Contents1.l ntroduction12.Summary of Escapism.23.The Escapism of Densher...............3.1.2 Life and Happiness....3.2 The Reasons of Densher's escapism..........................53.2.2 The Influence of Destiny............561.IntroductionThe wings of the Dove is a famous movie directed by lan Softley.It was first released in theUnited States in November 7,1997.According to the novel of the same name by American writerHenry James,the film tells that Kate and Morton are truly devoted men and women,but they wantto cheat Millie's story in order to achieve the combination of two people.Kate Croy and Merton Densher are two betrothed Londoners who desperately want to marrybut have very little money.Kate is constantly put upon by family troubles,and is now living withher domineering aunt,Maud Lowder.Into their world comes Milly Theale,an enormously richyoung American woman who had previously met and fallen in love with Densher,although shehas never revealed her feelings.Her travelling companion and confidante,Mrs.Stringham,is anold friend of Maud.Kate and Aunt Maud welcome Milly to London,and the American heiressenjoys great social success.With Kate as a companion,Milly goes to see an eminent physician,Sir Luke Strett,becauseshe worries that she is suffering from an incurable disease.The doctor is noncommittal but Millyfears the worst.Kate suspects that Milly is deathly ill.After the trip to America where he had metMilly,Densher returns to find the heiress in London.Kate wants Densher to pay as much attentionas possible to Milly,though at first he doesn't quite know why.Kate has been careful to concealfrom Milly (and everybody else)that she and Densher are engaged.With the threat of serious illness hanging over her,Milly decides to travel to Venice with Mrs.Stringham.Aunt Maud,Kate and Densher follow her.At a party Milly gives in her Venice palazzo(the older Palazzo Barbaro,called "Palazzo Leporelli"in the novel),Kate finally reveals hercomplete plan to Densher:he is to marry Milly so that,after her presumably soon-to-occur death,he will inherit the money they can marry on.Densher had suspected this was Kate's idea,and hedemands that she consummate their affair before he will go along with her plan.Aunt Maud and Kate return to London while Densher remains with Milly.Unfortunately,thedying girl leams from a former suitor of Kate's about the plot to get her money.She withdrawsfrom Densher and her condition deteriorates.Densher sees her one last time before he leaves forLondon,where he eventually receives news of Milly's death.Milly does leave him a large amountof money despite everything.But Densher does not accept the money,and he will not marry Kateunless she also refuses the bequest.Conversely,if Kate chooses the money instead of him,Densher offers to make the bequest over to her in full.The lovers part on the novel's final pagewith a cryptic exclamation from Kate:"We shall never be again as we were!"2.Summary of EscapismGenerally,escapism meas not to be confused with Escapology,the art of escaping physicalmeans of restraint.Escapism is the avoidance of unpleasant,boring,arduous,scary,or banalaspects of daily life.It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relievepersisting feelings of depression or general sadness.Entire industries have sprung up to foster a growing tendency of people to removethemselves from the rigors of daily life,especially into the digital world.Many activities that arenormal parts of a healthy existence (e.g.,eating,sleeping,exercise,sexual activity)can alsobecome avenues of escapism when taken to extremes or out of proper context;and as a result theword "escapism"often carries a negative connotation,suggesting that escapists are unhappy,withan inability or unwillingness to connect meaningfully with the world and to take necessary action.Indeed,the OED defined escapism as "The tendency to seek,or the practice of seeking,distractionHowever,many challenge the idea that escapism is fundamentally and exclusively negative.C.S.Lewis was fond of humorously remarking that the usual enemies of escape were jailers;andconsidered that used in moderation escapism could serve both to refresh and to expand theimaginative powers.Similarly J.R.R.Tolkien argued for escapism in fantasy literature as thecreative expression of reality within a secondary (imaginative)world,(but also emphasised thatthey required an element of horror in them,if they were not to be 'mere escapism').Terry Pratchettconsidered that the twentieth century had seen the development over time of a more positive viewof escapist literature.Apart from literature,music has been seen and valued as an artistic mediumof escape,too.3.The Escapism of DensherThough a journalist of Fleet Street,Merton Densher is still an outsider of British politesociety.Fleet Street,a street in the City of London,has been the home of British nationalnewspapers until the 1980s.To be a journalist of Fleet Street that has a position of eminence is anhonor to Merton.He has his migratory parents,one being a British chaplain and the other being acopyist.They make him spend his early years abroad,attending his Swiss schools and Germanuniversity.His foreign experiences enlarge his knowledge and foster his openness and are of greatbenefit to his job.Mrs.Lowder,the organizer of social activities,appreciates his frankness,eloquence and cleverness and often invites him to take part in parties of polite society,where hefalls in love with Kate at first sight.Unfortunately,though Mrs.Lowder likes Merton,she is tryingto prevent love affair between he and Kate.That is because Merton is not regarded by Mrs.Lowder as the right person for the husband of Kate due to his lack of money.Instead,Lord Mark,Mrs.Lowder thinks,is just the right person for Kate due to his brilliant future.Merton,an outsider of British polite society,wins Milly's high favor.Merton will not beaccepted by Mrs.Lowder,Kate's foster mother,and Mrs.Condrip,Kate's elder sister.According toMrs.Lowder,Merton is young for the House of Commons,loose for the ammy,refined for the city,and skeptical for the church.According to Mrs.Condrip,Merton has no private means,noprospect of any,no income,no ability,and is as poor as poverty.On balance,Merton is not apublic man or a rich man.On the contrary,Milly holds that Merton is an exceptionally able man.She has ever met Merton three times in New York when he is on business trips to America.Merton's "handsomeness"and "English style"cause Milly's heart to miss a beat.She meets hima fourth time at the National Gallery of Britain,where she puts it to herself that "she likes him asmuch as ever".Actually Milly and Mrs.Lowder's different attitudes towards Merton dependlargely on their different views on money.For Mrs.Lower,she sits in the midst of her money,being founded on it and surrounded by it.While for Milly,she has no manner at all and is far awayon the edge of her money.It is much clear that Mrs.Lowder is greed and snobbish while Milly issimple and generous,two of whom hold different values.That is the reason why Mrs.Lowder