452 Forster, E. M.
middle-class Indians and Fielding play, but also
between the Hindu and Muslim populations, and
this relationship is played out more extensively in
the novel’s final section.
Danielle Nielsen
ForSTEr, E. m. A Room with a View
(1908)
A Room with a View follows Lucy Honeychurch and
her cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, to a small English-run
hotel in Florence, Italy. Lucy, who was used to hav-
ing more freedom, finds her every step watched and
protected by her cousin. Themes of nature, inno-
cence and experience, and tradition emerge
through the novel’s many conflicts. Lucy and Char-
lotte meet a father and son, Mr. Emerson and the
younger George Emerson, when they trade rooms to
get a better view. The radical, open-minded Emer-
sons invite scorn from other travelers who disapprove
of their outspoken manner. Lucy becomes very bored
in Italy until suddenly she witnesses a stabbing. After
she faints from shock, George comforts her and
admits to an interest in her.
Shortly after an unexpected kiss from George on
a day outing, Lucy and her cousin return to England.
Lucy finally accepts the third marriage proposal of
Cecil Vyse, an uptight, snobbish suitor. But scan-
dal keeps threatening her placid life. Lucy largely
remains submissive to her relatives and fiancé. She
finds her confidence shaken when the Emersons
move into a nearby neighborhood. After much per-
sonal turmoil and some counseling from the elder
Emerson, Lucy breaks off her engagement with
Cecil and turns to George instead. She embraces a
more passionate life free from many of the sense-
less expectations her family and society have of her.
The exaggerated characterization adds a comical
approach to A Room with a View, and mocks the
grave importance the characters attach to ordinary
social situations.
Elizabeth Walpole
innocence and experience in A Room
with a View
A Room with a View follows several young characters
whose actions reveal their innocence. Lacking expe-
rience in their social circles, they try following older
adults or rebelling against them to test the limits of
their actions. While the story focuses on the theme
of finding one’s own view of the world, it also shows
the obstacles and mistakes the young characters
must face as they mature.
Lucy and George romanticize the idea of being
young. In their relationship, any contact they have
holds monumental importance for each of them.
Although Charlotte suggests that George is using
Lucy, George’s eagerness to be with Lucy is actu-
ally a sort of innocent first love. He takes life very
gravely and struggles with youthful questions about
the purpose of his existence, as when he leaves “an
enormous note of interrogation” scrawled on paper
in his room. He sees Lucy not just as an attractive
girl but as a savior. Before he is able to comprehend
or recognize his love for her, he remarks, “I shall
want to live.” In his youthful inexperience with
love, he swings quickly from one drastic emotion to
another.
Lucy fears adulthood because she thinks it is
completely stifling. She much prefers playing tennis
with 19-year-old Freddy and 13-year-old Minnie.
Enjoying the exercise, she concludes, “how much
better to run about in comfortable clothes than to
sit at the piano.” She believes that to grow up is
to step into society’s mold for her. Her fatalistic
attitude blinds her from seeing her ability to make
her adult life enjoyable. Lucy sees marrying Cecil as
her only option. She dreads living with Cecil, who
refuses even to join a game of tennis. From a city
upbringing and a good education, Cecil despises
“the physical violence of the young,” even in sports.
Lucy does not realize other types of men might be
more compatible with her personality. Her lively
spirit delights in more rowdy, imaginative games
such as “bumble-puppy” in which each tennis ball
has a name, and one hits “tennis-balls high into
the air, so that they . . immoderately bounce.” She
willingly makes up her own rules for tennis, but her
fear of failure prevents her from taking such charge
of her own life.
Many of the “ridiculous child” characters
find opportunities to rebel. Although Charlotte’s
attempts to shelter Lucy are often exaggerated,
Charlotte understands how easily Lucy might tar-