Society vs. desire
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Isabel Archer: The protagonist of Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady
- Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening
- Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
SummaryIn America there is the idea that a person can be whoever and/or whatever they want and still have the chance to succeed. This is part of the so-called "American Dream". This idea is often a theme in the American novel. However, in the American novel, despite a character's desire to live the way that he or she wants, this is often met with great opposition. The opposition can come in many forms, whether it is their lack of opportunity or financial security, cultural norms, values (that are often outdated or misguided) of other characters or societies, and many other forces. Some of the characters that desire to live according to their own wishes in American novels are Isabel Archer, Edna Pontellier, Huckleberry Finn, and Henry Fleming. Each of these characters desire a sort of independence, and it is this desire that shapes their lives and the events of the worlds they exist in.
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