![]() ![]() It is Silas' honesty that makes him stand out at the Corey dinner party, precipitates his fall, eventually reconciles him to the Corey family, and fascinates the Sewells at the novel's close. ![]() This idea of Silas as an honest and upstanding man continues throughout the narrative, all the way to its logical conclusion. This image situates Silas and his family as so inherently honest and decent that they cannot be otherwise seen, even if the photographer might have tried. The introduction of this thematic imagery is notable precisely because of the way it turns a usual sentiment on its head: “The photographer had not been able to conceal the fact that they were all decent, honest-looking, sensible people” (8). When Silas is being interviewed about his successful life, for example, a photograph of his extended family in front of their family property is brought up. Right from the novel's opening, Howells uses imagery to paint Silas Lapham as an honest person. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |