Who Lambert Strether is
Lambert Strether is a widower of fifty-five who edits a small review in Woollett, Massachusetts. Decent, anxious and intelligent, he depends on Mrs. Newsome, the wealthy widow who pays for his review. He hopes to marry her, and accepts her mission with a strong sense of duty.
What Lambert Strether wants
Strether wants to bring Chad Newsome home from Paris to run the family business. He sees success as a way to earn Mrs. Newsome's gratitude and perhaps strengthen their future together. He arrives expecting to find a young man held back by an unworthy woman.
How Lambert Strether changes
Chad's polish and confidence unsettle Strether's expectations, making him wonder whether Paris has helped rather than harmed him. As he enjoys conversation, art and new friendships, he begins to feel how much his own caution has cost him. His growing sympathy for Chad pulls against the duty that brings him abroad.
Lambert Strether and the others in the story
Maria Gostrey becomes Strether's guide and confidante, helping him question assumptions he has brought from home. His old friend Waymarsh distrusts Europe, offering a contrast to Maria's curious outlook. Strether also admires Madame de Vionnet and begins to see her influence as the source of Chad's change.
A best-known line
“Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life.”
Questions
Who is Lambert Strether?
Lambert Strether is the American editor whose changing perceptions shape The Ambassadors.
Why does Lambert Strether go to Paris?
Mrs. Newsome sends him to persuade her son Chad to return to Woollett and the family business.
How does Maria Gostrey help Strether?
Maria helps him understand Europe and examine his own judgments. She listens closely and gives him room to express thoughts he has not yet fully understood.