The Golden Bowl

Since the death of his wife, Adam has searched for something substantive to give life a greater sense of purpose and daily enjoyment. For a long time, he satisfied himself with his antique collection and his affection for his daughter. At the same time, however, his passion for Europe and preserving relics of the past hints at his ties to his own past and the identity he has built to survive loss. Adam is a widower who loved his wife deeply, highlighting the theme of Marriage and Love, but he does not want to live in the shadow of his late wife. Now alone, he strives to alter his identity using the means at his disposal. Fawns, the old estate once belonging to a wealthy English family, plays an important role in this goal. Like Amerigo’s family of aristocrats, however, the former owners of Fawns have fallen into financial difficulties. The relics of the old world must rent out their vestigial identity to the successful millionaires of the future. By renting Fawns, Adam can play the role of an English aristocrat. He is an American, an example of new money from the new world, but he looks to the past to construct his identity. Between his fascination with antiques and his desire to wed his daughter to an Italian aristocrat, Adam would like to distance himself from his American identity and rebuild his image as a rightful member of the European elite. He seeks to shake the identity of Outsiders and instead feel included in a strict, orderly society where he sits at the top. Fawns allows him to shortcut directly to this position. He is not merely renting the property; he is renting the status and image that are associated with Fawns.

Maggie and Amerigo marry and soon have a child. This child is nicknamed the Principino, Italian for “little prince.” Throughout the course of the novel, however, the child barely features. Much in the same way that Adam treats Amerigo as a relic, an object, or an antique, one which reminds him of the old world and which he wishes to make his own, the Principino is more of a symbol than a person in his own right. The child is treated well. He is adored by his parents and his grandfather, but the narrative of the story has very little to do with him. Instead, the Principino represents an ideal of marital bliss which, like the child himself, eludes the characters. The Principino is an example of the ways in which the marriage attempts to adhere to social etiquette; getting married and having children is exactly what is expected of young adults like Maggie and Amerigo. They are, in effect, doing everything according to expectations. The absence of the Principino from the narrative alludes to how the marriage pretends to be perfect while disguising betrayal and lies and instead presenting the illusion of wedded bliss and the continuation of the upper class in Edwardian Britain. The child’s absence is a formative choice, symbolizing the extant flaws in the relationship via the Principino’s proximity to the narrative gaze. It further highlights the theme of Etiquette and Alienation in that couples, especially wealthy couples, are expected to carry on their family legacies. Having children provides social protection: Maggie and Amerigo are doing what is expected of them, and this shields them from certain public scrutiny, laying the foundation for Amerigo to resume his relationship with Charlotte.

The courtship between Adam and Charlotte is short but meaningful. Maggie and Fanny are both instrumental in the arrangement, as they encourage Adam to look beyond the personal tragedies of his life and his supposed obligations, telling him to seek out a woman who makes him happy. Charlotte, herself someone who has tried and failed to secure a suitable marriage, is an ideal match, according to the two women. Charlotte is not as naïve as Maggie. She understands Adam’s desires, and she understands the role she must play. For many years, she has sought a marriage that could provide for her the kind of wealthy lifestyle she desires. This is why she did not marry Amerigo, even though she loved him, furthering the theme of Etiquette and Alienation, as they would have made an inappropriate, mutually unbeneficial match from a 19th-century perspective. Adam, then, represents her chance at sealing a marriage to provide material security for the rest of her life and, very conveniently, she did not need to look past her own acquaintances. She plays the courtship carefully, not overselling herself to Adam. She even declines the first proposal, performing the role of a demure woman to ensure that she gets what she wants. Etiquette demands that she act in this manner, and Charlotte obliges, doing everything she can to bring herself into a marriage that will not only give her the material security that she desires but will also allow her to spend more time with Amerigo, the man she truly loves. Adam believes that he is marrying a beautiful, popular young woman. He feels a need to convince Charlotte to marry him. In fact, his proposal is more than Charlotte could ever have dreamed of. She plays her role so carefully because she does not dare threaten this perfect opportunity that allows her to transcend the category of Outsiders and instead live with greater freedom and autonomy.

The focus on domesticity in this section foreshadows its own disruption. Amerigo is seemingly happy enough with Maggie if Charlotte remains unmarried, but the arrival of a telegram from Amerigo upon the announcement of Charlotte’s engagement to Adam demonstrates the lingering closeness and affection between the two. Adam notices Charlotte’s mood shift, and his reaction hints at suspicion; however, societally, nothing could appear safer or more harmless than Charlotte and Amerigo marrying a father and daughter, as any violation of social expectations within their respective unions would be even more contemptible if it occurred within one family. So, while their unions offer ample room to hide their true feelings and intentions, they also make their decisions that much riskier in Edwardian society. Notably, however, the Ververs, Charlotte, and Amerigo are all Outsiders to varying degrees, and it is only the Verver family money that allows them to slip into an elite class, which makes Charlotte and Amerigo’s looming affair more questionable and highlights the theme of Etiquette and Alienation. Their looming affair, and even their romance in Rome, violates societal expectations of the time, threatening future alienation.