The Wings of the Dove

The Wings of the Dove is a classic example of Henry James’s morality tales that play off the naiveté of an American protagonist abroad. In early-20th-century London, Kate Croy and Merton Densher are engaged in a passionate, clandestine love affair. Croy is desperately in love with Densher, who has all the qualities of a potentially excellent husband: he’s handsome, witty, and idealistic–the one thing he lacks is money, which ultimately renders him unsuitable as a mate. By chance, Croy befriends a young American heiress, Milly Theale. When Croy discovers that Theale suffers from a mysterious and fatal malady, she hatches a plan that can give all three characters something that they want–at a price. Croy and Densher plan to accompany the young woman to Venice where Densher, according to Croy’s design, will seduce the ailing heiress. The two hope that Theale will find love and happiness in her last days and–when she dies–will leave her fortune to Densher, so that he and Croy can live happily ever after. The scheme that at first develops as planned begins to founder when Theale discovers the pair’s true motives shortly before her death. Densher struggles with unanticipated feelings of love for his new paramour, and his guilt may obstruct his ability to avail himself of Theale’s gift.