『대사들』의 스트레더의 포기 = Strether's Renunciation in The Ambassadors

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Morality is an important word in understanding novels by Henry James. Most of his heroes or heroines are intelligent, charming people with strong moral consciousness. As they are scrupulous and sensitive, they are shocked whenever they find people vulgar or selfish in reality.
Lambert Strether in The Ambassadors is a typical Jamesian hero. He is a man of integrity with strong moral sense; he is shocked to find people vulgar or selfish. Indeed, his strong moral sense plays an important part when he has to make important decisions.
However, his moral sense does not remain inflexible and unchanged. It undergoes considerable change as he meets with new experiences in a new environment, in Paris. Mme de Vionnet, a beautiful and refined lady whom he encounters in Paris, charms him and plays a decisive role in modifying and expanding his moral concepts.
Strether finds himself on the point of losing everything, including his marriage and job, simply because he has tried to help Mme de Vionnet. He has to decide whether he will return to Woollett where only bleak future awaits him or stay in Paris wher Maria Gostrey is willing to do everything for him. He decides to return to Woollett "to be right." It is due to his strong moral sense that he renounces a happy and peaceful life with Maria in Paris.