Introduction

In Henry James’ novel Washington Square, James uses diction of fear, diction of time, and  interior monologue to reveal Catherine’s inner struggle for independence from her father.

 

Catherine struggles with independence and self-worth because of her father’s control over her mind. To help show this, Henry James uses the diction of fear and writes things such as: “Her eyes fixed upon her terrible plan”. The use of the word “terrible” shows how Dr Sloper has brainwashed her into thinking that every independent thought she has is bad. 

Other phrases like “her father had answered her, but she had not the courage to turn the latch” show how she is scared of her father and he clearly has authority over her. Her fear of her father is so deep, she cannot even open a door. This situation really shows how manipulative Sloper has been. Similarly, the quote “What she had said to her aunt was true enough she was afraid of him; I didn’t say that she had no sense of weakness she meant that she was not afraid of herself” shows how her aunt is more of a parental figure than her actual father– perhaps she is afraid to admit her true feelings to him. All of these examples of diction of fear show the reader that Sloper’s constant blaming and manipulation resulted in Catherine’s struggle to be independent. 

 

  James illustrates Catherine’s growing fear and excitement while waiting to confront her father through the diction and imagery of time.  James writes that Catherine: “sat there for more than an hour, lost in her meditations”. Catherine keeps thinking about how she can talk to her father. She is lost in her mind, preparing what to say due to her father’s unpredictable behavior. The word “meditation” suggests, however, a calm, positive reflection and growth. There is, therefore, a contrast in her emotions, she is both stressed and also at peace with the promises of her encounter with Dr Sloper. All this thinking makes her reflect and the time flies as we can see in the image: “the evening advanced, and the lamp burned dim without her noticing it”. The fact that the lamp’s burning goes unnoticed is a metaphor for how absorbed Catherine is in her thoughts. Similarly, James writes “At last the clock struck eleven, and the house was wrapped in silence” to show how the hours pass quickly, referring once again to the diction of time. The image of the house “wrapped in silence” indicates that Catherine still does not know what to say, she still hasn’t made up her mind. Furthermore, “wrapped in silence” refers to the senses, and also alludes to Catherine’s fear towards approaching her father. Finally, the quote “Catherine got up and went slowly to the door of the library, where she waited a moment, motionless” shows that Catherine is making up her mind to talk to her father. The way that she takes a lot of time and does things slowly lets the reader imagine that she is scared to approach him. Diction of time is represented in the words “waited a moment” and “went slowly”.

 

While on the outside Catherine seems to be calm and simple, interior monologue reveals the complex psychological conflict she experiences. For example, James writes: “She had an immense respect for her father, and she felt that to displease him would be a misdemeanour analogous to an act of profanity in a great temple; but her purpose had slowly ripened, and she believed that her prayers had purified it of its violence.” This quote proves how much influence Dr. Sloper has over his daughter. The fact that she compares disappointing Dr. Sloper to a crime, shows how concerned she is about his acceptance, and validation. Here, the punctuation is predominant, there are a lot of commas which extend the sentence, this also shows that she is second guessing her decisions and starting to think for herself and gain independence. Secondly, another quote that illustrates interior monologue is “She did not resent the imputation of weakness; it made no impression on her, for she had not the sense of weakness, and she was not hurt at not being appreciated.” This shows though she is mentally strong, Catherine is ignorant to others’ perspective, which completely contradicts the beginning of the book. The repetition of “no” and ”not” is part of a diction of negativity. Catherine was very affected by her fathers opinion. But these repeated negations show how she rejects Sloper’s thoughts of her, due to how he handled Morris. Finally, the repetition of “she” in the paragraph reinforces how we are seeing Catherine’s vision through the narrator’s 3rd person perspective.  James demonstrates Catherine’s psychological transformation and growing coming of age.

 

Conclusion 

Re-write of mini-thesis:

 

Summarize

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