In the Cage (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry James
- First Published: 1898
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The late 1890's
- Setting: The Mayfair section of West London
- Principal Characters: The protagonist, Mr. Mudge, Captain Count Philip Everard, Lady Bradeen, Mrs. Jordan, Cocker
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Class conflict, Love or romance, Poverty or poor people, Emotions, Imagination, Lifestyles, Weddings, Telegraphs
- Locales: London, England
The Story
The protagonist of “In the Cage” is a young woman whose identity is never revealed by Henry James, thus reinforcing the very anonymity of her status in life: She works in the post-and-telegraph cage of Cocker's store in the Mayfair section of West London. From the outset, James makes clear two facts about her personal life. First, she has grown up and still lives in relative poverty. As a consequence, she does not look kindly on the many idle rich who come to Cocker's day after day to send telegrams.
Second, she is engaged to a grocer named Mr. Mudge. He is...
[The entire page is 1920 words long]
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