Ambassadorship is a field that uses the skills of diplomacy and promotes understanding between nations and people. Tact in human relations is an integral part of being an ambassador, which involves mediation and problem-solving techniques. Collaborative politics is essential to successful functioning in the ability to not only represent another entity, but also to advance specific goals and objectives. In order to make an impact, an ambassador must develop good communication and observation skills, while possessing a competency that allows them to easily assimilate or adapt to another climate and culture. Being an effective ambassador also means remaining faithful to the homeland, while occupying a different space. In Henry James's "Ambassadors" (1903), the protagonist, Lewis Strether, is an American chosen to act as Mrs. Newsome's agent in a family business. For some reason, Chadwick loses the will to return to America and to his mother, Mrs. Newsome. He must use his powers of persuasion to encourage Chadwick Newsome, born in the United States and on vacation in Europe, to return home. The concept of home is key in The Ambassadors and Sister Carrie as each character takes a different view of home. The house can be either the place of birth, a fixed residence, or a place of rest and comfort. Due to the process of maturity, love of traveling and desire to settle down with one's own family, people chose to migrate and ultimately live in a new place than before. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayUsually, home is a place where one feels comfortable and happy. This vision of home is becoming increasingly popular among characters who migrate and settle in a new region. Strether himself, the appointed American ambassador to Europe, claims that he "feels more and more at home" (James 34). Shared happiness is also an integral part of what makes up the atmosphere of a home. Chadwick was unhappy in his original home in America. When Strather observes Chadwick, he sees a man transformed by personal growth and happiness, even happier than he is. Soon, the Ambassador wants to share in the happiness of the American emigrant. The American dream is also a promised land of toil and hardship, but one that holds hope for an improved lifestyle. The United States is the land of freedom and opportunity where everyone seeks happiness. All Americans are predecessors to immigrants, a proud nation of ancestors who built a nation through their daring to explore another country. As an American, Chadwick exported the heritage of Americanness to Europe: the pursuit of happiness and the love of adventure. Strether soon discovers that America is not the only land founded on the search for happiness since in Europe, Chadwick pursues and finds happiness in culture and in the woman, Madame Marie de Vionnet. The irony is that Americans are rediscovering happiness in another country, even in Ambassador Strether. In Paris, Strather and Mrs. Gosfrey, Americans, feel at home. James vividly describes that “the circle in which they stood together was warm with life, and every question between them would live like nowhere else (James 2008). The house evokes images of a world of domestic bliss and even utopia. Furnished with many comforts. and amenities, homes can be luxurious or plain - however the true essence of a home does not lie in theequipment or appearance but in the people who live with each other. Likewise, Theodore Dreiser in his book, Sister Carrie, attests that "...a beautiful home atmosphere is one of the flowers of the world, that there is nothing more tender, nothing more delicate" (Dreiser 1998 ). Carrie, the protagonist is looking for a home because she cannot find true happiness in the rural area. where she was born. Here, Carries begins to discover the treasure of this place called home. Home is a place for family. The eternal difference between a house and a home is family. What gives a house its identity are the people who live there. It would be impossible for Chadwick to simply change location to establish a new home, the people in Chadwick's life would have to change as well. Chadwick feels unappreciated at home in America where his mother tries to control his life. His new home in Europe presents a stark contrast to his home in America as he raises a new family consisting of Madame Marie de Vionnet and her daughter. As a man of the house and apart from his American family, he feels independent and experiences a higher level of personal contentment. Within the family lies the key ingredient: love. Madame Marie de Vionnet admits that she and her daughter "love him (Chadwick) here. He is charming" (James 2008). The trio is bound by a bond of love that unites them as family and members of a household. Conversely, in America, Chadwick has no living trace of maternal affection nor does he feel any real romantic restraint. Dreiser in Sister Carrie observes that at Hedgewood “there was no feeling of affection in him that could bind him to his wife and children” (Dreiser 1998). His character's home life has become destitute to the point that he seeks fulfillment elsewhere. Family is non-existent so even though he has a luxurious house, it is not a home. Additionally, Carrie told her friend that she could not get along with her family since they “always want me to do what they want” (Dreiser 1998). When a home begins to take on the character of a prison in which the members are confined, they seek solace elsewhere, as Chadwick does. Gosfrey maintains her American identity and asserts that as an American, she “carries on her back the enormous burden of our national conscience or, in other words…of our nation itself” (James 2008). Here, Ms. Gosfrey expresses her opinion that being American does not necessarily root us forever in our home country. She considers herself an ambassador and a representative, even if she is not on her territory. Like millions before her, she visited Europe and became fascinated, choosing to stay there for a while. At the same time, like Europe, America presents itself as a place that welcomes visitors or immigrants, opening them the possibility of naturalization so that they can become registered citizens. America is a melting pot of diverse cultures. People from foreign countries arrive and settle in America primarily to achieve a better standard of living for themselves and their families. The national consciousness to which Ms. Gosfrey refers is diversity, freedom and equality. These concepts of nationalist philosophies form the basis of his statement. America becomes the motherland to which each of its children pledges allegiance. Providing its citizens with land, bread, and protection, America functions as a refuge for the comfort-seeking masses. America is defined as a home for the afflicted and a fortress for those fleeing poverty, religious and political upheaval, or personal adversity. Home is a place of pleasure where we., 1998.