Washington Square is set in late-1800s New York City, within the general area of the eponymous Washington Square. Although it’s now a busy cultural center that contains one of New York City's most famous urban parks, at the time, the neighborhood was a quiet, genteel enclave of large, upper-class houses. Henry James was born around the corner from Washington Square in 1883. The novel’s physical setting is no mere background; it’s so important that it’s almost a character. Even when the people who live there are abroad or high in the Alps, the specter of the house in Washington Square hangs over them.
The somewhat claustrophobic setting of the novel represents the rigid societal norms and pronounced class distinctions that characterized the mid-1800s. James’s characters move within these confines with apparent freedom. However, their actions and decisions are heavily influenced by these societal boundaries, whether spoken or unspoken. This oppressive atmosphere emphasizes the challenges of navigating personal desires against societal expectations, especially for women.
The opulence of the Sloper residence is more than just a testament to the Sloper family's wealth. It works as a symbol of the pronounced divide between the rich and the poor in Gilded Age New York. Its grandeur and stature starkly contrast with other, more humble settings in the novel. This difference highlights the disparities between the comfortable life of the rich and the struggle to survive that many less affluent Victorian New Yorkers experienced.
