E. M. Forster's 1908 book A Room with a View is about a young woman living in the conservative Edwardian era of England. The story, which takes place in both Italy and England, is a romantic comedy that also makes fun of early 20th-century English society.
Read the Book - Table of ContentsLucy Honeychurch cannot admit to her mother that she wants to go to Greece to avoid George Emerson. She fears that saying so will bring up another truth she has been unwilling to recognize: that she loves George. She is not ready expose her dark secrets to the light for all to see. She is not ready to be judged for who she really is.Taste not when the wine cup glistens/Speak not when the people listens/Stop thine ear against the singer/From the red gold keep thy finger.
It is so difficult—at least, I find it difficult—to understand people who speak the truth.
In polite society of the day, it was usual for people to hide their true thoughts and feelings in order to act in an "appropriate" manner. Mr. Beebe points out that, in such a society, anyone who says what is really on his mind is incomprehensible to the average person.
You will never repent of a little civility to your inferiors. That is the true democracy.
Forster takes a satirical jab at the snobbish English tourist abroad, represented by Miss Eleanor Lavish. If Miss Lavish were truly democratic, she would not consider others to be her inferiors, but rather her equals.
If Miss Honeychurch ever takes to live as she plays, it will be very exciting both for us and for her.
Mr. Beebe notices how, when Lucy Honeychurch plays the piano, she transforms into a different person, expressing the passion that is buried beneath her polite facade. He believes she has the potential to live a truly great life if she can tap into that passion and put it to work in the rest of her life.
She was accustomed to have her thoughts confirmed by others ... it was too dreadful not to know whether she was thinking right or wrong.
The narrator's commentary on Lucy Honeychurch here shows plainly that she does not know her mind, but rather follows the dictates of society in everything she does. Lucy's struggle to define and act on her true beliefs is one of the key themes of the novel.
Do you suppose there's any difference between Spring in nature and Spring in man? But there we go, praising the one and condemning the other as improper.
Here, Mr. Emerson objects to the separation of the driver and his girlfriend during the country drive. Mr. Emerson believes that humans are a part of nature. To him, it doesn't make sense to deny the natural passions that arise, just as it wouldn't make sense to blame the trees for growing leaves.
These words are an inscription that Mr. Emerson has painted on his wardrobe. The quotation is adapted from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, which recommends simplicity as a way of life. The implication is that a person should take part in activities that are as natural and comfortable as the old clothes he wears when he isn't trying to impress anyone else.
George Emerson suggests that whatever a person does, he cannot completely avoid harming others. His metaphor is one of shadow and sun, with the shadow being life's troubles, and the sun, life's joys. It is George's philosophy to gather as much joy as he can while doing as little harm to others as possible.
George Emerson's thinking has been greatly influenced by his father. In this quote, the view of the sky above represents heavenly perfection, contrasted with the "imperfect" views presented by everyday life. Creation is perfect and eternal, man is flawed and mortal. By continually looking to the sky, or one's higher self, a person can strive to attain that eternal perfection.
Cecil Vyse has just lost Lucy Honeychurch, and in doing so, comes to an important understanding. He realizes that he has not viewed Lucy as a complete person in her own right: he has stereotyped her because she is a woman. This quote reflects the book's theme of women's roles in society.
Lucy Honeychurch sings this mournful tune from Sir Walter Scott's "Lucy Ashton's Song" after deciding that she will never marry. She imagines she will become a paragon of female virtue, untouched and morally impeccable. The unspoken context is that Lucy cannot admit she is in love with George Emerson; society considers their love improper, and thus, so does she.
