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Isabelle Borgé is Amory’s first love. Isabelle is beautiful, sophisticated, and charming, and she has a reputation for being flirtatious and kissing men. Isabelle and Amory are mutually infatuated when they first meet, and they exchange letters during the spring of Amory’s sophomore year. Though Amory’s letters are passionate, he finds Isabelle’s lacking and “unsentimental.” When Amory visits Isabelle’s family in Long Island, they kiss for the first time and argue afterward. Amory realizes that he does not love Isabelle but instead is attracted by her “coldness.” Isabelle, meanwhile, accuses Amory of being self-centered, “conceited,” and excessively harsh. Throughout the rest of the novel, Amory compares the other women he loves to Isabelle, and he insists that Isabelle meant nothing to him “except what [he] read into her.” Amory’s treatment of Isabelle reveals his cruelty toward others and his obsession with chasing beauty.
Isabelle Borgé Quotes in This Side of Paradise
The This Side of Paradise quotes below are all either spoken by Isabelle Borgé or refer to Isabelle Borgé. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Book 1, Chapter 2: Spires and Gargoyles Quotes
“He knows you’re—you’re considered beautiful and all that”—she paused—“and I guess he knows you’ve been kissed.”
At this Isabelle’s little fist had clinched suddenly under the fur robe. She was accustomed to be thus followed by her desperate past, and it never failed to rouse in her the same feeling of resentment; yet—in a strange town it was an advantageous reputation. She was a “Speed,” was she? Well—let them find out.
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In this quote, Sally Weatherby, Amory’s childhood friend, is speaking to her cousin Isabelle about what she (Sally) has told Amory about her (Isabelle). This quote demonstrates how this new generation’s attitudes about sexuality have drastically diverged from those of their parents: it is newly possible for young men and women to have relationships not supervised by adults, and they are free to kiss and express their affection for each other. The term “Speed” is a new concept made possible by these new freedoms: it refers to someone who moves quickly in romantic relationships, perhaps improperly so. It might be Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligen
Book 1, Chapter 3: The Egotist Considers Quotes
He became aware that he had not an ounce of real affection for Isabelle, but her coldness piqued him. He wanted to kiss her, kiss her a lot, because then he knew he could leave in the morning and not care. On the contrary, if he didn’t kiss her, it would worry him… It would interfere vaguely with his idea of himself as a conqueror.
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Amory has this realization about his true feelings for Isabelle right after they kiss for the first time at her family’s home in Long Island. This quote demonstrates Amory’s troubled and even misogynistic attitude towards women and romantic relationships. It also illustrates Amory’s cruelty, selfishness, and callousness toward others in his youth. Amory’s desire to kiss Isabelle to feel like a “conqueror” is rooted in misogynistic ideas about sexual relationships as a form of violence and domination. In particular, his idea that achieving this form of domination will free him from emotional attachment suggests why Amory struggles to find fulfilling, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta
Book 1, Chapter 4: Narcissus Off Duty Quotes
She was immemorial…. Amory wasn’t good enough for Clara, Clara of ripply golden hair, but then no man was. Her goodness was above the prosy morals of the husband-seeker, apart from the dull literature of female virtue.
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Amory’s relationship with and attitude toward Clara is notably distinct from his other romantic relationships in the novel. Amory sees some of himself in all of his other lovers. In contrast, Amory puts Clara on a pedestal and is drawn to her because he sees her as his moral superior. Clara makes Amory want to be less haughty and self-interested. Unlike with Amory’s other lovers (whom Amory feels confident in his ability to conquer), Amory does not effortlessly charm Clara, instead seeing himself as unworthy of her. While Amory demonstrates his admiration for Clara, this quote still reflects the same Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odi
Book 2, Chapter 3: Young Irony Quotes
Eleanor was, say, the last time that evil crept close to Amory under the mask of beauty.
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The idea expressed in this quote, that the temptations of romantic love are a form of evil, is one of Amory’s major realizations by the end of the novel that leads him to his pessimistic view of love and sexuality. In earlier relationships with Isabelle, Clara, and Rosalind, Amory saw the exciting possibilities of being in love. But after the end of his relationship with Rosalind, Amory comes to see love as fundamentally corrupted and dangerous, leading him away from his quest for individual fulfillment and self-knowledge. Such a belief perhaps reflects the fact that, aside from Clara, Amory is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo
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Isabelle Borgé Character Timeline in This Side of Paradise
The timeline below shows where the character Isabelle Borgé appears in This Side of Paradise. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 2: Spires and Gargoyles
Now 18, Amory returns to Minneapolis after the Triangle trip in order to meet Isabelle Borgé, a cousin of his friend and former crush Sally Weatherby. Sally has told Amory...
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...though a year ago he was considered pretentious and unpopular. Amory maintains a correspondence with Isabelle, to whom he writes long letters. He tells Alec that he is tired of college...
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...car. Amory is upset by the grotesque tragedy and considers it “unaristocratic.” The next day, Isabelle and her mother visit him at Princeton for the prom. Amory and Isabelle drive to ...
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Book 1, Chapter 3: The Egotist Considers
Amory’s shirt stud bruises Isabelle’s neck, and she becomes angry at him when he laughs. He realizes that he does...
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...enough to admit that he does not understand. After the end of his affair with Isabelle, Amory feels disinterested in academic success, even if it means being removed from The Princetonian...
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Book 2, Chapter 1: The Débutante
...leads men on and breaks their hearts. Rosalind is beautiful, sophisticated, and self-absorbed, somewhat like Isabelle. Amory comes into Rosalind’s room to greet her, and they connect instantly. They kiss after...
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