Inheritance - Howards End by EM Forster - Essay Example

Inheritance-Howards End (Foster E.M) Howards End is a novel written by E.M Forster and was first published in 1910.It narrates a story about class straggle in England at the turn of the century. The main themes evident in the novel are difficulties as well as the benefits of having good relationship between members of different social classes. The novel is all about three different families in England towards the beginning of 20 century. The three families are a representation of gradation of Edwardian middle class; that is, the Wilcoxes, that according to the novel is a representation of the rich capitalists with colony made fortunes. Margaret, Helen and Tibby the half-German Schlegel children represents the French bourgeoisie intellectuals who have so much in common with the real life group from Bloomsbury and the Basts who are couples belonging to lower-class. As the novel moves to later chapters, Schlegel sisters attempt to assist the poor Basts and try to stop Wilcoxes from being prejudiced. The novel begins with three letters written by Helen to her older sister Margaret whom she occasionally calls Meg. Helen is intending to visit the family of Wilcox whom they had met while on a journey in Germany at Howard End. The novel reveals how Helen and her sister are dismayed by the place, as what they saw was quite different with what they expected. The motto of the book is just inheritance and connection. For instance at one time through the novel, Forster asks, “Who will inherit England?” The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Forster has developed the theme of inheritance in the novel (Doll 1). The marriage of Henry and Margaret who comes from different families in the novel portray how different world can be connected. For instance, Margaret unlike her sister Helen gets to know better of the Wilcox family through marriage. However, Margaret’s initial encounter with this new family happens to be dismaying and disastrous, though she begins to understand that most of the things that she like, such as culture and art would not exist not unless there is economic and social stability established by the Wilcoxes family. At some point through the novel, Forster reveals how marriage between Margaret and Henry almost ended when Henry Wilcox is not able to make valuable connection between his transgression sexuality with Jacky and Helen’s relationship with Leonard. This implies social challenges that England had to undergo during the early twentieth century (Bradshaw 248). In Howards End, inheritance of property is symbolically disheveled with family issues, social class, modernity and national identity. Family is at straggle over inheritance. The novel focuses on three families: the Wilcoxes, Schlegels and Basts. The Schlegels family is a mixture of German and English people. In this family there exists empathetic, rational and pragmatic Margaret (Emma Thompson), Helen (Helena Bonham Catter) who is so impulsive and straggles in the name of socialism, social responsibility and economic injustice, their younger brother, Tabby (Adrian Ross Magenty) and Aunt Juley (Prunella Scales). Helen proves are the pivot of the novel’s melodrama and the politics of gender associated with her, though Margaret proves to be the weightier character (Bradshaw 248). In the novel Forster notes that the Wilcoxes family are presented by people like Mrs. Wilcox, Ruth, a past specter and patriarchal Henry whom Helen describes as a man who cannot reconcile science with religion. He is too mean to an extent that he considers cutting down clerks salaries in order to have comfort and become rich. Furthermore, the entire Wilcox’s family comprising Evie, Paul, Charles and Dolly who is Charles’s wife are portrayed as snobbish, unimaginative and obsessed with class propriety and property. In this case, the Wilcox is the representation of past England through Ruth. The lives of the two families Schlegels and Wilcoxes become entangled through Ruth Wilcox, a friend to Margaret, leaving Howard End to Margaret hurriedly. At the end, Margaret happens to marry Henry leading to her inheriting Howards End (Bradshaw 248). This shows of transformational processes that have taken place in England over the years. For instance, by Ruth accepting to hand in heirs to Margaret who comes from a different family background and ignoring to hand pass it in to her family members despite their objection to the note she left behind is true reflection of social changes that have taken place in England. For instance, according to the argument put forward by Wilcox, they expected that Ruth would pass her heirs to one member of her family who comes from Wilcox as they expected the maintenance of status quo. However to their surprised, this did not happen seeing Margaret marrying Henry thus inheriting Ruth’s heir, consequently becoming Mrs. Wilcox (Bradshaw 248). Inheritance is also seen with the Basts family as portrayed by Foster. The Basts family consists of Samuel West who works as a clerk with an insurance company. Samuel hopes to better his social and intellectual status, his wife and Jacky portrayed as a onetime prostitute and a demanding wife whose lives depends on Schleges Family. Here Forster show how Leonard and Jacky are introduced into Wilcox orbit through Henry’s mistaken advice to his wife, Margaret, and Helen regarding the insurance company’s solvency for which Leonard works. In attempting to champion Basts family and seeking restitution for errors made by Henry, Helen happens to-recklessly bring Evie’s wedding as a matter of confronting Henry with his moral duty to Leonard with intent of exposing Henry’s sexual infidelity to his wife Margaret for his liaison with Jacky. At the end, the three family’s fates became even more intertwined and changed in the narrative’s undermining of traditional lines of independence and social property in England (Lahey 1). As the novel proceeds, Forster reveals how Helen’s sexual encounter with Leonard ended up in her becoming pregnant triggering the violence of Howards End resulting in the murder of Leonard by Charles. In this case, Leonard is killed by a combination of two factors;: indifference of Wilcox and Helen’s sympathy when she tries to make Henry understand that he is under and obligation to help Leonard, as it was Henry’s advice that resulted into Leonard’s problems. When this proved futile, Helen was overwhelmed and decided to sleep on him. However, upon discovering that Helen is Leonard has lover, Charles got annoyed beating stabbing Leonard with a sword and dies instantly. The writer argues that his death is not a consequence of the beating but because of the weak heart. The novel also tells that he was buried on avalanche of books. His death was seemingly his own desire for self-punishment (Lahey 1). His other sons humble Henry giving way for Margaret to become the only acknowledged inheritor of Howards End while Helen and her children remained as guests. Margaret in this case inherits the property because of love of the land and not by virtue of his biological ancestry. At the beginning of chapter 13 in the novel, an aspect of inheritance is brought out implying the changing dominance of finance and commerce. This is revealed use of automobile in the middle class society: “And month by month the roads smelt more strongly of petrol, and were more difficult to cross, and human beings heard each other speak with greater difficulty, breathed less of the air, and saw less of the sky. Nature withdrew: the leaves were falling by midsummer; the sun shone through dirt with admired obscurity.” (Doll 1). This is an implication of change that has taken place since 20 century in England because of revolution. For instance, Doll (1) notes that Wilcox’s family and their class are the ones that have cause modern civilization in which London happens to be the symbol and product. He also suggests that the Wilcox’s car that have caused fume and that the family has the colonial spirit. The fact that Foster says that the road smelt more of petrol implies that the automobiles like vehicles, trains, and other machineries using petrol was coming into being. This symbolizes the effects of commerce that had taken place in England. In the novel, Foster brings out aspects of letters and telegrams that are supposed to be sent, misinterpreted or received late. This implies the difficulties in communication that England was undergoing during the time the novel was written. The novel also shows that for the Wilcox, love only implies marriage settlement. In this society, most of their discussions centers on business matters, bonds and stock, insurance and settlement of wills. Forster also reveals that Henry Wilcox, just like the others of his class is optimistic and sees life steadily. For instance, Henry is a character that is complacent over mysterious or issues that are private in nature. This is evident when he says, “Am not a fellow who bothers about my own inside.” (Doll par. 6). Forster reveals that Wilcox is a person who is brave, reliable and cheerful, pragmatic and handles marriage like death and never loving a broader picture. From these statements, Wilcox is portrayed as a family that is full of nothing but “panic and emptiness” (Doll). According to Forster, the “the Great Wilcox Peril” as the unstoppable force for the future of England (Doll 1). Charles, a character portrayed in the novel as the greatest motoring aficionado, receives an automobile as present during his wedding. Foster goes ahead to present Charles and his wife’s picture at home, ‘Sitting in deck-chairs, and their motor is regarding them placidly from its garage across the lawn. A short-frocked edition of Charles also regards them placidly; a perambulator edition is squeaking; a third edition is expected shortly. Nature is turning out Wilcoxes in this peaceful abode, so that they may inherit the earth.” (Doll 1). Contrary to life lived by Wilcox, who are portrayed to be homeless is a reflection of his emptiness. Forster (1) notes that Howards End was introduced into Wilcox family at a time that Henry got married to Ruth. Ruth is revealed the last survivor of the entire family that has lived in the land sharing a single house for century. When Margaret came to understand later, in these English farms, if anywhere an individual might perceive life differently…”(Doll 1). The novel reveals that Mrs. Wilcox loves Wilcox’s but retains her past connection to the earth. This Forster argues is something that is tantamount to an individual’s inner life and personal relations. The Howards End seems to be a world in which everything is moving. This is brought out when Margaret notes that London was in a state of nomadic civilization that is changing human nature and throwing upon personal relations greater burdens than they had witnessed before. The Wilcox, for instance, are shown to live in the outer life in which anger and telegrams counts (Lahey 1). In conclusion, during the time this novel was written, Forster notes that England was undergoing through many social changes. The main issue of concern during this time was emancipation of women, empirical and commercial expansion and the war with Germany with brought about uncertainty with regard to England’s future. In this case, Wilcox is a representation of England’s Past through Ruth. The novel reveals that before Ruth’s death, she made friendship with Margaret Schlegel and while on her deathbed, she jots a letter leaving Howards End to Margaret. The novel reveals that she cannot leave it to her family simply because her family does not understand its importance in the manner that she trusts Margaret. The Wilcox’s are not happy with this and dismisses Ruth’s letter as impossible, disregarding it completely. However, Margret’s relationship with Ruth becomes stronger. In fact, not only did Margaret became Ruth’s spiritual inheritor, but also became the actual Wilcox. In the end, she ironically inherits Howard End by marrying Henry Wilcox. Work Cited Bradshaw, David. The Cambridge Companion to E.M. Forster. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2007 Print. Doll, Rob. E.M Forster’s Howards End: an Interpretation. Pharos, 2002 Retrieved on 20 April 2012 from http://www.emforster.info/pages/howardsend.html Lahey, Elizabeth. Family Ties and Nineteenth Century England. 21 February 2006. Retrieved on 20 April 2012 from http://www.gradesaver.com/howards-end/essays/essay3/. Read More