A Room with a View

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1908

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-7

Part 2, Chapters 8-11

Part 2, Chapters 12-15

Part 2, Chapters 16-20

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Injustice of the Edwardian Class System

Social class is the foundation on which A Room with a View is built. Everything in the novel is dependent on the characters' understanding of social class, both in terms of what is expected of them and how they expect others to act. The friction between the expectations and reality of the class system drives the plot forward.

From the first chapter, the working-class Emersons transgress against the middle-class guests' expectations of how people of a certain social class should behave. Quickly, the middle-class guests agree with one another that the Emersons are "somewhat unfortunate" (12) and most certainly not their favored type of people. This rush to judgement reveals the hypocrisy and absurdity of the class system. Emerson's only crime is to offer Lucy exactly what she wants: a room with a view. The other guests are offended by his manner of speaking and astonished that anyone would make such an offer.

When Mr. Beebe resolves the issue and produces the exact same result, however, they congratulate him. Beebe knows the rules and etiquette of the middle class. Emerson's issue is one of impropriety, in that his working-class background has not equipped him with the tools for navigating these situations. He is punished for his honesty, while the middle-class guests seize upon this opportunity to confirm their preexisting biases against people from a supposedly lower class.

The Edwardian class system is also separate from material wealth. The Emersons are wealthy, even if they are working class by origin. They can afford to vacation in Italy and stay in the same hotel as the middle classes. Mr. Emerson married a wealthy woman who has now died, but this increase in material wealth does not promote him into the middle class. Instead, class is determined by social factors. Adherence to a system of etiquette, accents, vocabulary, manners, and education all come together to function as a performance of an idea of middle-class identity.

Similarly, Charlotte understands the performance of middle-class identity perfectly. Her entire narrative is spent fretting over the public display of manners and expectations. As Lucy's chaperone, she ensures that Lucy mimics her performance of manners and propriety. At the same time, Charlotte is "poor" (14), and this evokes Lucy's sympathy. Even though Charlotte is the most invested of all the characters in maintaining the middle-class identity, she lacks the material wealth that might determine class identity in other societies.

Lucy’s journey in the novel is shaped by her gradual rejection of these rigid class norms. Her choice between Cecil and George is a choice not just between two men, but two ways of being: With Cecil, she will be unhappy but live an even more rarefied life in London high society; with George, she will be happy but will have to face the economic and social consequences of breaking with the norms of her own class. Lucy’s decision to marry George at the novel’s close comes at the cost of some familial and social ostracism, but the novel suggests that, ultimately, it is authenticity and genuine connection, not wealth or class, that lead to true happiness.

Defying the Limitations of Gender Roles

As well as social class, A Room with a View also explores the expectations placed on women in England in the early 20th century. During this period, gender roles were fixed and quite strict, offering rigid rules that governed the behavior of girls and women. Through her actions, however, Lucy illustrates the ways in which women were able to push back against the dominant gender roles in society and enact progressive social change.

As numerous characters state throughout the novel, Edwardian gender roles dictated that women were thought to be less intelligent than their male counterparts. Men existed to protect and support women financially, while women were expected to provide moral support and inspiration, "rather than to achieve [something] themselves" (44). Lucy is told as much by several older women, including Charlotte, her mother, and the Miss Alans. These women have internalized the misogynistic traits of society that remove agency from women's lives.

Some characters challenge the traditional gender roles. In another demonstration of his distance from typical middle-class society, Mr. Emerson loudly announces his belief that women will eventually be equal in society as part of a broader sweep of social changes. The middle-class hotel guests dismiss him as a mannerless "Socialist" (13). Similarly, Miss Lavish challenges gender roles through her mere existence. Unlike every other female character in the novel, Miss Lavish has a trade. She is a writer by profession, and she refutes the idea that she should depend on a man to support her. Unlike Emerson, however, Miss Lavish understands the broader expectations of middle-class existence—she can pick and choose which parts of social etiquette to follow and, thanks to her middle- class identity, she is permitted to do so.

In this context, Lucy must choose whether to follow or challenge Edwardian expectations of gender roles. She can either reject the past that belongs to Charlotte and her mother, or she can embrace a more progressive future, as represented by Mr. Emerson and Miss Lavish. Ultimately, this choice is between pleasing her family or accepting love into her life by marrying George. Mr. Emerson encourages her to satisfy her emotions, even if it comes at a cost, by challenging social expectations of women.

Lucy chooses George. She seizes the agency in her life that her society has attempted to remove. Lucy makes a decision for herself, in defiance of the Edwardian expectation that women should demurely accept their status in society, and she enters her marriage as an equal with the man of her choosing.

The Importance of Beauty and Aesthetics

A Room with a View emphasizes the importance of beauty and aesthetics in the world. The grand portrayal of aesthetics is peppered throughout the novel, both in terms of the natural beauty of the countryside and the man-made beauty of an art-filled city like Florence. More importantly, beautiful scenery, buildings, and objects function as expressions of deeply-felt emotions, particularly in a society where openly sharing sincere emotions is frowned upon.

As such, beauty can be used by the characters to share their thoughts and feelings in a vicarious fashion. Lucy expresses her emotions through her choice of music, picking solemn songs to play on the piano when she is feeling frustrated. She also purchases postcards featuring nude statues when she is feeling rebellious, weaponizing art and aesthetics to challenge a restrictive society.

Beautiful scenery can also inspire emotions. On two occasions, George kisses Lucy. His impropriety is inspired by the natural beauty around him, either the field of violets or the Honeychurches’ garden. This natural beauty is a multiplier, heightening George's feelings toward Lucy and filling him with a romantic joy that is impossible to subdue.

This kind of boundless passion is also evident in the way in which George, Freddy, and Mr. Beebe act during their trip to the Sacred Lake. The small pond and its natural beauty inspire a sudden sense of joy in the men. Just as when George kissed Lucy, he feels unable to contain himself: He strips naked and jumps into the water, expressing an unrestrained love for life that acts in tandem with his appreciation of natural beauty. Through appreciating the aesthetics of the world and being inspired by them, George's actions become beautiful. They are expressions of his relationship with a beautiful world and his emotional connection to his surroundings.

George's actions stand in stark contrast to the actions of Cecil. Though he is a self-proclaimed appreciator of the arts, Cecil is rarely inspired. He has an aesthetic appreciation of the world that is rooted in materialism: He likes to own beautiful objects, and he enjoys being thought of as an intelligent man, as someone who can speak about art in an educated manner. As such, his interactions with Lucy are very different. He appreciates her as he appreciates a painting, as something he can have and show to his friends, rather than as a romantic partner. Cecil is not stirred to emotion by Lucy's beauty. When he kisses Lucy, for example, his kiss is awkward and unsatisfying. George's passionate, inspired kiss contrasts with Cecil's hesitant, awkward show of affection to demonstrate their different interpretations of beauty and aesthetics.