Consider the description of Alice Staverton as a “pale pressed flower” (Chapter 1, Paragraph 4). What do these lines imply about gender roles in the story? Does Alice fit into this established norm?

What imagery does Henry James use to evoke the changes that have taken place in New York City? How does this imagery develop the work’s themes?

Discuss Spencer Brydon’s apparent alienation from his family. How does this contribute to the story’s meaning?