Huckleberry Finn Literary Analysis

In contrast to the literal slavery in Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Henry James’s “The Portrait of a Lady,” makes reference to metaphorical slavery. The story is about a woman named Isabel Archer. She must choose between keeping her independence or following the social norms of women by marrying. Because she is so determined to make her own choices and not listen to what her friends and family tell her, she falls victim to a scheme. As a result, she loses all the independence she once had. During this time, women were looked at as someone’s wife. They married not for love, but for social and financial reasons. They were often controlled by their husbands, and treated as if they were a child. Although, it is not just a man’s wife who is treated like this. …show more content…
Gilbert Osmond was one of these men. He treated Isabel and Pansy like they were slaves, and they had to do exactly what he said. When he left town, Pansy was scared to even leave their house in fear that her father would get upset with her. Isabel tried to take her out but she refrained and exclaimed “Papa says while he’s away I’m not to go beyond this line” (Campion, 1997). When Isabel then offers to share her parasol, Pansy starts crying. This shows that Pansy is very limited in what she can do because of her father and she is too afraid to go against his commands. Another example of metaphorical slavery in the novel is with Isabel. All throughout the novel, Isabel tries to remain an independent woman, but by marrying Osmond she loses all her freedom. Her cousin Ralph expressed