"The Real Thing" by Henry James
             The plot begins to unfold at the beginning of the story, when the narrator is approached by a seemingly wealthy couple, the Monarchs, seeking work. Soon, the narrator begins to notice the Monarchs lack of artistic beauty compared to his more humble sitters, despite their former wealthy status. Working simply to support themselves, the Monarchs begin to realize that real beauty does not lie within money or class, but in selfless kindness towards others, despite social status. The theme of the story is that material beauty cannot be substituted for natural kindness, regardless of how the picture is painted.
             The main character of the story is the narrator. His choice to employ the Monarchs out of pity creates the chain link of events that eventually lead the stuffy Monarchs to abandon their selfish pride. The narrator continues to draw the Monarch's, even though he receives negative comments, because he does not want to crush the little pride the couple holds sacred. The narrator contributes to the development of theme because he is unable to make the Monarch's appear beautiful, despite their royal air. The narrator's other sitters, Ms. Churm the working woman and Oronte, the Italian servant, are painted and adorned by other artists, conflicting with what the Monarch's see as art and beauty.
             The conflict involves all characters of the story. The Monarch' share an indirect conflict with Mrs. Churm and Oronte, in that the material beauty of the Monarch's cannot compare to the natural beauty of the lowly sitters. The previous lavish lives of the Monarch's have rendered them numb to the harsh realities of the working world. The narrator also suffers conflict with the Monarch's. When the Monarch's lack of artistic beauty threatens the narrator's job, they are dismissed after questioning the narrator's choice of painting Oronte over hims...