The Golden Bowl

The titular golden bowl functions as an important symbol throughout the novel. As different characters view the object, the bowl becomes a blank slate onto which they are able to project their own characters. As such, the symbolism of the bowl grows and changes across the narrative. When they first view the golden bowl, Charlotte and Amerigo are taking part in an illicit shopping trip. They are evidently aware of the dishonest nature of their trip, as they venture beyond the parts of London where they might be spotted. This unspoken guilt relates to the prior relationship that they enjoyed before Amerigo was engaged to Maggie. Charlotte and Amerigo ended their relationship because they were too poor to get married. Even now that Amerigo is engaged, however, they cannot deny their lingering affection for one another. Their poverty is markedly different, however. Amerigo comes from a wealthy family which has fallen on hard times. He spots the bowl and immediately knows that it is flawed. Charlotte, from a more modest background, is less familiar with the lavish objects that are so familiar to Amerigo. She is fascinated by the flawed bowl, and she cannot exit herself from the store, just as she cannot exit herself from the situation.