A Room with a View is a love story of romantic and marital variety. Ms. Lucy Honey church, at the center of the novel, is a normal girl faced with love that runs the opposite of the social conventions of the time period. Lucy felt she must overcome herself before she could follow her instinct.
Passion should believe itself irresistable (105) is a phrase that best describes the theme of A Room with a View. Mr. George Emerson changing rooms at the pension, kissing Lucy in the violets, and speaking the truth about Cecil are all examples of his unorthodox actions that are so startling to Lucy. Forster first identified the social differences between Lucy and the Emersons in the first chapter with the argument over a room with a view.
The Emersons were quick to give up their room with a view to Lucy and Miss Bartlett because it had a view in exchange for Lucy s room, which did not have a view. The argument presented over the rooms is meant for a contrast between the genteel Miss Bartlett and Lucy, and the ill-bred Emersons. Forster also foreshadows an important distinction, she had an odd feeling that whenever these ill-bred tourists spoke the contest widened and deepened till it dealt, not with rooms and views, but with-well, with something quite different, whose existence she had not realized before (5).
This leads the reader to expect a greater separation of George and Lucy, which is later described as passion and truth.
Further embellishing the relationship between Lucy and George, Forster sealed the truth between them with a kiss. The decorated scene, violets ran down in rivulets the primal source whence beauty gushed out to water the earth (66), is adorned with violets and water, two sexually suggestive ornaments. George then, stepped quickly forward and kissed her (66), letting his courage and love direct him towards truth, as the buggy driver had instructed Lucy. This kiss is obviously a social convention that Lucy was not used to, and is another attempt by George to show Lucy that, Passion should believe itself irresistible. In George s final attempt to bring Lucy to knowledge of the truth, he sheds a new light on Cecil s character.
The Essay on Transcendentalism and Emerson
* 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant * Refers to idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, one must transcend or go beyond everyday human experience * Intuition The Transcendental Club * Informal meetings that began in 1836 Concord, Massachusetts. In the home of George Ripley * Discussed theology, philosophy, and literature * Called themselves the ...
He s only for an acquaintance. He is for society and cultivated talk. He should know no one intimately, least of all a woman (161), is George s veracious description of Cecil. This outburst of emotions is not a common experience of Lucy. Even though she pretended otherwise, Lucy felt she must follow George. Despite her refusal, George says, I wish to goodness I had more self-control.
I m not ashamed. I don t apologize. But it has frightened you, an you may not have noticed that I love you (162).
Earlier, in the beginning of the chapter, Forster prepares the reader for such a battle, between the real and the pretended, and Lucy s first aim was to defeat herself (157).
The chapter title, Lying to George, is a significant one, implying that Lucy is not being truthful and really does love George. The reader now admires George even more so than before because of his inability to resist passion.
Throughout the novel, Forster carefully places images of truth. These moments are to be noted in Lucy s transformation described as, robb[ing] the body of its taint, the world s taunts of their sting; he had shown her the holiness of direct desire (199).
Lucy had fulfilled the theme; Passion should believe itself irresistible (105).
