James is the only disappointment in the book (for me anyway). As others have pointed out, he learns nothing by the end of this story other than the fact that Isabella wasn't sincerely attached to him. Shocker. But I have to feel bad for this character, in a way, simply because we don't really know what happens to him beyond the letter. He doesn't get much of a wrap-up, leaving us to wonder if he was foolish enough to make the same mistakes again or if he indeed did change because of this experience.

I have always wanted to write a continuation for James just to give myself some closure, and one day I will. I've been jotting down ideas for months now. But it's difficult to pin-down a probable future for him because, by the end, his character is a bit elusive. His letter seems to indicate that he didn't learn much but what happened when he finally did run into John Thorpe and spoke to him? Was John his usual self or did he blow James off thinking any Morland was a waste of time? These are questions I often wonder whenever I read NA.