The Bostonians is sympathetic to the cause of women’s equality and rejects the dated views of its male protagonist. Basil Ransom, the embodiment of traditional values and the feminists’ antagonist, can be obstinate, insensitive, and unreasonable—even the narrator admits that Basil’s views are “narrow” (260). Basil’s views are shaped by the chivalric code, which presumes women to be “essentially inferior to men” (151), “delicate, agreeable creatures” (151) who should repay men’s “protection” by remaining “passive” (11) and “making society agreeable” (261). Basil’s desire “to take possession of Verena” (248) represents the power structure against which the feminists fight. Believing the feminists’ speeches to be “unsightly trainings and clippings and shoutings” (185), he is determined to “squelch” Verena’s career (306). James concurs with Verena’s belief that Basil visiting her only to ridicule her beliefs is “harsh, almost cruel” (255). At Miss Birdseye’s house, Verena states that men should “admire” women less and “trust” them more (49), foreshadowing Basil’s claim that his desire to “rescue” women (193) indicates that he loves women “too much” (284).

However, the novel shares Basil’s concerns about the implications of women’s power, presenting the feminists as shrewish, insincere, and self-serving.