Washington Square

Washington Square raises important human and moral issues. Discuss with reference to the social and historical context of the novella. Support your response with textual evidence.

Washington Square presents important human and moral themes that are relative to the novella’s historical and social context. The novella Washington Square is set in the early 20th century in New York and the social mores of this time are communicated throughout the novella. Social guidelines and unspoken social laws are shown by the interaction of the characters. The conventions of New York society in this era and illustrated in the narrative, highlighting three particular human and moral issues: dishonesty, deception and betrayal.

Lies are often recognised and disguised as the truth, masking reality and leaving the truth unexposed. In Washington Square, Mrs Penniman unintentionally deceives Catherine, as the truth in her mind is, in reality, a lie. Mrs Penniman is a romantic and delights “of all things in a drama, and she flattered herself that a drama would now be enacted.” Mrs Penniman has a predilection for exaggeration, she romanticises everything she comes into contact with, as though she were living the life of a fictional character. Penniman has a tenuous grip on reality, perceiving the world in a way that is naively optimistic, as though she were looking through a pair of ‘rose-coloured glasses.’ This is shown the use of a metaphor in the novella where Mrs Penniman thoughts are compared to a theatrical play as she amplifies reality to the extent that it becomes completely superficial.

Individuals are selective in how they present themselves in order to achieve their desired image. By influencing how others perceive them, individuals mask their true motives. Characters in the novel put on a facade in order to hide what’s true about themselves and keep their objectives secret. By changing the way other characters see them, their ulterior motives remain unknown. After...