Europe by Henry James
"Europe" by Henry James is a narrative centered around the Rimmle family, particularly the interplay between the elderly matriarch, Mrs. Rimmle, and her three daughters: Becky, Jane, and Maria. The story explores themes of familial obligation, the passage of time, and the desire for personal freedom against the backdrop of a long-desired trip to Europe. While Mrs. Rimmle uses her declining health as a reason to delay the journey, the daughters grapple with their unfulfilled aspirations. The narrator, who has insights into European culture, encourages the daughters to pursue their dreams, recognizing that Jane possesses a deeper longing for the journey than her sisters.
As the narrative unfolds, the daughters age while Mrs. Rimmle clings to life, leading to a mix of embarrassment and humor surrounding their thwarted plans. The turning point occurs when Jane unexpectedly travels to Europe with another family and undergoes a significant transformation, embodying the freedom she sought. However, rather than following her lead, Becky and Maria remain devoted to their mother, ultimately sacrificing their own desires. The story concludes on a poignant note, with the narrator navigating the complex dynamics of hope, loss, and the impact of an unyielding family structure. This exploration of the Rimmle family's dynamics provides a nuanced reflection on the constraints of duty and the quest for self-identity.
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Europe by Henry James
First published: 1899
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The late nineteenth century
Locale: Brookridge, Massachusetts
Principal Characters:
The narrator , an unnamed manHis sister-in-law Mrs. Rimmle , an elderly woman who is a friend of his sister-in-lawRebecca , ,Jane , andMaria Rimmle , Mrs. Rimmle's daughters
The Story
The unnamed narrator has had a long acquaintance with a family of women. Mrs. Rimmle, the elderly widowed matriarch of the family, controls the lives of her three soon-to-be-old daughters by preventing their much-anticipated trip to Europe—a trip that she and her husband enjoyed in the distant past. The narrator, who is familiar with European culture, encourages the daughters, Becky, Jane, and Maria Rimmle, to make the journey, but soon perceives that their mother is subtly intent on preventing it, using her poor health as an excuse. It is commonly believed that Becky is the daughter most "prepared" and thus most deserving of a journey to Europe, although the narrator intuits that it is Jane who most passionately desires to visit the continent.
As the years go by and Mrs. Rimmle's repeated health crises prevent the European journey, the narrator observes that her daughters' rapid aging is exceeded only by her own aging. However, Mrs. Rimmle always rallies, and she moves toward an advanced age that is treated somewhat comically by the narrator and his sister-in-law, who is his interlocutor in the story. The subject of Europe becomes one that is both embarrassing and amusing for the narrator and the Rimmle daughters, who seem to hold out hope for such a trip, but also seem to understand that their own time is running out as their mother moves into her dotage. Finally, however, the narrator is informed by his sister-in-law that Jane Rimmle has departed suddenly for Europe with a family called the Hathaways, and that the trip has brought about important changes in her personality and demeanor.
The narrator claims not to be surprised, however, when he is told that Jane has become a person whom "no one would know," one who is now described as "obstreperous" and who has "taken to flirting." He later learns that Jane refuses to return to the United States with the Hathaways, whom she informs of her intention to remain in Europe and even visit the East. Delighted with Jane's metamorphosis, the narrator hopes that the other two daughters will follow her example.
That, however, is not to be. Although Becky approvingly helps finance her sister's continued stay in Europe, both she and Maria devote the remainder of their own lives to their mother, who continues to live long past her time. Becky dies before her mother. Before she dies, she tells the narrator that Jane will never return to them; her mother, barely able to speak, informs the narrator that her daughter Jane is dead. Knowing this is not true, the narrator also pretends to accept as true Mrs. Rimmle's statement that Becky has departed for Europe.
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