earticle

영어

Catherine Sloper in Henry James’s Washington Square has engendered conflicting images, one as a deficient character lacking in judgement as well as one who “does not yield an inch to her father” in the drama of clashing wills, as Edel puts it. As is usually the case with the Jamesian ambiguity, the unreliable narrater in the novel manipulates the languages of characters and his own in such a way that Catherine’s inner landscape is not brought to the reader in clarity. This study exercises a close reading to suggest that Catherine does appropriate the limited experiences she obtains in her confining environment, arriving at a self-recognition that will bestow rare freedom and independence out of her father’s dominance. Catherine has the final ‘choice’ over two important men in her life, her father and a suitor, and she exercises great influence on the two men in the process of finding a right path for her. Catherine chooses a path in which she retains her integrity and subjectivity. This study examines and traces down the inner workings of Catherine’s experience and consciousness, which would eventually liberate her from the exterior influences and forces impinging upon her ‘self.’