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Being familiar with descriptions of master-slave relationships, I would be surprised if James was depicted as a blameless partner. It may be unrealistic.

CleverSpider001 wrote: ↑10 Jan 2022, 10:24 I believe James was inappropriately possessive of Lily. While I understand that being insecure can lead to some inappropriate jealousy, he crossed the line a few times, such as with the son of the black family who lived with her.

I agree. While we do have to factor in the impact that the initial loss of Lily would have had in him and the treatment of his father. It would not excuse his actions throughout the book. We can't overlook however, that his actions are not without reason at least for him it is only a part of his defence machinism.

Yes, I agree with the fact that James was overly jealous at certain points. But given his position in the society and the relationship with Lily since childhood, it can be excused as consequences of the circumstances he has been in. I feel that the author has done the right thing with depicting him in such a way. This flaw made his character realistic.

I agree with the fact that James was too jealous. But I understand the situation he found himself. Anyone could have done same.

I think James was jealous because from childhood they were close. And seeing her with black family living with her got to him.

James was jealous towards Lily, that was one of his behaviours that made me dislike him in the book.

James is used to being in control. Although it wasn't palatable, his possessive actions were in line with prevailing behaviours of his era.

James feeling was definitely too much, which made him overly jealous and possessive. It would be a problem in future, that's for sure.

Yes, he was, and I understand him being that way. We cannot blame James for his feelings for Lily because he is entitled to it. Who would not fall with Lily? Maybe his misdemeanors are just too superfluous.

James is human and so is expected to be flawed. The societal codes also had its own share of blame. I think James loved Lily in the way he knows best.

He totally was jealous, he was possessive towards Lily. That was the reason that I don't liked him.

Yes, I agree. James was portrayed as controlling couched in love for Lily. This is a common trope , supposed to show the male lead as protective and dedicated but leave a sour taste when viewing this from a modern perspective.

Personally, I can't help but think that he was very jealous. I just don't see any other way to describe him.

I felt like Jame's jealousy stemmed from the anger he had inside about how he was not supposed to love Lily. He was jealous just like most other men but what made it seem like he was overly possessive was the fact that he was also trying to wrestle with what was acceptable in his father's eyes and in the eyes of society. Expressing himself was something that was not made easy for him when it came to Lily. I feel like he also just did not know how to properly react given the odd circumstances he was faced with. I empathise with him although some might see him as a villain for his level of jealousy.

I think James was more scared about the feelings Lily provoked in him than jealous. His attempts to hold on to the control he felt he was quickly losing may be interpreted as aggressive and possessive, but I just see a vulnerable man afraid to lose control.