The Ambassadors · Chapter
III explained
Strether and Waymarsh explore Chester with Miss Gostrey, whose fashionable influence highlights the cultural and personal tensions between the three.
What happens
Strether and Waymarsh explore Chester with Miss Gostrey, whose fashionable influence highlights the cultural and personal tensions between the three. Waymarsh's discomfort with Europe culminates in a sudden, unexplained dash into a jeweler's shop, which Strether interprets as a 'strike for freedom.' The chapter deepens the contrast between Strether's openness to new experiences and Waymarsh's resistance, while Strether and Miss Gostrey bond over their shared sense of being 'failures' in conventional terms.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Constraint
Waymarsh's sudden dash into the jeweler's shop is framed as a 'strike for freedom,' while Strether and Miss Gostrey discuss the different kinds of freedom—expensive, cheap, and personal—that their choices entail.
Perception and Interpretation
Strether and Miss Gostrey interpret Waymarsh's actions and silence, reading meaning into his purchase and demeanor, highlighting the theme of how characters perceive and judge one another.
Characters to notice
- Lambert Strether
Reflects on his own susceptibility to European society and his growing ease with Miss Gostrey, contrasting with Waymarsh's resistance. Describes himself as a 'perfectly equipped failure.'
- Waymarsh
Shows increasing discomfort with Europe, culminating in a sudden, unexplained purchase at a jeweler's shop, which Strether interprets as a 'sacred rage' and a strike for freedom.
- Maria Gostrey
Acts as a guide and foil, teasing Strether about his purchases and bonding with him over their shared sense of being 'out of it' and 'beaten brothers in arms.'
Key passages
“He’ll never remorselessly analyse me.”
Strether is certain that Waymarsh will never subject him to the same kind of critical scrutiny that Strether and Miss Gostrey apply to others.
This line underscores Strether's sense of being misunderstood or overlooked by Waymarsh, and highlights the intimacy of his new connection with Miss Gostrey.
“Thank goodness you’re a failure—it’s why I so distinguish you!”
Miss Gostrey praises Strether for not being a conventional success, suggesting that failure in worldly terms is a mark of distinction.
This exchange cements the bond between Strether and Miss Gostrey, both of whom see themselves as outsiders to the values of success and materialism.