The American, by Henry James

In The American, by Henry James, the lead feature Christopher Newman feels that he can journey to Europe, find the young female of his aspirations, and wed without a problem. Unfortunately, one family has a difficulty with his goals. The Bellegarde's are the supreme example of “old money,” and a dynasty that is not going to allow “new money” into it, no matter how hard Newman tries. An individual cannot command his own destiny and he has to find a compromise between his freewill and destiny in order to accept his future. The innovative displays this through Christopher Newman throughout the entire article.

In the starting of the innovative, Christopher Newman conceives that the world is in his hands and that with his money he is there to relish it. He moves to Europe conceiving that Europe will greeting and adore his riches, and he is not set astray by the wealthy culture and heritage of Europe. James introduces the novel with a description of Newman walking through the infamous Louvre in Paris, “It was a typical vagueness which is not vacuity, that blankness which is not simplicity, that look of being committed to nothing in particular, of standing in an attitude of general hospitality to the chances characteristic of many American faces” (James 20). Newman comprises the typical American, and turns his back on all material things so that he is enriched in what he is experiencing at the moment. He sees himself as a free individual standing in a world which appears to be working with him. (Banta 154) Newman's life had always been based on the material things, and now he was ready for something new. As Newman is mirroring with Mr. Tristam over the use of money and how it affects a person, James describes how Newman feels about his financial situation in life: “Life for him and been an open game, and he had played for high stakes. He had won at last and conveyed off his winnings; and now what was he to do with them?”(James 36) Newman had already accomplished his life and now he was prepared for certain thing new. However, he feels that with his cash anything is possible and that he can control getting what he wants. He puts a cost on getting what he likes in life and believes he can but his own happiness. (Rowe 89) With cash, anything is likely to Newman, and so he controls his destiny. This leads to Newman's assumption that money combined with Mademoiselle Noemie will bring him into European culture.

Christopher Newman creates a perfect Claire to fit his needs and goes wrong to recognize that Claire is not this person. He disregards the fact that Claire has a different culture than him and rather than decides to chase her. Claire has become the woman of his aspirations, and it is hard for him to believe of her otherwise. When Newman first meets Claire, he is described as thinking: Here and ...