The "Portrait of A Lady" authored by Henry James is perhaps one of the best depictions of the life during the era of the two decades 1860 and that of 1870. A newly arrived American on the continent of Europe , James was a truly talented novelist, and he used this talent to gain fame and popularity in a region through such works as "Portrait of A Lady". This was not because of his abilities to compose the contents of good story into a novel, but more so for the excellent style of capturing the life and people of the era around him. In writing of "Portrait of A lady", the character of Isabel Archer has been expertly molded to perhaps depict his own style of entering Europe . Archer's character is of an American girl who, like the author, has just entered Europe in search of self-knowledge, yet in doing so, she is caught amongst the two categories of people both good and evil. Faced with yet another character, that of a witch-like woman, the character of Archer is faced with a task of at once handling three different people, the good man, the evil man, as well as the old lady. Using her foresight, and the self-knowledge gained through the encounters with these characters, the author has expertly gathered the various moments in the life of the young American woman, and presented one of the greatest novels of modern times.

Though the "Portrait of A Lady" is an excellent presentation of a young lady, her aspirations, dreams, and views on life, including her own personality, as well as of those around her. Yet the one aspect which has perhaps made the young women stand out apart from the rest of the characters in the said novel, and one which also proves the principle character's stature as a true lady is her approach towards metaphysics. One may note that Archer's views on the physical aspects of this world are opposite and contrary to what an ordinary individual's perception would otherwise be. For example she cares less for such aspects as house, the clothes she wears, the furniture around her, the books one reads, and the company one keeps. All these aspects may provide and express an individual's taste and views on life in general, yet for Archer, these aspects were of no importance at all. Perhaps best expressed about these things, in particular the clothes worn by her, one may observe her comments, when she responds by saying that "Nothing that belongs to me is any measure of me; everything's on the contrary a limit, a barrier, and a perfectly arbitrary one. Certainly the clothes which, as you say, I choose to wear, don't express me; and heaven forbid they should!" Yet, the only clear aspect for Archer seems concerned for, and takes particular pride is her success, though this too remains more than ambiguous and unclear as to what success really implies.

Reasons for Isabel Archer's Marriage with Gilbert Osmond And Osmond's Personal Qualities

The single most aspect, which attracted Miss Isabel Archer into liking and later marrying Gilbert Osmond, was his traits of withholding information rather than saying it out, a quality greatly admired by Archer. According to the author, Osmond did not "indulge into striking deflections from common usage"; rather he was an eccentric and an original without being eccentric. Other features that attracted and made Archer marry Gilbert Osmond were the specific manner of Osmond's gestures, which produced an effect of expressiveness, and at the same time intense and showing promises of interest. Other qualities which more than provided a strong impetus for Archer to marry Osmond included the latter’s appearance of easy assurance, and a communicator of critique not only about himself, but for those around him as well to the point of reaching a point of agreeable for all those present at a given time. Perhaps the single strongest point, which made influenced Archer, and which provided an excellent trait was the moment when Osmond asked Archer about his sister. In doing so, Osmond had in fact sacrificed his 'fraternal feelings in favor of his sister to his more than subtle curiosity, in turn making Osmond belonging to a truly eccentric breed of men.

A brief comparison on the characters of Lord Warburton and Casper through the eyes of Isabel Archer shows that indeed these gentlemen too belonged to a group of men Archer termed as 'original'. Yet, in comparison to Gilbert Osmond, none had the qualities of being original as perceived by Archer, such as the trait of holding on to information without those around realize that one really knows anything about the subject. It was, and perhaps is common for men to blurt out what ever they know and express the same to influence and attract women around them. This singular trait was absent in Osmond and it is this particular quality that marked the difference in Osmond as compared to Lord Warburton and Casper respectively.

Another particular trait or quality openly expressed by men of the era when the novel was written was that of being eccentric and proving to the point of emphasizing it. However, in Osmond's case, this was not so, as this was one gentleman who was truly original, yet without least being eccentric, a quality that was truly admired by learned ladies and women, such as our principle character Isabel Archer.

Upon reading the earlier parts of the subject novel "Portrait of A Lady" one can observe the ideas of freedom through the eyes of Isabel Archer. Thus, the principle character is not only weary of the concept of being bound, for example through the act of marriage with one of her suitors. On the contrary, Archer expresses her discontent and is more than relieved at the prospects of her aunt's invitation to visit Europe . This invitation was more than a blessing in disguise for Archer, for there were moments which had nearly made herself committed to the proposed terms of eligible bachelors to the like of Casper Goodwood as one example. What could have been more convincing for Isabel Archer than the prospects of Casper following Archer to Europe , simply to win over her heart and mind. Yet, her inclinations to gain knowledge about herself as well as the world around her, in particular the different types of people, were some of the profound factors that indulged Archer to evade the advances of men such as Casper . Not because she had no liking for the gentleman, as he was well established and belonged to a family of American industrialists, but because Archer was desirous of finding someone who would fit the picture of a complete, original, and an eccentric individual. This was amply found in the person of Gilbert Osmond, providing a perfect match for Archer, and the completion of the "Portrait of A Lady".

One could also observe that Archer's refusal of a person suchas Casper was not the refusal of the physical assets such as the wealth, or the factories owned and inherited by Casper . On the contrary, there were numerous personal traits and characteristics about the person of Casper , which more than despised Archer. These included for example the manner in which Casper dressed, his physical features, and the approach in which Casper presented himself to the women in particular. This perhaps provided an impetus for the dislike of Archer for Casper to commence, and in turn lead her to search for men of qualities and traits, such as Gilbert Osmond.

The ideas, visions, and concepts as perceived by Isabel Archer about men is perhaps best noted and explained in the Norton Critical Edition of A Vindication of the Rights of Women. reprinted by Lunderberg/Farnham, and originally produced by Mary Wollstonecraft. The author of Norton Critical Edition clearly paints a picture of the severe nature despise of women of the subject era against the males of the then society. For example, the author comments that " in general women should behave as nearly as possible like men,", and that women should be honored for their natural talents, and not by any means and measures as set by the males of the society. Emphasizing on the "rights" of women, the same rules apply to the institution of marriage, where women must have the same rights as do the men, whereas in reality it is exactly the opposite. Thus, marriage is an institution based on the loving partnership between both the husband and wife, a replica of a social contract between the two individuals. Just as the man has equal rights, so should the woman. The woman, in particular needs to have equal knowledge and sense to continue and maintain this partnership. This partnership then leads to the better and proper approach towards the upbringing and education of the children, hence the concept of equality in all respects including sexual attraction, physical features, chastity for both the individuals, as well as duties and responsibilities on both the partners of a marriage.