wants her to marry Mr Brand, but instead she ends up marrying Felix. Charlotte Wentworth, Gertrude's older sister. She ends up marrying Mr Brand. Clifford Wentworth, in his 20s. He got suspended from Harvard because of a drinking problem. He ends up marrying Lizzie. Mr Brand, a Unitarian minister. He helps Clifford remain abstemious. Mr Wentworth wants him to marry Gertrude. Mr Robert Acton, a young man who increased his fortune in China. He went to Harvard. Miss Lizzie Acton, Robert's sister. She ends marrying Clifford. Mrs Acton, their mother, an invalid. She is 55 years old when Eugenia meets her. Augustine, Eugenia's maid. Mrs Whiteside, Eugenia's and Felix's mother. Mr Adolphus Young, Eugenia's and Felix's father. Mr Broderip, a friend of Mr Wentworth's. He went to Harvard. Allusions to other works The authors and works of fiction mentioned are: John Keats, The Arabian Nights, the Bible (Queen of Sheba, Solomon), Madame de Stael, Madame Recamier, Charles Dickens's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Mr Wentworth reads the North American Review and the Boston Daily Advertiser. The visual arts are alluded to with Raphael. Allusions to actual history Eugenia says that her "father used to tell [her]" of General George Washington. Meanwhile, Gertrude imagines that Eugenia will be like the lithograph of Empress Josephine hung in the Wentworth's parlor. Major themes One of the most important themes of the novel is the comparison between European and American women, which James stresses through the great difference existing between Eugenia and the Wentworth ladies. Madame Münster is independent, modern, and displays hauteur. Gertrude and Charlotte lack this self-possession. For example, they tend to comply with their father's suggestions. When Mr. Wentworth tries to arrange a marriage between Mr. Brand and Gertrude to which she objects, it is difficult for her to clearly express her preference. The sisters spend most of their free time with the family, until the moment in which Gertrude discovers herself to be in love with Felix. Her love encourages her to take a new perspective on the world and to resist the presumptions of her family. She reacts against her father's decision regarding Mr. Brand, explaining that she will never marry a man she does not love. Instead, Gertrude will marry Felix and leave America. The difference between Europeans and New Englanders manifests itself in particular in the expression of feelings and emotions, which