Based around the turn of the twentieth century, Howards End deals with the class system of England during those times and the emergence of the middle class.
Photo Credit: Author
So, What’s It About?
The main plot revolves around the two sisters Margaret and Helen Schlegel and their interaction with the very rich Wilcoxes and the poor Basts. The sisters come into contact with the Wilcoxes during a vacation abroad and are invited to visit their home in Howards End.
Helen takes up this offer and the visit ends in disastrous results as Helen and Paul, Wilcoxes younger son, fall in love and get engaged under the effect of the moonlight and then go on and break it off the very next day. This causes sufficient vexation to both the families and in a way sets the premise for the strained relationship between them for some time to come.
When the Wilcoxes move to London, in close proximity to the Schlegel’s, an odd friendship develops between Margaret and Mrs. Wilcox. This becomes a sore point for Wilcox’s offspring when Mrs. Wilcox dies and leaves Howards End to her.
“All men are equal — all men, that is, who possess umbrellas.”
― E.M. Forster, Howards End
Meanwhile, an accidentally stolen umbrella sets the scene for the landmark meeting between Leonard Bast and the Schlegels. Leonard, a poor clerk, engaged to be married to an older woman, aspires to be like the rich and believes that intellectualism is the way to it. Margaret and Helen move in bourgeois circles and are always on the lookout for a cause to support — and Leonard makes a perfect candidate for their cause.
Forster’s Social Commentary
To trust people is a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge; the poor cannot afford it.” ― E.M. Forster, Howards End
The essence of the narrative lies in how these families from different social strata interact across various situations. The main appeal of the book was the strong female characters. The Schlegel sisters though distinct from each other are surely some of the earlier feminist characters of literature. Both are well educated, believed in freedom of expression, and equality of the sexes, and are independent and passionate about their causes.
Margaret is the more controlled and poised of the two. She feels challenged when she marries and has to adhere to the position defined for her by society.
Henry Wilcox presents the black to Margaret’s white, though neither of the characters is extreme. Henry’s class-based prejudice, his conservative approach towards women, and different standards for both the sexes, form the stereotypical modern man which will lead and help build modern and progressive England.
Leonard Bast is the representation of the emerging working middle class. Always anxious to rise to the circles of the rich and intellectual, he is bogged down by existential problems like making a living wage.
Why The Name Howards End?
I believe Howards End represents the final destiny for both the sisters. This is their final home and the place where they can actually belong. Howards End also represents the dissolution of the class barriers -in the end, the Wilcoxes, the Schlegels, and the Basts all live happily under one roof (in a way).
“Life’s very difficult and full of surprises. At all events, I’ve got as far as that. To be humble and kind, to go straight ahead, to love people rather than pity them, to remember the submerged — well, one can’t do all these things at once, worse luck, because they’re so contradictory. It’s then that proportion comes in — to live by proportion.”
― E.M. Forster, Howards End
I also recently wrapped up A Passage to India, another Foster novel that is based in Colonial India and explores the intersectionality of race, class, and religion in a small town. Slightly dated, but still relevant — I highly recommend it.
For more book reviews and recommendations click here
