Washington Square

“Catherine, who was extremely modest, had no desire to shine, and on most social occasions, as they are called, you would have found her lurking in the background. She was extremely fond of her father, and very much afraid of him; she thought him the cleverest and handsomest and most celebrated of men.”

Catherine’s modesty and deference to her father is here established. The juxtaposition of their wishes and wills becomes a focal point of the novel. As Catherine comes to appreciate her needs and desires, her respect for her father fades.

“The ideal of quiet and of genteel retirement, in 1835, was found in Washington Square, where the doctor built himself a handsome, modern wide-fronted house, with a balcony before the drawing room windows, and flight of white marble steps ascending to a portal which was also faced with white marble.”

The Washington Square residence begins as a symbol of Dr. Sloper’s quiet, established financial and social stability. When Catherine retains her residence there following her father’s death, the residence reflects her stoic, immovable position as to how to live out her remaining years.

“He had seen all the principal actors—he had been to all the best theatres in London and Paris. But the actors were always like the authors—they always exaggerated. He likes everything to be natural.”

This description of Townsend’s experiences with theater foreshadows his ability to act a part when it is to his benefit. Though Townsend is willing to use theatrical exaggeration when it suits him, he has a natural ability to make others believe in him, even while he compiles a growing history of taking advantage of those who show such belief.