Essay Questions

What is the meaning of “education” to Henry Adams and how does he experience it?

The “education” which Henry Adams (or Adams) experiences is the education of life. Adams desires to learn beyond the walls of the classroom, college, or auditorium. Many of Adams's observations through the book are about attempting to understand the developments of the 19th century. As he travels around America, Europe, and the world, Adams begins to understand his entire life is an “education”. His goal is to learn what his classical education failed to give him. He is in a constant struggle to understand the world. “Education”, to Adams, is about attempting to comprehend the changes of the world.

Why is the United States so important to Henry Adams?

Beside being born in Boston, Henry Adams is the great-grandson of President John Adams and the grandson of President John Quincy Adams. Henry Adams sees his family's origins as having a great influence on him. The Puritan origins of the Adams family, Henry Adams sees as the origins of America. It is a powerful, mercantile origin, but it is one bereft of art or sensuality. Adams sees the United States then as a product of the modern age. The Civil War, by destroying slavery, destroyed its last links to the old world. The United States is a totally new power in the world. The Old World, or Europe, Adams understands he can never relate to. Even during his time in England, Adams fails at identifying with the English or French. His origins, identity, and philosophy are firmly rooted in the origins of the United States.

What do the “Virgin” and the “Dynamo” symbolize to Henry Adams?

The two major symbols of The Education of Henry Adams are the “virgin” and the “dynamo”. These opposing symbols, to Adams, represent the human condition. The “virgin” is art, religion, and tradition firmly rooted in Europe. The “dynamo” is technology, ideology, and evolution. Both are full of great power, but they represent their own advantages and dangers. The “virgin” is the soft, feminine inspiration of religion. The “dynamo” is the hard, masculine engine of technology. The “virgin” is firmly medieval and the “dynamo” is firmly modern. As the dynamo has overtaken the virgin, Adams believes America has eclipsed Europe on the world-stage. The automobile is purely a product of American industrial power by way of the dynamo. The antique, Gothic cathedrals of Europe were inspired by the “virgin”.

In what way is The Education of Henry Adams a history of Henry Adams?

Despite writing a literary autobiography, Henry Adams always identified himself as a historian foremost. The Education of Henry Adams is rather unique for being a third-person autobiography. Henry Adams identifies himself as “Adams” or a figure of history. The book attempts to be a history of Henry Adams's own life told from a neutral perspective. While it makes use of several literary techniques, the book is foremost about Adams development as a person through the 1800's and 1900's. Though not an important figure of history, he believes only he can show how the world, society, and history has changed throughout his life. Adams attempts to deal with the problem of history through his own life. His story is parallel to both the development of technology and the growth of the United States into a world power. He is constantly anxious about what the future might bring. The only way humanity can preserve itself is by understanding their current condition - a task which Adams attempt to preform through his autobiography.