The poetry written by Thomas Stearns Eliot, Portrait of a Lady has a strong connection with the novel by Henry James. Both deal with almost the same issues. In the poem Eliot talks about how a person will live his or her life during the 19th century. How they would always do exactly what was considered right during that era in society.Eliot mention how rare and strange it is to find true friends. In the novel everyone pretend to be your best friend and was only using the person to benefit something for his or her own convections (Lozano, 2).You do not know how much they mean to me,My friends, and how, How rare and strange it is, to findIn a life composed so much, So much of odds and ends (Eliot 19-21).Many people during the 19th century really made friends so that they can have more people coming to their tea parties, one of the things that are mention in the poem as well as in the novel (Lozano, 3).Isabel Archer was considered to be a very innocent lady; she was being taken advantage so that others can get what they wanted when all she wanted was a real friend. Madame Merle was a clever woman who used her to get money for her daughter (Henry, 181).Repeatedly saying in this poem that he will serve tea to his friends. He is saying that in this era there was no such thing as a real friend even though everyone wanted one of his or her own. For everybody said so, all our friends,They all were sure our feelings would relateSo closely! I myself can hardly understand.We must leave it now to fate.You will write, at any rate.Perhaps it is not too late.I shall sit here, serving tea to friends (Eliot, 102-108).The 19th century was an issue that many discussed in many novels, poems, and other resources. Eliot decided that having friends was a hard thing for many reasons because they were never pure. James shows and supports that issues. Showing how many of the characters in the novel were not true and real to each other....
