SOCIAL IMAGE TRANSFORMATION IN THE AMBASSADORS BY HENRY JAMES

Abstract

The purpose of the current paper has been to analyse, in parallel, the Social Self represented in the works of two brothers, William and Henry James. The Consciousness of Self is a very controversial and subtle concept. It differs from culture to culture, and in some of them it does not even exist. This section deals with the depiction of the Social Self as a constituent component of the Consciousness of Self in Henry James’s novel “The Ambassadors” (1903). It is considered one of the best novels of his last period of literary achievements and it offers a fascinating journey into the world of human passions, intricate situations, and deep feelings. “The Ambassadors” is a novel that shows what impact society and experience can have on one’s Social Self. The fixed focalization in “The Ambassadors” allows one to perceive the Social Selves of the secondary characters from the point of view of the protagonist, Lambert Strether. Thus, the paper attempts at examining Henry James’s focus on the nature of selfhood by means of reflector character and the brilliant portrayal of the full complexity of the Social Self of his characters.