Maggie’s Duality and James’s Ambiguity in The Golden Bowl
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This paper examines Henry James’s 1905 novel The Golden Bowl and how its protagonist Maggie overcomes her flaws and restores moral order. Critics were drastically split on how they view Maggie and the value of the moral order she creates. While Charlotte is inferior to Maggie in that she lacks Maggie's sense of morals and drive to fix the status quo, Maggie is not without fault. It is questionable whether Maggie's moral order is desirable, because it comes at the cost of fear and pain, and even represents destructive moral force. Admittedly, some of her unethical actions such as deception, lying, and playacting can be excused because they were necessary for her to achieve her goal. However, her hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and hate make her a problematic character. Similarly, her immature tendency to objectify other persons is also controversial. While it is true that she matures throughout the book and overcomes the materialistic mindset that views others as collectible art pieces, she nonetheless still views them as means to meet her needs. James basically approves of the process in which Maggie implements her notion of moral order. Nevertheless, in order to stay faithful to his insight on his protagonist, he has also included many factors that call that order into question.
Abstract
This paper examines Henry James’s 1905 novel The Golden Bowl and how its protagonist Maggie overcomes her flaws and restores moral order. Critics were drastically split on how they view Maggie and the value of the moral order she creates. While Charlotte is inferior to Maggie in that she lacks Maggie's sense of morals and drive to fix the status quo, Maggie is not without fault. It is questionable whether Maggie's moral order is desirable, because it comes at the cost of fear and pain, and even represents destructive moral force. Admittedly, some of her unethical actions such as deception, lying, and playacting can be excused because they were necessary for her to achieve her goal. However, her hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and hate make her a problematic character. Similarly, her immature tendency to objectify other persons is also controversial. While it is true that she matures throughout the book and overcomes the materialistic mindset that views others as collectible art pieces, she nonetheless still views them as means to meet her needs. James basically approves of the process in which Maggie implements her notion of moral order. Nevertheless, in order to stay faithful to his insight on his protagonist, he has also included many factors that call that order into question.
참고문헌 (20)
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