identity

Henry James’ treatment of self and society, depiction of characters from different cultural backgrounds, his portrayal of various personas, and displaying of complex relationships between characters in his novels, overtly or covertly, reveal ‘identity’ as being a main theme of his fiction. Though James may not have realized that he used the concept of identity in the way modern scholars think it, identity is explicit in his writings because it plays a vital role in the development of plot. Similarly, a thorough analysis of identity also indicates identity is used ranging from the traditional dictionary definition of terms such as ‘individuality’ or ‘personality’ to the kinds of explanations of identity given by modern scholars, such as, identity being a ‘product’ that comes from the interaction between ‘self and society’. This study　addresses Henry James’ three major novels: The American (1877), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), and The Wings of the Dove (1902), respectively, to examine the issues of identity carefully. For the novel, The American (1877), the discussion focuses on the issues of difference and identity. It deals with the question of how different perspectives construct an identity. Similarly, on the next part, the discussion focuses on how identity is formed through self-reflection and realization with the discussion of The Portrait of a Lady (1881). Furthermore, in The Wings of the Dove (1902) identity related to society and human relationships is explored.