Henry James' 1903 novel ''The Beast in the Jungle'' was first made available as a part of the collection The Better Sort. This work, which is almost widely regarded as one of James' best short stories, fittingly addresses four universal themes: loneliness, fate, love, and death. Many readers who have pondered the value and purpose of human life have found that the tale of John Marcher and his particular fate has something to say to them. John Marcher is a hopeless fatalist, who believes that he is precluded from marrying so that he does not subject his wife to his "spectacular fate". The great misfortune of his life was to throw away the love of a good woman, based upon his preposterous sense of foreboding. "The Beast in the Jungle" has been read as a confession or parable about James Marcher's own life. He never got married, and it's possible he never had a sexually consummated relationship. Although he did enjoy an experience of aesthetic creativity, it is possible that he still regretted what he called "essential loneliness". The ever-present past in the lives of their protagonists is more an example of the author's extraordinary ability to portray the inner lives of his characters.