A Room With A View Essay
A Room With A View by E.M. Forster explores the social constructs of early 20th century well off English folk. Staring off in Florence Italy and then shifting to England, the story follows the events in the life of a young english woman named Lucy Honeychurch. Lucy first finds that she is terribly confused in Italy but upon her return home she realizes what happened to her there was meant to be. The two settings reveal quite the contrast and help Lucy decide the path her life will take.
In the first destination of Florence, Italy, Lucy seems to be the typical Edwardian English woman with refined manners and social graces. However a turn of events and the meeting of the Emerson’s starts to change her. Italy represents new found
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“But Italy worked some marvel in her. It gave her light…” (E.M. Forster 72). While she did not know it at the time, Lucy’s trip to Italy was pivotal in her life. Her experiences of death, love, and living life showed her something beyond the dull routine of her home. Most importantly, Lucy’s encounters with the modern and odd George Emerson sparked in Lucy a subconscious will to break from being a child so she could do what she wanted. Upon return to England, Lucy was muddled and stuck in a routine. “She recalled the free, pleasant life of her home, where she was allowed to do everything, and where nothing ever happened to her.” (E.M. Forester 45) Although her life was pleasant, England represented the ordinary and conventional. This meant engagement to an arrogant man with the right credentials and days full of tired company and conversation, nothing compared to the exciting surprises of Italy whether good or bad. The contrast between settings became increasingly important to Lucy as it