Appearance Vs. Reality Essay -- essays research papers

adept of the characteristics of unfeignedism, in Ameri flush toilet literature at least, is the ironic use of perceptions of way vs. worldly concern. With this in mind, Henry Jamess The Real Thing and The savage in the Jungle are two draws wherein such characteristics can be shown to operate as James employs talentedly woven twists of air and reality in each of the plots.In Jamess The Real Thing, the plot is centered on an unnamed artist and his interactions with two sets of models the Monarchs (members of polite society), and Miss Churm and Oronte (members of the working class). The ironically named Monarchs are a couple who get along as though they have ten thousand a companionable class but whose lives diverge dramatically from the literal definition of a monarch. Upon accounting entry to the artist, they unwittingly deceive him into initially assuming that they are interested in commissioning a portrait in fact, the Monarchs are seeking work as sitters. The case of mistaken identity operator is gain compounded by the artist who pretends to be a great painter of portraits but who is really an illustrator whose depictions of grandeur constitute his main source of income his pot-boilers. Jamess forward interplay of character identity with air and reality serves as a clever backdrop for the story where reality participations with appearance.While their outward social appearance and actions have an indefinable air of prosperous thrift and personify that of elegant society, the Major and Mrs. Monarch are actually penniless and no long members of the genteel sect. But the Monarchs are unable to resolve their appearance of uplifted society with their reality of financial destitution, and remain psychologically entrapped in a self-imposed netherworld of pseudo-culture and pseudo-class. Insistent upon being treated as members of the mellow society to which they no longer belong, the Monarchs also present a conflict of appearance and reality for the artist because he is forced to allow them the social deference of portrait sitters, yet pay them as models (viewed as their excellent but non their equal). The complexity of appearance vs. reality is further illustrated when the artist realizes that while Major and Mrs. Monarch may appear to be the real thing, he is unable to transform their outward reflection of nobility onto his canvas without sacrificing his ... ...m. James counters Marchers emotional distance from reality with May Bartrams embrace of life and love. But it is through the voyeuristic glimpse into Marchers internal machinations that readers understand the waste of a life based upon appearances.Like the Monarchs in The Real Thing whose conglutination to appearances entrapped them in world devoid of emotion, John Marchers identity is innately linked to fine things, intrinsic features, pictures, heirlooms, and treasures of the arts and he is withal constrained in a self-imposed world of apathy. Although it appears that Marcher has an enriched life, he is actually a man with rather colourless (emphasis added) manners who is contented to wait for the elusive great thing to happen. Because Marcher remains white-lipped to confront the beast (the metaphoric unknown in life), it is not until the demolition of May Bartram that he realizes her love for him was the great thing, and that he was waiting for something that he unknowingly possessed. The simple truth that John Marcher recognized albeit as well as late is that It wouldnt have been failure to be bankrupt, dishonoured, pilloried, hanged it was failure not to be anything.