The Unexpected Emancipation of Miss Sloper: Character Arc and Father-Daughter Dynamics in Henry James’ "Washington Square"

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5944/epos.40.2024.41849

Abstract

Henry James’ novel Washington Square (1881) revolves around the power struggle between wealthy Dr. Sloper and his daughter Catherine, a shy, sensitive young woman accustomed to following her father’s orders without offering resistance. The discord that breaks the status quo stems from Catherine’s choice of a suitor whom her father deems a fortune hunter. This article explores Catherine’s personality and character arc as she unexpectedly evolves from dependence to self-reliance, and that of Dr. Sloper, a man who sees his biased assumptions about his daughter shattered. Influenced by the gender prejudices that pervade their social milieu, the unhealthy dynamics of their bond are progressively revealed. Besides, their actions and choices result in a series of ironic outcomes culminating with Catherine’s resolve to reject her suitor, a paradoxical conclusion that she could not have possibly reached had she not rebelled against her father’s command in the first place.

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Author Biography

Rodrigo Vega Ochoa, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Rodrigo Vega Ochoa is a PhD candidate in Literary Studies working under a Predoctoral Contract funded by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM 2025- ). He also took his BA in English Studies and enjoyed the Collaborative Scholarship granted by the Spanish Ministry of Education (2023) at the same university. Prior to starting his PhD research, he also obtained an MA in Literature of the English-Speaking Countries at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM 2024). His main areas of research interests include British and American fiction from the 19th century up to the present; psychoanalytic literary theory; gender and LGBT studies; and British and American plays, musical theatre, film, and television as alternative literary forms of storytelling.

References

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Published

2024-12-18

How to Cite

Vega Ochoa, R. (2024). The Unexpected Emancipation of Miss Sloper: Character Arc and Father-Daughter Dynamics in Henry James’ "Washington Square". Epos : Revista De filología, (40), 286–306. https://doi.org/10.5944/epos.40.2024.41849

Issue

No. 40 (2024): Epos: Revista de filología

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2024 Rodrigo Vega Ochoa

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