriage. She knows that accepting the proposal would please Goodwood but would hurt her.
Therefore, James’ main theme in this book is the need for independence in decision-making. He chooses to discuss this theme by juxtaposing the behaviour Americans to the trends in Europe. Europe drives Isabel into disregarding her principles. When she goes to Europe, she becomes subservient to men and other social conventions. Before going to Europe, she was strongly against the subservience.
She marries Gilbert Osmond, whose intentions are to use her as a stepping stone to getting wealth. This marriage symbolises her preference for subservience as opposed to her previous love for independence. Her friend Henrietta also undergoes a transformation. She agrees with the social convention that requires every woman to have a man. She marries Mr. Bantling, disregarding her previous insistence that a woman does not need a man to survive.
Osmond and Merle’s materialism symbolises social decadence in Europe. The two lure Isabel into marrying Osmond with the purpose of accessing her wealth. Merle pretends to be Isabel’s best friend. She advises Isabel to marry Osmond. She does not tell her that Osmond is her husband. She also lies to her that Pansy’s mother died during childbirth. However, Isabel discovers all these lies but does not leave her husband.
She prefers following the social conventions at the expense of her independence. The conflict between her independence and social conventions comes out when Osmond denies her permission to visit her ailing cousin, Ralph Touchett. She decides to disobey him and goes without his permission. After her cousin’s funeral, she contemplates running away with her first lover, Mr. Goodwood. However, she opts to remain subservient to social conventions and goes back to her husband, Gilbert Osmond.
The Authorial Intentions in the Handling of the Main Theme in the Portrait of a Lady
Henry James grew up in the United States of America. He later moved to England, where he wrote books that criticised America for not participating in the First World War. After many years of study, James began identifying America with naivety and independence. On the other hand, associated Europe with social decadence, suppression of other people’s rights and retrogressive social conventions. Most of his works contain these arguments.
In The Portrait of a Lady, he uses both the US and Europe as symbols of independence and retrogressive social conventions, respectively. Using them depicts his belief in that status of affairs in real life. Therefore, he uses characters from both places. The characters behave and think differently about issues such as marriage and wealth. He portrays his European characters as materialistic. Most of them analyse the status of their suitors before accepting to marry them. When Isabel goes to Europe, Ralph tries to prevent her from selecting a partner basing on his possession. He convinces his father to give her part of his wealth. However, Osmond and Merle plot to take Isabel’s wealth. They organise a marriage between Osmond and Isabel with the purpose of getting the right to share her wealth. Osmond is not in love with her. He just wants to use her as a tool for making wealth.
The materialism among the Europeans is also evident in Osmond’s rejection of Rosier as Pansy’s suitor. Instead, he prefers Lord Warburton because he is rich. According to him, Rosier is a mere collector of arts and does not have a good social status to marry his daughter. He thinks Lord Warburton is the best husband for his daughter because of his respectable position in society.
Therefore, the use of both the US and Europe as the main settings and symbols in the story helps the author present his arguments about the independence of women without straining. He makes his characters behave differently while in different places to show the difference in their beliefs and values. In the long-run, beliefs have very great effects on the independence of women. Isabel, Henrietta and Pansy lack independence because of the influence of European values. Isabel adopts the belief that every woman needs a man when she moves from America to England.
Previously, she was reluctant to get married because she did not need a man. She relinquishes this belief when she goes to England. She realises the importance of getting married and marries Osmond. Henrietta also refutes her independent spirit and marries Mr Bantling after travelling to Europe. On the other hand, Pansy has always depended on her father’s decisions. She has always been subservient to her father. He never allows her to make decisions. For example, he forces her to marry Lord Warburton because of his position in society and rejects Mr Rosier, as he is only a collector of arts.
James hoped to convince his audience about the need for the independence of women in both the US and Europe. He always thought of Europe as a place where women had no rights. On the other hand, he thought of the US as a place where women have the independence to make decisions. He succeeds in imposing this notion on the readers because of the way his characters behave. He successfully makes the characters in the two places behave differently. He also takes Isabel through a transformation of attitude.
The Importance of the Setting of the Story
James sets his story in both Europe and America. The story begins in the US, where the protagonist, Isabel Archer, is born and raised. She lost her mother and grew up without much parental support since her father did not give much attention to her needs. This setting helps the reader to understand how Isabel acquired her independent spirit. It also helps bring out the treatment of women in the US.
When her father’s dies, her aunt, Mrs Touchett, takes her to England, where materialism and disregard for women are very common. Later, she moves to Rome, the centre of European sophistication at the time. The further she moves from America, the less independent she becomes. She allows her husband, Osmond, to take over her life completely. Therefore, the setting helps highlight the effect of the beliefs in different parts of the world on various characters. The different places are very crucial in the transformation of the attitudes of the characters.
Conclusion
The Portrait of a Lady looks at the treatment of women in America and Europe. The comparison aims at highlighting Henry James’ notion that America allows women to make their choices regarding almost everything, while Europeans consider women as items. James also believes that Americans are innocent and democratic, while Europeans are sophisticated and dictatorial. This notion is evident throughout the book. The character he uses to behave differently while in the two places. Many of them undergo transformations when they move from America to Europe.
They quickly emulate the European treatment of women. However, the situation in the two continents is not the same as what it was when James wrote the book in the 19th century. The situation is different, as many people today consider America as the centre of sophistication, and Europe only tries to catch up with the progress in America. In their sophistication, the Americans have prioritised women’s rights, unlike Europe at the time Henry James wrote The Portrait of a Lady.