| The opening ending of The Portrait of a Lady remains one of the heated topics in discussion since its first publication in 1881. Critics are mainly divided in two groups:one group regard Isabel's return to Osmond as an act of folly that brings her at last to the point of tragedy; the other group reject this interpretation of a tragic Isabel, and see her return to Osmond as an act of "responsibility" and "wisdom"I agree with the conclusion of the second group and try to interpret it from a different perspective. This thesis is an analysis of two major questions:Why Isabel chooses Gilbert Osmond as her husband and why she refuses to leave the family when she finds the marriage an unhappy one. As far as I am concerned, Isabel's egotism and sense of power makes her reject the former two suitors-Caspar Goodwood who displays a strong sense of masculine power, and Lord Warburton who manifests a strong sense of political power. Both scare her away and make her feel that her ideal husband is supposed to be a nobody. And Gilbert seems to fit her perfectly. Hence, her egotism and sense of power play the mischief in bringing her down on the way of realizing her dream. It is also the reason why she feels a sense of voluntary responsibility for Pansy, her stepdaughter. Interpreted in this way, the seemingly open ending of the story is nonetheless opening up her new life, a life filled with commitment and passion, which is a sharp contrast with superficial soulless life she has experienced before.
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