“She thinks she knows a great deal of it [the world]-like most American girls; but like most American girls she's ridiculously mistaken,” said Lydia Touchett, a character in Henry James's novel The Portrait of a Lady, when she described her niece, Isabel Archer (56). Throughout this novel James wrote Ms. Archer as an extremely dynamic character, he allowed for the reader to feel as if they stood next to her in her best times and her worst and through all the obstacles she encountered and all the experiences that matured her. He used his connotation in a way that vividly illustrated what occurred and created a tone that developed and changed, and in doing so James was able to brilliantly depict Isabel Archer maturing from a young naive American …show more content…
She took the input of others for granted and relied too much on her own limited knowledge of the world. “Isabel was probably very liable to the sin of self-esteem; she often surveyed with complacency the field of her own nature; she was in the habit of taking for granted, on scanty evidence, that she was right,” (James 63-64). She was very conscious of who she was before her marriage, she was so used to being right that when her family offered her advice that she was not in favor of she completely disregarded it. Isabel knew what she wanted and had a strong belief that her knowledge would never steer her wrong, but the deterioration of her marriage was destroying her. Isabel lost much of her confidence in her choices and lost sight of who she was, she became cynical, “her humor had lately turned a good deal to sarcasm,” the complete opposite of the young optimistic girl the reader had come to know, she had lost her naivety and greatly matured (James 429). Isabel showed her maturity by standing by her choices until the very end of the novel, and slowly gaining the courage to choose her responsibilities over her happiness. Her internal debate peaked and concluded after she fled to England where she ultimately came to the realization that before she could be truly happy she had to resolve what she left in Rome, she had responsibilities and would no longer flee from
Jane Austen composes the main protagonist, Elizabeth, as a mature and haste thinker with the purpose of juxtaposing Lydia's brashness and lack of foresight. The most obvious place that Austen instills this juxtaposition is when the author presents readers with a comparison between the events leading up to Lydia's marriage, to those of Elizabeth, readers find that Austen crafts Lydia
In the book Chains there is a girl named Isabel who is a slave fighting for her freedom. Isabel’s story of fighting for freedom is parallel with the nation's story because they both are running away from something, they both have many obstacles to overcome, and they both are on the losing side of the battle.
Isabel has many character traits, but to narrow it down, I found three well traits that describe her. One trait would be that she is very stubborn. In the beginning of the story, after Isabel and Curzon reunited with Ruth again, Isabel became overprotective of Ruth. She was stubborn, and wouldn’t let Ruth go anywhere without someone with her. Although she is stubborn, there is a reason on why she is that way with Ruth. It is because she doesn't want to lose her again. In the middle of the book when Isabel and Ruth went to the camp to help out, Isabel showed a few ways she was stubborn. One example would be that she wouldn’t let Curzon’s friends tag along with them to hear what they were discussing, and she was too stubborn to let Curzon “kiss” her so that his friends would stop bugging him. In the end of the book, when Curzon came back wounded from the victorious battle, Isabel showed her trait of stubborn again. She wouldn’t let Curzon get up and do things like his daily work because she made him rest and heal. This shows there are many times in the book that shows her actions that prove her trait of being stubborn.
In the historical fiction novel Chains by Laurie Anderson, it depicts the hardships one had to face while living during the revolutionary war. Imagine how hard it would be to be living in a society where people are constantly changing their points of views and no one cares about you. In this novel you will meet a brave young girl who had to endure suffering in all aspects of her life. All in all, Anderson depicts how thought it was to be a slave and endure all the suffering you have to go through constantly.
During the times times of when the founding fathers lived, the slaves they brought in suffered from the chains on their hands and being dragged by their owners. In the book, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist, Isabel, is one of those slaves. She was taken away from her home and was sold with her family when she was only 1 year old. Curzon is a slave who fights for the patriots in order to gain his freedom. Isabel and Curzon are bound by their chains from their lives. Even as their experiences may be different, they share many chains events that bind them together. This is shown through their scars, their quest for freedom, and their imprisonment.
Isabel fails many of her escape attempts. Mattie and Isabel both react to a female that has authority over them; they also show feelings for a younger female. However they have contrasting work ethics.
Often, protagonists have more in common with antagonists than originally believed upon the introduction of a novel. Revealing a character in his entirety takes time. Such is the way In Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter. Welty portrays Fay and Laurel very differently in their relationships with the Judge; however, upon further examination, Fay and Laurel do have striking similarities regarding their out-of-place lives in Mount Salus without the Judge.
The 1700’s was a time of atrocious actions against slaves, and African-Americans in general. In Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, we see some of these crimes, (at the time these horrible acts were perfectly acceptable along with hitting you wife as seen when Mr. Lockton violently hit Madam), against slaves in the viewpoint of Isabel, a thirteen-year-old girl who had not experienced the tribulations most slaves had. One heinous crime in the novel when Madam beat harshly her many slaves with her hands, a chair, a poker, a broom, and even a riding crop throughout the book causing a great deal of suffering to all slaves who came into her possession. In fact, Madam beat one of her slaves so severally, the poor slave’s arm broke and withered out
This is all expressed through Freud’s idea that “the whole conduct of our life is constantly influenced by subconscious ideas” (UI 223) which represents the superego in Lady Audley attempting to comply to social standards. These “ideas are…active” (UN Ideas 222) in women because they are constantly trying to overcome this sense of inferiority they possess towards men. The feelings adjust women’s superegos because they are constantly trying to find a balance between their desires and their duties to serve their husbands. Lady Audley is clever in how she displays herself as the perfect woman, but another aspect of her that she unconsciously utilizes in her favor is her beauty. Lady Audley is endlessly told that she is beautiful and is referred to as “the prettiest little creature you ever saw in your life” (Braddon 53) by many, therefore “she was so used to admiration from everyone” (Braddon 13).
“‘I prefer [Isabel] branded with the letter I for ‘Insolence.’ It will alert people to her tendencies and serve as a reminder of her weakness,’” (145). According to Madam Lockton, Isabel’s branding will symbolize Isabel’s weakness, but for Isabel it means something else. “I traced the I with my finger tip,” (286). “This is my county mark. I did not ask for it, but I would carry it as Poppa carried his. It made me his daughter. I made me strong. [...] This mark stands for Isabel,” (286). Rather than allowing herself be a victim of Madam’s cruelty, Isabel found strength in her mark. Her I no longer stood for ‘Insolence,’ but for ‘Isabel.’ Isabel connected her mark to her father's, untimely changing the original symbol of ‘weakness’ to ‘strength,’ relating it to her father and her ancestors. Madam’s mark helped Isabel find who she really was, “[s]he cannot chain my soul,”
His image was formerly of the utmost importance to him: he arrived late to the Opera because it was “the thing” to do (Wharton 4) and “few things [seemed to him] more awful than an offense against ‘Taste’” (Wharton 12). When Ellen, the black sheep of the Mingott family, made an appearance at the Opera, Archer at first becomes annoyed that this “strange foreign woman” was attracting negative attention to the box of his betrothed, May Welland, and agrees with fellow high society onlooker, Sillerton Jackson, that the Mingotts should not have “tried it on” (Wharton 10). But, upon spending time with Ellen, Archer’s pretentiousness begins to dull and his self-alienation from the rules of society begins. During a dinner with Sillerton Jackson, Archer defends Ellen and even goes so far as to say that “Women ought to be free – as free as we are,” though he was painfully aware of the “terrific consequences” his words could bring (Wharton 34).
This quote exemplifies the inequalities faced by women during this time period through the sexist remark made by Tom Buchanan. It also highlights Jordan Baker’s desire for freedom as it illuminates her lifestyle. Written in the same year as the passing of the 19th amendment, Edith Wharton’s ‘The Age of Innocence’ shows the desire for female freedom in the 1870s. During this time period women were expected to continue with the ideals of Republican Motherhood that arose after the Revolutionary War, and continued until the First World War. However, in ‘The Age of Innocence’ the character of Ellen Olenska exemplifies the desire for freedom often supressed and repressed by the women held captive within the society: “‘Does no one want to know the truth here, Mr. Archer? The real loneliness is living among all these kind of people who only ask one to pretend!’” . Ellen Olenska wishes to find freedom in the truth, but is constricted by the illimitable untruth of American freedom. The characters of Ellen Olenska and Jordan Baker a common theme within American Literature: the desire to find freedom. However, neither character is able to find the freedom that they
Isabel is looking at the books when the polite bookstore possessor looks at her and realizes that she is an educated slave. He calls her over and gives her a patriotic book called Common Sense. “This is for you. Don’t let your mistress see it” (230). He knows he will be in huge trouble if anyone finds out he gave her the book because he is determined. “He raised his finger to his lips in a last warning. ‘Shhhhhh’” (231)! This also shows that he knows there could be extreme consequences to this action but he does it because he is devoted to his cause. The young bookstore owner shows a colossal amount of courage like a lion in this
This article analyzes the way Austen portrays women in her novels. Kruger mentions that Jane Austen’s work is often deprived by the
At the beginning of the Victorian Period, both single and married women’s rights were limited. The changes during this era in the identity of genders are represented in the characters the author Wilkie Collins describes. For example, Marian Halcombe is characterized as strong and predominant. She is Laura’s voice when regarding to her husband and protects her throughout the story. Although Marian knows her role as a woman in society, she disapproves with the beliefs of the era. On the other hand, Laura personalizes the conventional quiet woman that obeys customs. To emphasize this, in Collin’s novel, he lets the reader know that Laura is marrying the man that her father approved even though he is now dead. When she marries, her rights legally belong to her husband and is treated with the laws and customs of the Victorian era. Throughout this period, the distinction between classes was also notable. Comparatively, The Woman in White presents how the middle class as Laura and her uncle refer to the working class, Fanny the maid. Even though Fanny has always been their maid and is the only person they trust, they only communicate with her at their convenience. Moreover, Mr. Fairlie does not even call the maid by her name, but refers to her as “Young Person”. Certainly, the Victorian Period was a significant impact in the novel where