Taoist Reading of Henry James novel, The American Essay -- Henry James

A Taoist Reading ofHenry James novel, The Ameri skunkHenry James novel, The American, tells the story of one mans journey in search of the Tao. Or, rather, the qualities of Christopher immatureman be the qualities of a student of the Tao, following the teachings of the Sage described in Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching. Each time Newman digresses from his path, the lure or object which he desires eventually pushes him back on to it. Jamess description of Newman as an American incorporates more tenets of the Tao, beginning with the sudden enlightenment on Wall Street that leads to the events in this novel. Likewise, Jamess Europe rings of Confucianism, the belief system that Taoism eventually replaced in seventh century BC China. As the Introduction to the Penguin edition states, Newmans American qualities can be taken in either a positive or blackball light. Our class discussion revealed a resounding agreement with the nix side of Newman as an American, his uncultivated ignorance and unre fined audacity. Sadly, the class has accepted Europes negative stereotype of the American. On the positive side, Newmans Taoist qualities make him the ideal American. Because of his b coiffure on perfection, he is despised by those characters whose imperfections he silently reveals. It is perhaps this precise interaction between Newmans Taoist American qualities and the more Confucian qualities of the Europeans which originally fostered these negative stereotypes. Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy dating back as early as the 6th century BC. Many Chinese philosophers lead attempted to put the Tao into writing, the most widely known being Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching, loosely translated as the Book of Virtues, contains 81 poems assert... ... order of things. His lack of culture, social grace, and position allow him to enjoy what he finds aesthetically pleasing rather than settle for what he should and communicate to others his true nature rather than one shrou ded in applied labels and preconceived notions. Newman, and many Americans, ar like the Taoist concept of the uncarved block. The most skilled carver carves the least. Our lack of strictly defined stratification and culture leaves us vacant and thus open to whatever may fill us, rather than already full and closed-minded. Works Cited and ConsultedBorus, Daniel. Writing Realism Howells, James, and Norris in the Mass Market. chapel service Hill U of North Carolina P, 1989.Dalton, Jerry O., Tao Te Ching Backward Down the Path. Avon Books, New York, 1996. Kaplan, Nancy. Essential Readings in Realism. Durham Duke University Press,1997.