Henry James 1845-1916

Henry James was an American novelists, who spent most of his life in England. some of his books are centered around his experiences and environment there. In this excerpt, James does a great job of capturing the consciousness of a young girl who is divided into half amongst her parents that were getting divorced. I like how he is able to capture the child's thoughts in the excerpt, "What Maise Knew" "The greatest effect of the great cause was her own greater importance, chiefly revealed to her in the larger freedom with which she handled, pulled hither and thither and kissed, and proportionately greater niceness she was obliged to show." (p826) This child just like so many others, are aware of their environment and know how to mask their true emotions in order to survive in the situation that they live in. "The word stuck in her mind and contributed to her feelings from the time that she was deficient in something that would meet the general desire."(p.826)

I think that this excerpt reveals some forms of abuse that children are subjected to, as well as the turmoil they endure for the sake of the judicial system as well as yhe price that is paid in order to meet the requirements to see the desired parent.