Members
Login
Sign Up!!!
Categories
Arts
Business
Custom Research
Economics
Film
Foreign
Government and Law
History
Literature
Medical
Miscellaneous
People
Personal Essays
Philosophy
Psychology
Science and Technology

Support
FAQ
Customer Service
Site Search

     Home Customer Service Acceptable Use Policy Site Search

     Enter Search Topic:
 

Already a member? Go here to log in and view the entire paper!

Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Join Now!
by: Online Check
Membership Benefits

Henry James's Washington Square

This is an excerpt from the paper...

Henry James's short novel Washington Square presents the story of Catherine, a young woman who lives with her father, a doctor, and who is dependent on him for her livelihood. Her story represents the plight of women in the nineteenth century, dependent on men and able to escape from one situation only if they find another man to take care of them. The woman had less choice in this matter in the nineteenth century than women do today. Her choices were limited first by social standing and economic realities, and second by decisions made by the paternal figure watching over her before she was betrothed. The novel addresses gender issues James saw in his own time and suggests that women should be given greater freedom. Catherine becomes stronger in the course of the novel, and though she remains alone, she has made a choice that is entirely her own, asserting her right to decide how she will live her own life.

The man who courts her is an opportunist, but he is also representative of his time, a man who takes a view of women that was prevalent in the nineteenth century. The role of women in nineteenth-century society was largely subordinate to the male and was also limited to the household to a very great degree. Middle- and upper-class women had an ideal for women, and the perfect woman was one who was devoted to the care and attention of her husband and children. For the unmarried woman, such devotion was to be directed toward a good cause serving the community. So

. . .
is not. His cruelty is constant, including direct verbal assaults on both women, but he has much more power than they in the patriarchal society in which they live: If his daughter and sister do not do as he wishes, he can disinherit them. Homelessness and poverty are very real possibilities for both Lavinia and Catherine in the world they inhabit, the Washington Square home governed by a domineering father whose idea of child-rearing is shaped by the idea of obedience (Goldfarb 44). Catherine's role in this world is determined from birth by the disappointment of her father, for Catherine "was an infant of a sex which rendered the poor child, to the Doctor's sense, an inadequate substitute for his lamented first-born, of whom he had promised himself to make an admirable man" (James 5). Of course, his definition of an admirable man would continue the same prejudices against women--in some ways, Dr. Sloper is not that different from Townsend except in the pride he takes in his own accomplishment. For his part, Townsend sees women as no more than objects to be used for his own needs, both sexual and financial. He seeks out women who can provide him with the funds he needs to live in the manner he prefers. Marriage for hi
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dr Sloper, Washington Square, Virginia Woolf, Townsend Sloper, Sloper Townsend, Catherine James's, Bartley Loxton, Weir Mitchell, Reskin Padavic, Women Catherine, washington square, dr sloper, course novel, nineteenth century, life james, change course novel, choice matter, view women, catherine change, women nineteenth, change course, catherine change course, women nineteenth century, world compete resources,
Approximate Word count = 2190
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Henry James Washington Square

Washington Square 2297 words
Catherine in ampquotWashington Squareampquot 2297 words
Henry James 3037 words
Depiction of Women in Fiction 2950 words
Interpretations of King Lear To hav 1768 words
Interpretations of King Lear To hav 1799 words
Modernist European Literary Fiction 4591 words
Jewish Contributions in the America Civil War 4967 words
Jewish Contributions in the America Civil War Thi 4967 words
Capital Punishment from a Philosophical Perspective 5962 words
Membership Benefits
Click here to Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check






to Over 32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
 


All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright © 2009 LotsOfEssays.com
All rights reserved. Webmasters make $$$ NEW