Isabel, therefore, represents the innocent young American who is deceived by the superior cunning and deceit of Osmond and Madame Merle, who are representatives of the old order of European thinking. Thus, partly for this reason, she returns to Rome to continue her life with Osmond. It took a great effort to confess her error to Ralph, and at the end of the novel, she has too much pride to confess her mistake to the whole world. Even after she recognizes that she made a mistake in her marriage, she cannot admit this publicly. Isabel also possesses a rather over-strong sense of pride. Consequently, her highest quality also became her downfall.

In her determination to follow only her own evaluation, she refused to listen to her many friends who cautioned her against such a marriage. It is ironic that Isabel's desire for complete independence causes her to marry Osmond.

In her imagination, she filled in the vacant spots and saw him as a much more interesting person than he actually was. He told her that he had lived a dull life, but Isabel's imagination took flight to create for him a very interesting life. One of the first uses of her free imagination is in evaluating Gilbert Osmond. Thus, her inheritance gives her the freedom to allow her imagination to soar. Ralph Touchett thinks that in order for Isabel to realize her imagination, she must be made financially independent. In conjunction with her independence, Isabel is also a very imaginative person. It is the trait which Ralph admires greatly. This note of independence is struck in the first chapters of the novel. She believes strongly in her own opinion and cherishes the right to evaluate independently any person or situation. Perhaps her most striking qualities are her desire for independence and her imagination. She possesses a natural charm and a sincerity that add to her looks. Therefore, part of her greatness lies in her ability to attract all sorts of people to her.Įven though Isabel is not considered a great beauty, she is attractive enough to win attention. Furthermore, men as divergent in personalities as Caspar Goodwood and Lord Warburton both fall in love with Isabel. She excites the admiration of people as different as Madame Merle and Henrietta Stackpole, or as different as Gilbert Osmond and Ralph Touchett. It is a compliment to Isabel's combination of these qualities that she is able to attract so many divergent types of personalities to her. Her response indicates a depth of perception missing from other people. This quality allows her to react spontaneously to any new experience. Ralph Touchett and others are attracted to Isabel because she apparently has a great capacity for growth. In contrast to the European such as Madame Merle, she does not possess a great amount of experience, but she does have the capacity to appreciate any new experience. She possesses all the attributes of James' typical American. Isabel is the central concern of the novel.

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