l2intj 's review for:

Washington Square by Henry James

4.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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So, I have to state up front that it’s been years since I’ve read this. But what I recall, was being surprised at how sympathetic the MC Catherine was, and more specifically, how much care and sympathy James took in creating her. 

She’s naive in the beginning, easily controlled (by her father) and manipulated (by Morris), but that changes. As she grows older, she becomes more mature, more empowered, and even, more beautiful. (Interesting how James equates her flowering beauty with her growing strength.)

For me, the most interesting relationship in this book was the one between Catherine and her father. He continued to control her through the dual threats of disinheritance and disappointment, always in the name of a certain kind of rational love. But while she had little control over her choices, she was able to take full responsibility for her inner life, growing in strength and agency.

And in the end, though her choices matched those of her father (i.e., not to marry Morris), her reasons for those choices were entirely hers.  

At some point (again, it’s been a long time since I read this), she admits that she wishes her father would’ve have let her have Morris and her delusions. And while, as the reader, we surely know that would’ve been a huge mistake, it’s a sympathetic one. Because her father’s cold rationality, correct as it may have been, left her loveless and alone (even as it made her stronger). 

By the end of the novel there isn’t a shred of delusion left regarding Morris or her father. As such, she’s empowered to live her life and make her own decisions within the restrictions society has placed on her. 

A fascinating, nuanced exploration of human expectation and desire in a restrictive and controlling society.