cause of destruction
... every tool at his disposal to draw attention to his heroines' admirable characters. Their strength and independence makes them well-inclined to their roles, and he uses their talents to his advantage, intriguing readers at every turn. "Real thing" or not, James has indeed painted a worthy portrait of women in his novels. This sets the tone for her adventures in the first half of the novel, in which James refers to her almost exclusively as a girl (Weisenfarth 18). She is yet young and still bases her actions on a set of ideals which may seem attractive in theory but which are unrealistic in practice. Isabel presents an admirable amount of resolve in her determination not to marry, especially when faced with an offer from the well-to-do Lord Warburton. ¡°But though she was lost in admiration of her opportunity she managed to move back into the deepest shade of it, even as some wild, caught creature in a vast cage. The ¡®splendid¡¯ security so offered her was not the greatest she could conceive¡± (James 152-53). The common, stereotypical "girl" would have leaped at the chance to be known as the wife of an English Lord, but Isabel values her freedom too much, preferring libe...