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

A Taoist Reading of henry James novel, The AmericanHenry James novel, The American, tells the story of one mans journey in search of the Tao. Or, sort of, the qualities of Christopher Newman are 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 at last pushes him back on to it. Jamess description of Newman as an American incorporates many tenets of the Tao, blood with the sudden enlightenment on Wall Street that leads to the events in this novel. Likewise, Jamess atomic number 63 rings of Confucianism, the belief system that Taoism eventually replaced in 7th ampere-second BC China. As the Introduction to the Penguin edition states, Newmans American qualities can be taken in either a positive or invalidating light. Our class discussion revealed a resounding agreement with the electronegative font of Newman as an American, his uncultivated ig norance and unrefined 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 near perfection, he is despised by those characters whose imperfections he silently reveals. It is perhaps this very 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 proto(prenominal) as the 6th century BC. Many Chinese philosophers have act 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 pretermit of culture, social grace, and position allow him to enjoy what he finds aesthetically amiable rather than settle for what he should and communicate to others his true nature rather t han one shrouded in applied labels and preconceived notions. Newman, and many Americans, are standardised the Taoist concept of the uncarved block. The most skilled sculptor carves the least. Our lack of strictly defined stratification and culture leaves us empty and thence open to whatever may fill us, rather than already full-of-the-moon and closed-minded. Works Cited and ConsultedBorus, Daniel. Writing Realism Howells, James, and Norris in the Mass Market. Chapel pitcher U of North Carolina P, 1989.Dalton, Jerry O., Tao Te Ching Backward Down the Path. Avon Books, New York, 1996. Kaplan, Nancy. inherent Readings in Realism. Durham Duke University Press,1997.