Isabel Archer Character Analysis

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1. Introduction

The end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century brought some revolutionary changes in the world, which affected every segment of people’s lives, including literature and the themes developed in it. Abandoning traditional forms, focusing more on individuals, discussing gender roles, paying attention to women and dealing with some broader, international themes were some of the major characteristics of literature at the time. When discussing British modern novel in the way of emphasising some new ideals and establishing some new views of the world, Henry James is one name inevitable to be mentioned.
Born in America, he became British subject one year before his death, but today we treat him as a …show more content…

Isabel Archer as a Protagonist

At the beginning of the novel, we see Isabel as young, self-confident American girl, who is charming, intelligent and liberal. She is moral and pure, educated mostly by herself and very open-minded. One of the things we can notice very soon is that Isabel is completely aware of all her values. They are numerous, indeed, and she has a reason to be proud of herself, as she is. Although she would often reanalyse herself, her thoughts and deeds, she would always realize at the end she was right and she has nothing to be embarrassed of.
“At moments she discovered she was grotesquely wrong, and then she treated herself to a week of passionate humility. After this she held her head higher than ever again; for it was of no use, she had an unquenchable desire to think well of herself.” And it was not only she who thought so high about her merits. It is said she “possessed finer mind than most of the person among whom her lot was cast” and that “among her contemporaries she passed for a young woman of extraordinary profundity”. This trait of her character was like a double-edged sword, since it was what would enchant people the most when they would meet her, and they appreciated her for it, but we can also say it was this very characteristic that made her life so miserable later. Her inability to give up on her ideas, her thoughts and beliefs are things that made her so unhappy later in life, being unable to change them and turn the new page. “It …show more content…

He is a man of very strong personality and resolute will, a man of action, persevering his wish to marry Isabel until the end. His appearance is somewhat strong and stiff, while his fixed blue eyes are not something a woman can resist. We can immediately imagine him as a serious man, practical, manlike, with his feet firmly on the ground who knows what he wants and is not willing to give up on it so easy. Isabel calls him “stubborn fact” since she feels she can never escape his presence. “Though she admires his power, his integrity and seriousness, she is, nevertheless, irritated by his looks and manners.” What Isabel in fact objects to is that Caspar Goodwood lack naturalness, ease, grace; being the most important features for her. But what seems to be Isabel’s greatest problem about Caspar Goodwood is that kind of sense of his power and strength he possesses, and her feeling that he overpowers her and renders her less independent. It is said that “the force of his personality makes her feel less comfortable in his presence, for he seems to limit her sense of freedom.” So, it is again the matter of freedom what bothers her, and she is ready to go so far not to marry ever just in order to protect

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