Admiration is a central theme in this text because, well, everyone spends a ton of their time and mental energy trying to get people to admire them. Not only that, but you can really trace Strether's personal journey through the shift of his admiration from Mrs. Newsome (based on her virtue and controlling-of-him-ness) to Chad Newsome and Madame de Vionnet (based on their being actually fun and decent people—oh yeah, with some pretty glamorous friends).
Basically, Strether has lived most of his life thinking that a certain type of behavior is admirable. But his trip to Paris totally changes everything when he's faced with how charming and interesting Chad has become.
Questions About Admiration
- Which character wins in the admirability department in this text? What evidence is there to pick a certain person?
- When exactly do you think Strether's loyalties reach their tipping point and shift from Mrs. Newsome to Chad? Why?
- Is it fair to say that despite their differences, Strether still has some admiration for Mrs. Newsome at the end of this book? Why or why not?
Chew on This
By having Chad engage in a sexual relationship with Madame de Vionnet, Henry James undercuts our admiration for the young man. Or does he make us rethink why that's seen as problematic?
Strether never truly admires Mrs. Newsome in The Ambassadors. He only follows her orders because she's his boss.