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Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Too Much Liberty:
In an example of paradox, Mrs. Touchett warns Isabel at the beginning of the novel about taking “too much liberty”:
“You were very right to tell me then,” said Isabel. “I don’t understand it, but I’m very glad to know it.”
“I shall always tell you,” her aunt answered, “whenever I see you taking what seems to me too much liberty.”
“Pray do; but I don’t say I shall always think your remonstrance just.”
“Very likely not. You’re too fond of your own ways.”
This moment follows Mrs. Touchett explaining to her niece that, in England, it is not proper for a woman to stay up late at night while sitting alone in a room with a man (as Isabel was planning to do with Lord Warburton). The paradox here is that liberty is inherently “too much”—in other words, freedom is the opposite of constraint so there can never be too much of it (it is defined by its far-reaching nature).
This paradox is not merely present in Mrs. Touchett’s statement but in the novel as a whole—James is intentionally exploring how freedom and constraint exist alongside each other. Ralph wants Isabel to be free so persuades his father to leave her a large sum of money when he dies, but the money ends up trapping her in a new social milieu. Isabel wants to be free so rejects two marriage proposals with men she believes will trap her, only to marry a man (Osmond) she thinks will offer her freedom but who turns out to trap her the most. Unfortunately, James suggests, there may be no way for a person to be truly free.
Related Themes:
