The coming of age of caherine sloper in washington square and huck Essay

The coming of age of caherine sloper in washington square and huck finn in hucklberry finn - Essay Example at is central to both the stories is the coming-of-age of the protagonists, and the way in which they realize their inner strength and moral aptitude. Henry James’s position in the literary world is incomparable owing to the diversity of his works and the great volume of his literary works. His mastery of the psychological genre of novel writing and his innovative writing style makes his work distinct from that of other famous masters of the trade. Henry James believed that a piece of written work is good, if it resembles the intelligent conversation of men, and that is one of the reasons for the conversational style of his writing. Henry James employed the stream of consciousness method, where the novel is told from the point of view of a character. Some of the most famous books by him are â€Å"The Portrait of a Lady† â€Å"The Bostonians† and â€Å"Daisy Miller†. He also wrote a large number of short stories and essays in addition to criticisms. Setting is a very important element in his writing, and his characters and themes are seen in relation to their setting, and various eras and periods in time are used as the tools which create obstacles in the life of his characters. â€Å"Washington Square† is one of his early short novels which deals with the future of a young, simple girl is controlled by her authoritarian father, who rejects her young suitor. There ensues a battle of wills, all fought within the elegant townhouse which is their residence, and the story is marked by an unexpected turn of events and an equally surprising ending. James W. Gargano in the essay â€Å"Washington Square: A study in the Growth of the Inner Self† has made a clear critique which puts Catherine Sloper at the centre of all the action in the novel and traces her growth- emotional, spiritual and psychological, while earlier critics had been content to see her as a dull homely girl, much like her father (Gragano, 355,357). But as is typical of all the heroines of James novels