Washington Square

The defining moments of Dr. Sloper’s life occur before the novel begins. His son dies at three years old, and his beautiful, intelligent wife dies two years later after giving birth to their daughter, Catherine. Dr. Sloper is biased enough that he sees Catherine as an inferior substitute for his son, whom the doctor “had promised himself to make an admirable man” (6). Unfortunately, as the novel progresses, the reader realizes that Dr. Sloper never completely takes up the cause of helping Catherine become an admirable woman. Instead, he decides to expect nothing from her, so anything intelligent or clever that she surprises him with is a bonus.

Dr. Sloper is undoubtedly intelligent, and a good portion of the novel's comedy derives from his quick wit. However, he too often rewards Catherine’s love and respect with caustic irony, and he consistently belittles her intelligence, discernment, and attractiveness when speaking to others. Dr. Sloper finally creates a self-fulfilling prophecy: Catherine falls victim to a fortune hunter in part because her father does not provide her with the education and support that she needs.

Dr. Sloper becomes a doctor to “learn something interesting and to do something useful,” and he succeeds brilliantly (7). Unfortunately, Dr. Sloper’s scientific training and years of experience with patients sometimes lead him to deal with Catherine as if she is a case study, rather than his pained and confused daughter. He awaits the result of Catherine’s inner struggle, between loyalty toward him and love of Townsend, like a scientist mixing two chemicals might await the reaction. He misses multiple opportunities to comfort Catherine and simply show he cares for her, finally proving himself a more dedicated doctor than father.

Morris Townsend can be viewed as a foil for Dr. Sloper. While Dr. Sloper has a stable, prosperous life largely built on hard work and honesty, Townsend’s primary characteristics—beyond his striking beauty, social grace, and charm—are laziness and a seemingly boundless capacity for deception.

Townsend chooses his positions and tactics based on what he believes will promote his interests and potentially improve his social or financial position. Townsend portrays himself as supporting his sister when, in fact, he lives off her generosity. He claims that he educates his nieces and nephews, when, in fact, he only teaches them rudimentary Spanish. Regarding Catherine, he expresses his desire to marry her immediately because her father’s fortune appears substantial, but then refuses to set a date and eventually leaves once the doctor vows to disinherit her.

He expresses no qualms about meeting freely with Mrs. Penniman to plot stratagems without the knowledge of Catherine and Dr. Sloper, and he takes advantage of the doctor’s absence to help himself to the doctor’s home, wine, and cigars. Perhaps most damningly, Townsend continues to see Catherine and gives her the impression they will soon be married even after he decides to break with her. When this situation becomes uncomfortable for him, Townsend starts a quarrel with Catherine as a cover for separating from her. Years later, his machinations backfire: The mature Catherine, no longer a mark for such stratagems, views Townsend one last time and sums him up: Townsend “had made himself comfortable, and he had never been caught” (177). She recognizes his flawed character and deceptive nature.

Finally, Townsend can be seen as a catalyst to test the strength of Catherine’s relationship with Dr. Sloper, and their relationship fails the test. Both Catherine and Dr. Sloper gradually become more dishonest and withholding toward each other once Townsend enters their lives. By the time Townsend exits the romance, he leaves the relationship between Catherine and Dr. Sloper shattered. Townsend then moves on to use his assets “to get what he can” (135). His character remains essentially static, neither developing nor changing in any significant way.