贵妇人画像英语论文

　 TheAnalysisofCausesofIsabel’sTragicMarriageinThePortraitofaLady试析《贵妇人的画像》中伊莎贝尔悲剧婚姻的原因二○一三年四月十五日iTheAnalysisofCausesofIsabel’sTragicMarriagein The Portrait of a LadybyiiAcknowledgementsIamparticularlyindebtedtomyinstructorMrs.Wangforguidingmetofinishmygraduationpaper.I wouldlike tothankallhergreatconcernandenthusiasticsupport.Withthepurposeoffinishingthegraduationpaper inaprofessionalway, Mrs.Wanginstructsmewithherprofoundknowledge and teachingexperience.iiiAbstractHenry James is one of the greatest American writers in the 19th century and he enjoyedpopularityallovertheworld.HisearlymasterpieceThePortraitofaLadywasverypopularafteritspublication.ThisnovelmainlyillustratestheheroineIsabel’stragictransnationalmarriageandthismarriagetragedyisdifferentfromothertraditionalones.It’sIsabel’sownchoicethatleadstoher tragic fate. While studying the novel, we can have a better understanding of the authorHenryJames’ownvaluestowardsmarriageandwecangettoknowthewomen’slivingsituationinthe19thcentury.ThisthesistriestoanalyzeIsabel’stragedyfromtheobjectiveandsubjectivecauses.Theobjectivecausesarethewomen’slowerstatus,socialcontradictionbetweenloveandmoney,new and old cultural shock and other roles’impacts. The subjective cause mainly analyzesthedefectsinIsabel’sowncharacter.Throughthestudyofthissubject,wecannotonlygettoknowHenryJames’valuesandhisoriginalintentionofwritingthisnovelwell,butalsounderstandthemarriage of women in 19thcenturyKey Wor ds: The Portrait of a Lady; Tragic Marriage; Social Factors; Character Defectsiv摘要亨利·詹姆斯是十九世纪一位知名的美国作家，在全世界享有很高的声誉。他的早期杰作《贵妇人的画像》出版后受到很多读者的欢迎。小说主要阐述了女主人公伊莎贝尔的跨国婚姻悲剧，这起婚姻悲剧不同于其他的传统婚姻悲剧，主要是因为伊莎贝尔自己的选择而导致的。通过这部小说，我们可以探讨作者亨利·詹姆斯的婚姻观以及当时十九世纪女性的生活现状。本文试从客观和主观两方面来探讨伊莎贝尔悲剧婚姻的原因。客观原因主要从女性当时较低的社会地位、金钱与爱情之间的社会矛盾、新旧社会的文化撞击以及其他角色的影响来分析。主观原因主要分析了女主人公伊莎贝尔自身的性格缺陷。通过研究，我们不仅可以更好地理解作者的婚姻观以及创作这本小说的初衷，而且也可以进一步了解当时社会的女性婚姻现状。关键词：《贵妇的画像》;悲剧婚姻;社会原因;性格缺陷>vContentsviIntroductionHenryJamesisoneofthegreatestwritersin19thcentury,whosenovelsarefamiliartothereaders. James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence thatwritersbeallowedthegreatestpossiblefreedominpresentingtheirviewoftheworld.Meanwhile,Henry focused his attention upon the conflict between American and European culture, andhisearly masterpiece The Portrait of a Lady is a case in point. The book enjoyed great fame afterbeingpublished. In the novel, the heroine Isabel has been a focus since she was created. Hence itismeaningfultoanalyzeHenry’sviewsandThePortraitofalady.Viewsvaryfrompersontoperson,sothisthesistries to give a detailedanalysisofIsabel’stragicmarriagefromtheobjectiveandsubjectivecauses.Theobjectivecausesincludethewomen’slowerstatus,socialcontradictionbetweenloveandproperty,newandoldculturalshockandotherroles’impacts.ThesubjectivecausesmainlypointoutthedefectsinIsabel’sowncharacter.The thesis consists of three parts. The first part is the brief introduction to The Portrait of aLady and the author. In this part, it mainly introduces the writing background of the novel, somebasicinformationaboutHenryJamesandhisfamily’sinfluenceonhispessimism.ThesecondpartanalyzestheobjectivecausesofIsabel’stragicmarriage,whichmainlydiscussesthewomen’slower status, social contradiction between love and money, new and old cultural shock and otherroles’impacts.ThethirdpartfocusestheobjectivecausesofIsabel’stragicmarriage.Inthispart,itmainlypointsout the defectsinIsabel’scharacter.11.ABriefIntroductiontoThePortraitofaLadyIn this part, the author introduces the basic information of the author Henry James andthewritingbackgroundofthenovel.The W r itingBackgroundIn the 19th century, the rapid development of American economy made other industriesthriving, but it also brought much ugliness for the society. Owing to capital concentration,allsectorsofthe“Baron”extortedmoneyandspentmoneylikewater,officialandbusinessactedincollusion;andthetoilingmasseswereunwillingtosufferhumiliationandrebelledagainstthewest.These social phenomena provided rich and colorful themes for realisticliterature.At that time, many Americans migrated to Europe in the 19th century, because they believedthat Europe was a holy place. Europe was a fascinating conundrum to the enterprisingAmericantraveler. American citizens were still something of a mystery to the old world (Europe). In front ofasplendid life background, Europe's past was rich. It had a long history of thousands of years, andthecultureatmospherewasverystrong,especiallyintheupperclass.Peoplefromupperclassformedtheelegantcultureandthisculturecircleleadedtheworldinthespiritualrealm.Europeanupper-classelites’gorgeous,talentedandeleganttemperamentwaswhatAmericanswereshortfor.On the contrary, American was forming the materialistic culture. At that time America wasanew-born country, and it almost had no history. America was a mere baby of a nation atonehundred years, and people from different social class, different religions, and differentnationalitiesmadeupthecountry.Buttheywerebold,adventurousandtheyseekequalityandfreedom.Atthattime, American culture was in the process of the formation, though it had the independentcharacter,butwasstillnotmatureenough.HencesomeyoungpeopleinAmericawerethirstyfortheancientculture of oldworld.Meanwhile, Henry James had great interest in writing the differences between the newworldandtheold.DuetohisrichpersonalexperienceinEurope,heportrayedtheencounterofAmericanswith Europe and Europeans in most of his works. Hence The portrait of a Lady also reflectedthe“international”themeofthetraditionlessAmericanconfrontingthecomplexityofEuropeanlife.2TheAuthorThispartintroducestheauthorHenryJames’basicinformationandhisfamily’sinfluenceonhis pessimistic values towards marriage and loveBasic Infor ma tion of theAuthorHenry James, a prolific American-born writer, was regarded as one of the key figures of19th-century literaryrealism. Henry James alternated between America and Europe when hewasyoung, and then he settled in England, becoming a British subject in1915.James's very hard-working in his lifetime and wrote a large number of different works.James'smainworksarenovels,inaddition,healsowrotea lotof literary criticism, travel,biography andscriptwriting.Jamesmadeasignificantcontributiontoliterarycriticism,particularlyinhisinsistencethatwritersbeallowedthegreatestpossiblefreedominpresentingtheirviewoftheworld. Thenovels ofHenryJamesareremarkablefortheirunderstandingsandsensitivelydrawnfemalecharacters.Hismainthemesweretheinnocenceofthe NewWorldin conflict withcorruptionandwisdomoftheOld.HismasterpiecesareThePortraitofaLady,TheWingsoftheDove, The Bostonians, and the Ambassadors and soforth.Family’sInfluenceontheAuthor’sPessimisticValuesLoveandmarriageisalmostunfortunateinHenry’sworks,especiallyinhisearlymasterpieceThePortraitofaLady.Inthisnovel,IsabelchoseOsmondasherhusband,startedalovelessandspuriousmarriage,andatlastshestillchosetocontinuehertragicmarriage;Mrs.Melalsohadtwopainfulexperiences,andfinallyshedaren’tadmitthatPansywasherdaughter;Mrs.Touchettandherhusbandcouldnotliveinharmony;BecauseofOsmond’soppose,PansyandNed’slovewasdoomedtonoresults.Thenit’seasy to findthatHenryJameswaspessimistictowardsloveandmarriage from thesecases.HenryJames’values on loveandmarriagewerecontradictory.Hethoughtitisreasonabletohavesexpracticeswithloverformenoutofmarriage.Atthesametime,hewasalsoratherconservative,andhelongedforpuremarriage.InHenry’sview,marriageshouldbeprivate.Otherwise it would be laughed at by the public. Henry James’pessimistic values weremuchinfluenced by his father. Henry James Senior was a philosopher, theologian, but he wasimperiousandrude. He didn’tcareaboutwhatHenryJamesthoughtaboutinhisinnerworld.“HenrySenioralsoadvocatedtohissonsthatthesatisfactionofsexuallustcannotbecontradictoryagainstGod’swill”(Woolson,1984:32-45),sofromHenrySenior’sperspective,his3sonsshouldn’tkeepsexrelationswithothersoutofmarriage.Finallyhesaid to hissonsthattheyshouldfindsomegirls“whocanrespondtothespiritandwhocangiveherinchastemarriageandtheirlifewilltakeanewstart”(Miller,J.H,2005:15-36).HenrySenioroncesaid:“Thelawis,justevenwell,thoughitslaysme.Yes,deathatitshandswasbetterthanlifeattheriskofdishonoratmyhands,soIabidemymarriagebond.Iseeverywellthebondoughttobeloosedinthecaseofotherpeople”(NabokovV,1983 ) . Butasforme,I willabideinmychains.HenryJames’familyeducation shapedhisvaluesonloveandmarriagetosomeextent,especiallyhisfather’svalues.Meanwhile,Henry’scousinMinnyTemplealsohadanobviousinfluenceonhispessimism.InHenry’slifetime,Minnywas the womanhelovedbest. He wasdeeplyattractedbyher“slimandfairandquick,allstraightnessandcharmingtossedhead.”OtherthanMinny’sappearance,healsoadmiredherintelligenceandcourage.Minnyhadbeenanexceptionwhilemostofthewomenhadno higher status in the family and were limited in domestic world. So from The Portrait of Lady,wecan easilyfindthatIsabelsharedsomesimilaritieswith Minnyincharacter.Henryliked Minnyverymuchandheoncesaid:“…mypersonalrelationswithherwerealwaysthehappiest…Icaredmoreto pleaseherperhapsthansheevercared to be pleased(LinXue,2008:47)”.ForHenrywassufferingfrombackinjuryandhefeltabitinferior,Henrydaren’tspeakouthislove.Hehopedthattheycouldbetogetherwhenherecoveredfromhisillness.Unfortunately,hisdreamdidn’tcometrueatlast.Minny’ssuddendeathdefeatedHenrycompletely.HenrydeterminedtohaveMinnyaliveinhisworks,becauseMinnyinfluencedhiscareerasawriterthanotherwomenintheworld.Minny gave Henry inspiration to write the famous and international novel The Portrait of a Ladyand she was the embodiment of the heroineIsabel.42.TheObjectiveCausesofIsabel’sTragicMarriageInthispart,theauthortriestogiveadetailedanalysisofIsabel’stragicmarriagefromtheobjectivecauses,includinglowerwomen’ssocialstatusinthe19thcentury,socialcontradictionbetweenloveandmoney,newandoldculturalshockandotherrole’simpactsonIsabel’smarriage.Women’sLowerStatusinthe19thCenturyIn the 19thcentury,women’sstatuswasmuchlowerthanmen,which’soneof theobjectivecausesofIsabel’stragicmarriage.Thispartdiscussesthewomen’slowerstatusformunfairsocialrightsandtraditionalsocialexpectationonwomen.Unfair Social RightsThe status of women has always been a problem that is worth discussing. In the 19thcentury,menandwomenwerebelievedtohavedifferentrolesinthefamilyandsociety.Menwerealwaysdominant and powerful while women were submissive and weak. Women had little rights andtheywere passive to someextent.Europe was a patriarchal society at that time. In the social view, owing to the amphotericnature, women were weaker than men in constitution, and they were not economically independent.Onlymalesbeartheresponsibilitytosupporthiswifeandchildren.Therefore,women'slaborrightscould not get any protection. Women just took management of family free of charge, didthehouseworkdaybyday,orevenadecorationinthelivingroom.Most womenwereconfinedwithinthefamily,knewlittletotheexternalworld.Becauseofthelong-termlackofcommunicationwiththeoutsideworld,women’sthinkingwasextremelynarrowandmonotonous.In19thCenturytheliberal economists almost stood on the position that they admitted that there was the unequalgenderdivision of labor. Thereby women's labor rights and interests and social value were alldenied.Menenjoyedmorerightsandopportunitiestowork.Theymademoneyandearnedthesocialstatus while women had to rely on them, therefore, women could never be in favorablestatuseconomicallyorsocially.Isabel’stragedyinThePortraitofaLadywasjustbasedonthesocialbackground at that time. It seemed that Isabel lived in the new world and enjoyed betterconditions,butactuallyshestillhadlimitedrights.That’stheveryreasonthatwhyIsabelcamebackto5Osmond atlast.Tr a ditional Social Expecta tion onWomenIn the 19th century, people believed that women should be submissive. This wasalsodemonstratedintheportraitofIsabel.Inman’sview,agoodwifeshouldalwaysobeythem.Inthefamily,wifewouldundoubtedlyobeymen’schoice.Becauseofsubmissiveness,womenaccepttheirstatuswillingly.Inthenovel,Isabelalwaystriedtomakehimhonorableandhappy.Inthemarriage,Isabelsufferedalot,butsheremainedsilentandprivatetoherunhappiness.Duetothesocial expectation, Isabel chose to return to Osmond and continued her duty to be a good wife.Women in middle and upper class suffered much unhappiness, as wrote in The Portrait ofaLady.Inwomen’slifetime,theyweretaught to submit to theirfathers,brothersandhusbands.Women should nurse and support men and no one would really care about what women think aboutorwhattheyreallyneed.AsMadamMerlesaidtoherunlawfuldaughterPansyinthenovel:“I’mgladthey’vetaughtyoutoobey,thatwhatlittlegoodgirlsshoulddo”(LinShuming,2005:15).Inthewords,“Obey”and“goodgirls”canreflect socialexpectations,whichmeanstheso-calledgoodgirls just should yield to man and live as a soulless robot. Besides, Miss Molyneux was anexamplethatunmarriedyounggirlsshouldobeytheirbrotherswhentheirfatherdied.EventhoughLordWarburtonwaskindandgentle,MissMolyneux“addresseshimwithcertaintimidity”whenshewantedtoaskhimforsomething(ChangYaoxing,1998:7).AndwhenWarburtondidn’tnoticeher,she“lookedladylikeandpatient,andawaitedhispleasure.”Wecanseeatypicalandrepresentativeimage of woman in the 19th century. She was submissive in the man-dominatedsociety.Socia l Contr adiction Between L ove and MoneyLove is the spirit of enjoyment, while money is the material guarantee. In the materialisticworld, contradiction between love and money are universal. Because of reality, many people ignorethecultivationoftheirspiritualworld.Wheninthefaceofloveandmoney,mostofthepeoplewillchoosemoneywithouthesitation.AtypicalexampleofTheportrait ofaladyisOsmond,theso-calledartist.Inpublic’sview,theartistshouldbeartistic,noble,andrespectableinthepublic’sview.ButOsmond,theso-calledartist,wasselfish,greedyandhorny.Asitwastoldinthenovel,OsmondmaintainedimpropersexualitywithMrs.Melandthey even had an illegitimate childPansy.SuchpeoplelikeOsmondreflectedthedrawbacksofsocietyatthattimetoacertainextent.Asanartist,herepresentedthesocialvalueorientation,inthefaceofloveandmaterial,hechosea6marriage without love against his conscience, and his selfish choice also let Isabel into a tragiclife.Wecanseemoneyisthekeyfactorthatcontributesto Isabel’stragicmarriage.Isabelwasoriginally an innocent girl. But her fate had been completely changed when she inherited a lotofmoneyfromMr.Touchett.AsRalphhoped:“Ishouldliketoput itintoherpowertodosomeofthethingsshewants”(Woolson, C onstance F 1984 : 32-45 ) . Tohissurprise,Isabel’slovedidnotgosmoothly with money. As a charming woman, Isabel undoubtedly longed for the love from othermen.Butherlovewasinfluencedbythematerialisticworld.Forsucharichwomanwhohadseventy thousand pounds at that time, she would inevitably become the object of others whouseunscrupulousdivisivetacticstohunt.Itwasmoneythatmadeshebecomethehuntof MerleandOsmond.Therefore,whenherbelovedmanOsmondchosemoneyratherthanlove,herfatebecamea tragedy. Then true love was difficult for her to find.New and Old Cultur a lShockIn the 19th century, many Americans migrated to Europe, because they believed thatEuropewas a holy place. European upper-class elites’gorgeous, talented and elegant temperamentwaswhat Americans were short for. When the lofty European spiritual culture and vulgarAmericanmaterial culture encountered, there was a shock. Young people in America were easily bewilderedby the appearance of European culture. At that time, American was still not mature enough. HencesomeyoungpeopleinAmericawere thirstyfortheancientcultureoftheoldworld,anditwasinevitable to experience a processhastily(ZhangShao’en,2008).InThePortraitof a Lady,weseea clash of American and European values, so Isabel was fascinated by Osmond'ssupernatantculturalupbringing.It’snotdifficult to understand.Roles in the novel stand for different cultures and there was a shock when peoplefromdifferent cultures encounter. Like Merle, she looked charming. But behind her gentle and elegantappearance,therewasanunpredictableanddarkheart.DifferentfromAmerican women,shewasn’tthatfrank.Shewasversatileandtreatedotherswarmlyandfriendly,butwhenfacinginterests,shewasselfish.Sheonlywantedtogetherowninterestsattheexpenseofaninnocentwoman’shappylife. She was just a twisted fruit out of the collision of European and American culture.One of Isabel's suitors, Coodwood, he had the initiative and he almost never gave up. He was atypical representative of American culture. Young, hard-working and strong, he was shortforcultural temperament at the same time. Isabel refused him, which meant the refusal to thevulgar7material culture. In Isabel's attitude towards him, we can see the charm of Europeancivilizationprevail. Another suitor, Lord Warburton, he represented the European traditional aristocracy. Hewas a typical English gentleman, handsome and wealthy. Ancient European civilization let Isabelbecrazy. But when Warburton offered his hand to her, she still gave up. Although she lovedhisgentility, she didn't like the typical feudal hierarchical system behind him. The feudal system,socialstatus, the social rules made Isabel afraid to accepthim.IsabelchoseOsmondasherhusbandatlast.Actually,hewasashallowartdabbler,thoughhelookedverypoliteandgentle.Obviously,OsmonddemonstratedthespiritofAmericancultureandtheexternalformofEuropeanculture.WhenIsabelmetOsmond,Shethoughtshehadrealizedherculturaldream.Undoubtedly,IsabelwaseasilyjustbewilderedbyOsmond’sappearance.OtherRoles’ImpactsonIsabel’sMarriageUndoubtedly,otherrolesalsohadimpactsonIsabel’smarriageinthenovel.Thenthispartchooses Ralph, Mrs. Touchett, and Mrs. Mel and analyzes their impacts indetailsRalph’sOriginalWell-intentionedHelpIn the story,moneyundoubtedlywas a keypoint to leadIsabel’slovetragedy.Ralphwassecretly in love with her, but he knew that he could not marry Isabel because of an incurabledisease.Hercousinwashermoneyprovider.HepersuadedhisfathertogivetheheritageforIsabel,andhehoped that she would not to marrybecause of money and she could have a happy marriage.Unexpectedly, he didn't know it was the money that leaded Isabel to the tragedy.Besides,Ralph’sloveforIsabelcouldnotbeignored.It’sdefinitelyickyforfirstcousinstogetmarried, what would happen if a healthy, vibrant, and very alive Ralph encountered Isabel.Thishealthy Ralph would be a really, terrifically awesome guy –smart, funny, caring, andincrediblysensitive.ButifhealthyRalphwerepresentinthenovel,forhissakeandforIsabel’s,Isabel’stragicfate could bechanged.However, Ralph .Touchett and love was certainly far from healthy. His awareness of hisownmortality preventedhimfromlivinglifefully,eventhoughhesuspectedthathe’dhaveagreattalent forit.Ralph’sillnessprovidedhimwith anexcuseforhisindolenceandhissomewhatcynical,distanced approachtotherestoftheworld.Theonlypersonwhocould getunder thisshellofindifference was his cousin, Isabel, the light of his life. Their love was one of the most touching andimportant relationships in the entirenovel.8Mrs.Touchett’sFailuretoFulfillDutyofGuardianshipWe wonder whether or not Mrs. Touchett was right to pluck Isabel out of her native settingandsetherdowninEuropewith verylittleguidance.WhenIsabel’sfatherdied,herrichaunt tookhertothedreamfulEurope.Mrs.Touchettwastheoriginatorofthetragedyofmarriage,shetookIsabelfromapureenvironmenttoanothercomplex,andsophisticatedenvironment.ShedidnotfullyremindIsabelofthepotentialdangers.HenceMrs.Touchettdidn’tfulfillliabilityofguardianandshe made the tragic marriage likely tohappenMrs.Touchett’sCrazyAuntLydia,asIsabelidentifiedher,reallydidseemtobesomewhatbatty,butitturnedoutthatshe’sjustintenselyopinionated.Herinterestinthegirlseemedtowaxand wane; and she was a bit selfish, as Madame Merle commented, she seemed to only care forherself,therefore,didnotmaintainthesamekindofconstantattentiontoIsabelthatRalph,orevenherhusband,Mr.Touchett.Shecertainlydidn’tcareaboutwhathappenstoIsabel,however,andthatMadameMerle’snegativeevaluationofherwasn’tentirelycorrect.Mrs.Touchettwasfiercelydefensive when she saw that Madame Merle had deceived her and actually sent IsabelintoOsmond’sarms.Ofcourse,Mrs.TouchettwasmostparticularlyoffendedbytheimpliedpersonalslightofMadameMerle’sdeception.Finally,weseethatMrs.TouchettrevealedsomerealemotionafterRalph’sdeath.Shewasdevastatedbythe lossofheronly child,eventhoughsherecoveredsufficientlytocomplainabouthis idiosyncratic bequests in his will a few dayslater.Mrs.Mel’SinisterIntentionElegant,beautifulandsplendidasMrs.Melseemed,shewasactuallysinisterinherinnerworld.WhenshesawIsabel,shetreatedIsabelashercatchtoherunlawfulrelationwithOsmond.Shewassoselfishandcraftythatshedidn’ttakeIsabel’shappinessintoconsiderationandtookherinto the tragic marriage step by step.Undoubtedly, Mrs. Mel was the planner of this plot. When in Europe, Isabel met Mrs. Mel.Shewaselegantandversatile,andIsabeladmiredthisEuropeanwomanalot.WhenshevisitedthehistoricalsitesinFlorenceandRome,atthesametime,shealsograduallysteppedintoMrs.Melcarefully-laidtrap.Mrs.MelintroducedanartistOsmondtoherwholivedinItalyforalongtime.Osmondlookedgentleandwell-bred.HehadalovinglypatheticdaughterPansy.ShefoundherselfquicklyfallinlovewithOsmond,ignoredthewarningsandoppositionfromrelativesandfriends,and married to him. After marriage, she gradually found that she was deceived, Osmond was really9aselfishman.ShealsofoundthatMrs.MelwasOsmond'smistress,andPansywastheirunlawfuldaughter.ButwhyIsabelwaseasy to becheated?In a word,shewascompletelyconfusedbyMrs.Mel’sappearance. Isabel was born and grew up in America, a new-born country. When in Europe, shewasdeeply attracted by the local civilization. When she met Mrs. Mel, it was not surprising that shewouldadmireherandwanttobeher.Isabelonceaskedaveryaptquestion:"Whoareyou?Whatare you?" Like Isabel herself, Madame Merle was a mass of contradictions, all hidden underneathapreternaturallysmooth,too-flawlessshellofcomposure.Sheherselfwasthefirsttoadmitthatshe’shockinglychippedanddamagedunderneaththisimpressionofperfection,andthatshe’sjustverygood at hiding it (Yang Na,2008).Whatwe’dreallyliketoknowaboutMadameMerlewaswhatshewaslikeasayoungwoman.One would imagine that she was quite splendid –beautiful, intelligent, independent, ambitious andso forth. The styles between Madame Merle and Isabel were striking, she even went as far as tosaythatIsabelwasbetterthanshewas.MadameMerlealsofellinlovewithOsmondwhenshewasyoungandstuckbyhimthroughouttheyears,untilhiscorruptioninfectedherownsoul.Inthisway,she’sactuallypitiable–IsabelsawattheendofthebookthatMadameMerlewasindeedsadderthanherselfandhadsufferedgreatly,andthattheotherwomansufferedstill,knowinghowwickedshe had been Mrs. Mel deserved that punishment for her sinisterintention.103.TheSubjectiveCausesofIsabel’sTragicMarriageIsabel’stragicmarriagehadsomesubjectivecauses.ThispartmainlydiscussesthedefectsinIsabel’scharacterfromthreepoints:Isabel’sabsolutefreedomvalueoflove,herromanticfantasyand innocence and hercowardice.Isabel’sAbsoluteFreedomValueofLoveIsabel’smarriagetragedydifferedfromothertraditionaltragedy.Thetraditionalmarriagetragedieswerecausedbyexternalobstruction.Inthenovel,itisIsabel’scharacterthatleadstowrongchoice.IsabelwasanAmericangirlandshewasgreatlyinfluencedbyEmerson.Atthattime,Emerson’smaxim“Believeyourself,respectyourself”waswidespreadamongtheAmericans.Shesaid:“Itrytojudgethings;Ithink,evenifIwaswrong,alsomuchbetterthanthosewhodonnothaverighttochoose”(GeHongbin,2002:18).Hertragedywascausedbyher“ownjudgment.”Sheaspired for absolute freedom of love. All people opposed to her marriage, including her aunt,cousin,andfriends.Butshedidn’ttakeother’schoice.Finally,itturnedoutthatshewasjust a pawninOsmond’sandMerle’hands.Herrelatives’advicewasright,andonlyherownjudgmentwaswrong.Sadly,thereasonwhyshemadesuchabigmistakewasnotbecauseshewastoostupid,onthecontrary was because she was too smart and independent. At the beginning, she refused severalrichandgentlesuitors,becauseshewasnotwillingtoacceptready-madeeasylifeandshewantedtogive.Therefore,Osmondbecameheridealobject.Shethoughtthatshemadearightchoiceforherfate,butfatehadgivenhercruelmockery.Herpursuitoffreedomcameintoruinsfinally.Isabel’sview that marriage only related to the two had been completely defeated. She wasoverconfident.Isabel’sRomanticFantasyandInnocenceInthenovel,Isabelwasagirl“withhermeagerknowledge,herinflatedideals,herconfidenceat once innocent and dogmatic, and her temper at once exacting and indulgent”(Jiang Chengyong,2000:20).Shewasayoungwomanandfullofimagination.ShewasratherexcitedwhenMrs.TouchettofferedtotakehertoEurope.Becauseofnoparents’company,itseemedtobeagood11opportunity to go aboard. She was too romantic to believe that the world was very beautiful.Isabelwasdeeplyattractedbythe Europeanculture,andthat’sthe veryreasonwhyshewasconfused by the so-called artist Osmond. Isabel was romantic that she had so many abstractionsandhighly imaginative dreams. At first, she refused Warburton. As a rich, noble and gentle Lord,manyyoungmaterialisticwomen wouldseeWarburtonasaperfectcatch.Asitwassaidinthenovel:“Hehasahundredthousandayear.Heownsfiftythousandacresofthesoilofthislittleislandandeverso many other things, he has a Parliament......”(Li Fuling, 2001: 16). However, IsabelconsideredWarburtonassomethingto escapeherfate.LordWarburtonsaid“Idon’tofferyouanyexonerationfromlifeorfromanychancesordangerswhatever”turnedouttobetrue(ZhangShaokang,1999:64).InIsabel’stheory,LordWarburtonrepresentedstatusandpower.Actually,WarburtonjustlovedIsabelpurely.Hethought:“Whatshefeltwasthat a territorial, a political, a socialmagnatehadconceived the design of drawing her into the system in which he rather invidiously livedand moved.”To someextent,LordWarburton’spower,statuswentagainsthermoralbias.Shedidn’twant to be restricted and lookeddown.Beside Warburton, she also refused the persistent suitor Caspar from America. CasparalsolovedIsabeldeeply.Heoncesaid:“I’mcapablenothingwithregard to you,butjustofbeinginfernallyinlovewithyou.Ifone’sstrongonelovesonly the morestrongly.”Hereflectedthetypicalcharacterofthenew-bornAmericansociety.IsabelbelievedthatCasparwasn’theridealofcivilization.Her romance partly leaded her to the downfall. When she met Osmond, she wasdeeplyattracted by his appearance. She believed that Osmond’character, social status andculturalorientationwasconsistent withher.But shedidn’tknowOsmondwasinterestedinheronlybecauseheheardthat:“She’sbeautiful,accomplished,generousandforanAmerican,well-born.She’salsovery clever and very amiable, and she has a handsome fortune.”Her romantic thought let her fallinto the trap of love (Liu Xiangyu, 2005:48).Isabel’sCowardiceFromIsabel'sperformanceinthenovel,it’snotdifficulttofindthatshewascowardlyinthefaceofhertragicmarriage.Shedidnothavethecouragetofightherfate.AftermarryingOsmondhastily,shefoundherhusbandwasvulgarandtotallydifferentfromwhathelookedlikefromtheappearancebefore.Inthiscase,shedidnotresist,andjustpassivelyacceptedMel’sunfair12arrangementsforherfate.At first,Isabelwasbelievedtobeaveryindependent girl.Shewantedtobeabletodetermineherownmarriage and livehappily.Obviously,shewaseagertohappymarriage life. Then when choosing a partner, she was rather cautious and had refused Warburtonand Caspar. Such an independent girl who longed for happy marriage just surrendered rather thanbeagainst her tragedy when she knew she was just a pawn in the hands of Osmond and MadameMerle.When she was informed that Ralph was beyond cure, she went back to see him before hedied.Ofcourse,Osmondopposed,andIsabelsaid:“IsupposethatifIgoyou’llnotexpectmetocomeback, how it could be anything but a rupture……? ”We thought Isabel had made her mind tobreakupwithOsmond.Actually,shewasunabletoseehowit couldbeanythingbutarupture.Deeplyinher heart she was fragile, lonely, and cowardly, and she really did not have the courage to step outtopursuitherhappinessagain.ThenwhenRalphdied,shethoughtshehadnootherchoicebuttoreturn to Osmond.Infact,it’snotdifficulttounderstandIsabel'sweakness.Inthenovel,shegrewupwithoutmother'scare,andherfatheralsodiedearlier,soshehaslackedtheconceptof“home.”SoevenifOsmond didn't love her, they actually also organized a so-called family. In addition, the socialconceptsin19thcenturyweredifferent,andadivorcedwomanwasverydifficulttobeacceptedbypublic, so Isabel lacked the courage tostruggle.13ConclusionThePortraitof a Ladyis a masterpieceinHenryJames’earlytimeandthisnovelenjoys itspopularity after being published. When studying the plot, characters, and writing skills carefully inthenovel,wecanfindmuchusefulinformationandwecangettoknowitsprofoundmeaning.Thebackground of the book was in late 19th century when America was in a changing age.Theeconomy was developing rapidly, as were the culture and other social aspects. At that time,Americanculturewasintheprocessoftheformation,thoughithadtheindependentcharacter,butwas still not mature enough. Therefore, most young American people were easily bewildered by theappearanceofoldculture.Inthenovel,IsabelchoseOsmondtobeherhusband,becauseshewasconfusedbyhisso-calledupbringingandexternaltemperament.In the 19thcentury,women’ssocialstatuswashumbleandwhatwomenshoulddowasjusttoobeyman.Isabel’stragedyinThePortraitofaLadywasjustbasedonthesocialbackgroundatthattime.ItseemedthatIsabellivedin the new world and enjoyed better conditions, but actually she still had limited rights. In the novel,Isabeltriedtoseekherfreedomandhappinessforhermarriage,buthermarriageturnedouttobeafailureatlast.DuetotheobjectivecausesanddefectsinIsabel’scharacter,Isabelfailedtogetoutof her tragiclife.14BibliographyHenryJames.ThePortraitofaLady[M].OxfordUniversityPress,1981. James.Henry.PictureandArticle[M].NewYork,1983.M i l ler, J . H.TheStor y of a Kiss:Isabel’sDecisioninthe P ortra i t of a Lady,Fordham U niversityPress,2005 : 15-36NabokovV.LecturesonLiterature,NewYork:HarcourtBraceJovanoch,1980.W oolson, C onstance F. The P ort

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