Introduction
An American writer with British citizenship, Henry James, in the novel The Spoils of Poynton, noticed and was outraged by the peculiarities of the hereditary right of the Foggy Albion, which is the theme of the work. The property of a deceased man can only be inherited by another man, even if he is the most distant of distant relatives (Henry, 1897). English authors have never taken this topic so seriously, trying to adapt to historically established realities.
During the discussed era, the mother of the family or the daughters had to find a decent match for themselves or be beggars; they had no other way out (Henry, 1897). James offers the reader a similar story. The novelty of The Spoils of Poynton is that female characters do not silently observe the withdrawal of personally acquired property for the sake of someone, but actively fight for their own rights, weaving intrigues and exerting pressure on others.
Henry James represents American decadence, and in The Spoils of Poynton, its main quality clearly emerges. In this work of fiction, characters fade, and people themselves disappear or become masks. The characters appear not as living people but as abstract, conditional icons to express the concepts necessary for the author.
The main character was lucky; her son became the property heir, not a cousin nephew, whom James could have introduced into the plot like Jane Austen. The problem was aggravated by the son’s passion, not yet being a wife, but setting one single condition — everything must go to her future husband; otherwise, she will find another boyfriend (Henry, 1897). The influence of such women on men often obscures the eyes of the man, who is forced to look for a middle ground between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Motives of Characters
The struggle is for the possession of a mansion with rich antiques. The mother faces a dilemma: to agree to her son’s happiness or to destroy his family. In both cases, she herself will remain in poverty, and in the long term, her son will also be next to her, which, because of his narrow mind, he will “easily be robbed to the skin” (Henry, 1897, p. 197).
Difference Between Mona and Fleda
According to her husband’s will, the collection passes to Mrs. Gereth’s son, Owen, a man who understands little about art. However, the worst thing is that Owen is going to marry Mona, a completely tasteless and frivolous but rich girl. It would seem that the situation is easy to fix if Owen marries his mother’s companion, Fleda Vetch.
This is a poor but smart and kind girl with a rich inner world, delicate taste, and, most importantly, a girl in love with Owen. With her own hands, Fleda gave the other woman everything she could have had herself. She followed the ideas of propriety and her own hypertrophied sense of duty (Henry, 1897).
The heroes of the novel missed happiness, succumbing to the tyranny of conventions, decency, and the given word. The plot is based on the conflict that unfolded around The Spoils of Poynton. Owen Garrett, the heir to a beautiful Poynton filled with carefully selected works of art and magnificent furniture, is about to get married. Owen’s chosen one was Mona – the true daughter of wealthy, but completely devoid of any taste of her parents (Henry, 1897). Owen’s mother, Mrs. Gereth, has been collecting the Poynton collection for years.
Owen’s Weaknesses
Mrs. Gereth is terrified that she must leave the house, handing it over to her vulgar daughter-in-law and son. He is “a nice guy, but does not show a great intelligence, and is completely profane in terms of art” (Henry, 1897, p. 254). Throughout the narrative, Mrs. Gereth finds a companion – Fleda Vetch, a poor but honest girl with a “delicate and refined taste” (Henry, 1897, p. 195).
According to Mrs. Gereth, Fleda can “fully appreciate and preserve the beauty of the Poynton” (Henry, 1897, p. 249). None of the heroes wanted to give up the rich collection for their own personal reasons. Lady Gereth cannot give the collection to Mona and Owen because they do not appreciate it. Mona does not want to give in to her future mother-in-law on principle. Owen is a henpecked man who is stuck between two angry women.
Conclusion
All things are temporal, and the ending of the novel is proof of that. The Spoils of Poynton is a novel built on contrasts and oppositions: Fleda’s poverty and Mona’s wealth, Lady Gereth’s mind and her son’s stupidity, Mona’s vulgarity and Fleda’s impeccable taste, and the characters themselves are collective and a little grotesque. The novel gives food for thought – whether people own things, or things own people; this idea is relevant in any era.
As the reader may notice, James offers to consider a fairly typical life situation that is familiar to every person, but only in the conditions of the British reality of the 19th century. The non-trivial story proposed by Henry James provides rich food for thought. The reader can take the position of any of the actors, and each of them will have their own truth. The novel’s morals indicate that it is generated by the thirst of new generations to get rid of all the previous ones, build a new world, and correct the mistakes of the old generation.
Reference
Henry, J. (1897). The Spoils of Poynton. Penguin Classics.