The Ambassadors Themes

Admiration is a central theme in this text because, well, everyone spends a ton of their time and mental energy trying to get people to admire them. Not only that, but you can really trace Strether...

Throughout the entire book, it seems almost impossible for people to say exactly what they mean. That's why you find yourself reading ten pages and going "huh?" before a character can come around t...

As far as Sarah Pocock and Mrs. Newsome are concerned, the only responsibility Chad should have in his entire life is to sit at home with his blah family and run their blah business of an unnameabl...

Once Strether reaches Europe, dissatisfaction seems to follow him around like a grumpy dog. "Wait," you might tell us. "That's not dissatisfaction; it's just his buddy Waymarsh." And yes, that's as...

Appearances are usually going to be an important theme in any novel. Authors choose every word in their books for specific reasons, and you should always assume that they're trying to tell us somet...

The theme of family in this book is inseparable from the theme of duty. Chad's mother and sister constantly feel like they have a claim on him because he's their flesh and blood. As the book unfold...

It's not just fancy dinner parties and cool people who make Strether want to stay in Paris; it's the city itself, with all its history and beauty. When he looks around, Strether can't help but comp...

It's a sad but true fact that Lewis Lambert Strether has spent his entire life playing it safe. Watched his best days pass him by. Now he's fifty years old and doesn't have any exciting memories of...