The Growth Of Women In Henry James’s Early Novels

As the very first American writer to launch a career in terms of international themeabout American girlhood, Henry James came to the fore with his much disputed DaisyMiller in the early phase of his writing career and became highly reputed with one of hisfinest works The Portrait of a Lady published three years later than Daisy Miller. A galaxyof critics has conducted detailed researches on these two works from different stances.However, the present author aims to interpret Daisy Miller and The Portrait of a Lady froma different perspective so as to expose women’s growth revealed in them.The whole thesis comprises of three chapters. Chapter One is dedicated to discussingwomen’s physical growth, contrasting the diseases females suffer in Daisy and the physicalwell-being of those in Portrait. Chapter Two dissects their spiritual growth by bringinglight to the reliance of women on men in Daisy in contrast to the pursuit of independenceof those in Portrait. Chapter Three concentrates on the cultural growth of women reflectedin the American-European cultural conflicts in Daisy and the cultural reconciliation inPortrait. Thus, based on the detailed analysis of Daisy and Portrait, the present authorcomes to the conclusion that women experience growth, physically, spiritually, andculturally.