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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Washington Square, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gaining Independence
Loss and Idealization
Class, Wealth, and Social Status
Reason, Romanticism, and Blind Spots
Women’s Limited Freedoms
Summary
Analysis
Morris visits the next day and tells Catherine she has been “cruel” to keep him waiting for so long. He asks Catherine if she will marry him at once, and Catherine haltingly hopes that Dr. Sloper might yet come around to accepting Morris. Morris suggests that Catherine’s fear of Dr. Sloper is stronger than her love for him. They talk about the probability that Catherine will be disinherited if they get married. Catherine, overwhelmed, finally promises to marry Morris as soon as he likes.
If Catherine had hoped to find Morris comforting and understanding, she is disappointed. He doesn’t show sympathy for the impossible conundrum in which Catherine finds herself; he is mainly focused on how Catherine’s dilemma affects him, confirming Dr. Sloper’s perception of him as selfish. Nevertheless, Catherine clings to Morris as her lifeline, weary from standing up for herself against her father and at a loss for what else to do.
Themes
