Ambassador is a field that utilizes the skills of diplomacy and promotes understanding between nations and peoples. Embedded in the ambassador is tact towards human relationships which involves mediation and problem solving techniques. Collaborative politics is essential to function well in the ability to represent not only another entity, but also to advance specific goals and objectives. To make an impact, an ambassador must develop skilled communication and observation skills, while possessing the competence to easily assimilate or adapt to another climate and culture. Being an effective ambassador also means maintaining one's loyalty to the homeland, while occupying a different space. In Henry James's "Ambassadors" (1903), the protagonist, Lewis Strether, is an American chosen to act as Mrs. Newsome's attorney in some family business. For some reason, Chadwick loses the desire to return to America and to his mother, Mrs. Newsome. He must use his powers of persuasion to urge American-born Chadwick Newsome, on vacation in Europe, to return home. The concept of home is central to The Ambassadors and Sister Carrie as each character espouses a different vision of home. Home can be the place of birth, a permanent home or a place of rest and comfort. Due to the maturation process, the love of travel and the desire to settle down with their family, people have chosen to emigrate and eventually live in a new place than before. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Usually, home is a place where you feel comfortable and happy. This vision of home becomes increasingly popular among characters who migrate and settle in a new area. Strether himself, the appointed American ambassador to Europe, claims to "feel more and more at home" (James 34). Shared happiness is also an integral part of the home atmosphere. Chadwick was unhappy in his original home in America. As Strather watches Chadwick, he sees a man transformed by personal fulfillment and happiness, even happier than he is. Soon the ambassador wishes to participate in the happiness of the American emigrant. The American dream is also a promised land of toil and difficulty, but which holds the hope of a better lifestyle. The United States is the land of freedom and opportunity where everyone is seeking happiness. All Americans are the predecessors of immigrants, boasting a proud nation of ancestors who built a nation through their courage in exploring another land. As an American, Chadwick exports the legacy of Americanness to Europe: the pursuit of happiness and the love of adventure. Strether soon discovers that America is not the only land founded on the pursuit of happiness as in Europe Chadwick pursues and finds happiness in culture and in the woman, Madame Marie de Vionnet. The irony is that Americans rediscover happiness in another land, even in The Ambassador, Strether. While in Paris, Strather and Mrs. Gosfrey, Americans, feel at home. James vividly describes that “the circle in which they were together was full of life, and every question between them would be experienced as nowhere else (James 2008). The house evokes images of a world of domestic bliss and even a utopia Furnished with many amenities and comforts, homes can be luxurious or sober - however the true essence of a home lies not in the furnishings or appearance but in the people who live together , attests to this." a beautiful home atmosphere is one of the flowers of the world, of which there is nothingmore tender, nothing more delicate" (Dreiser 1998). Carrie, the protagonist, is looking for a home because she cannot find true happiness in the rural area where she was born. Here, Carry begins to realize the treasure of that place called home. Home is a place for the family. The eternal difference between a home and a hearth is the family. It would be impossible for Chadwick to simply change its location to establish a new home, too people in Chadwick's life had to change. Chadwick feels unappreciated in his home in America, where his mother attempts to control his life. His new home in Europe is in stark contrast to his home in America as he raises a new family composed of Madame Marie de Vionnet and her daughter. Man of the house and separated from his American family, he feels independent and experiences a higher level of personal satisfaction. Within the family there is the key ingredient: love . Madame Marie de Vionnet confesses that both she and her daughter "love him (Chadwick) here. He is charming" (James 2008). The three are linked by a bond of love that unites them as family and members of a home. In contrast, in America, Chadwick has no living testimony of maternal affection nor does he experience genuine control based on love alone. Dreiser in Sister Carrie observes that in Hedgewood "there was no feeling of affection in him that could bind him to his wife and children" (Dreiser 1998). His character's home life has become destitute to the point that he seeks fulfillment elsewhere. The family is non-existent so, although he owns a luxurious house, it is not a home. Furthermore, Carrie tells her friend that she couldn't get along with her family since "they always want me to do what they want" (Dreiser 1998). When a house begins to take on the character of a prison in which the members are locked up, they will try to find comfort elsewhere, as Chadwick does. Gosfrey preserves her identity as an American and states that as an American she “carries upon her shoulders the enormous burden of our national consciousness or in other words… our own nation” (James 2008). Here, Ms. Gosfrey expresses her opinion that being an American does not necessarily forever root one in one's homeland. She sees herself as an ambassador and representative, even if not in her homeland. Like millions of people before her, she visits Europe and is fascinated by it, choosing to stay for a while. At the same time, like Europe, America presents itself as a place that welcomes visitors or immigrants, opening up the possibility of naturalization for them to be registered citizens. America is a melting pot of different cultures. People from foreign countries come and build new homes in America primarily to achieve a better standard of living for themselves and their families. The national consciousness Gosfrey alludes to is diversity, freedom and equality. These concepts of nationalistic philosophy form the basis of his statement. America becomes the motherland to which each of its children pays due loyalty. By offering citizens land, bread, and protection, America functions as a refuge for the masses seeking comfort. America is defined as a home for the afflicted and a fortress for those fleeing poverty, political-religious upheaval, or personal adversity. Home is a place of pleasure where you can live the ideal, Carpe Diem or Seize the Day. The theme of truly living is one of the foundations of The Ambassador. Being able to live a full and unhindered life is the goal of Chadwick, Jim and Strether. Jim declares that he "wants to come here and live here myself. And (he) wants to live while... here too (James 2008). Home lacks essence if one cannot, 1998.
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