Conflict In A Room With A View

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Conflict of Social Status and Passion In the novel, A Room With a View by E.M. Forster, the major internal conflict for Lucy is whether she should follow her passions for George or stick with her confined life with Cecil. Ultimately, through her life experiences in Italy, she realizes that she needs to break away from her societal norms and truly be happy. This is the main theme throughout the book. Lucy is bound by the strict laws of her upper-class peers yet she knows she will never be truly happy if she does not give in to her love. Forster uses many motifs, scenery and symbolism to represent this struggle throughout the novel. For example, the various personalities of the characters like the Emersons and Cecil, the two opposing settings of England and Italy as well as other symbols to get the strong message of following your heart. Possibly the most ovbious symbol is the title; A Room with a View. In the beginning of the novel, Lucy and Ms. Bartlett are placed in rooms with no view while the unusual Emersons do have the views overlooking beautiful Italy. This is foreshadowing the fact that Lucy is so sheltered by her wealthy family; in other words, she has not been exposed to the world. The Emersons do not conform to the traditional roles of society and are more open to the world and view it in unconventional ways. When Lucy and Ms.Bartlet first get to the pension Lucy begins to break out of her shell, it says, “She hastened after her cousin who had already disappeared through the curtains, curtains which smote one in the face and seemed heavy with more than cloth.” This quote is a perfect representation of Lucy finally breaking though the “curtains” of her boring life and Ms.Bartlet trying to hold her back. When the two cou... ... middle of paper ... ... feelings were more important than their expectations. To bring the book back to the beginning, she and George stay in a room with a view showing that Lucy finally saw the truth. This is the main message Forster is trying to get across to the reader, that one should overcome what society thinks and have the courage and confidence to trust in our passions. This message can be applied to reader’s lives even today. In conclusion, Lucy’s internal struggle with the decision to follow her heart or the expectations of society is the main theme of the novel A Room with a View. Throughout the book, Forster uses various motifs such as the setting, the two men and the obvious symbol of the room with a view. Ultimately, Lucy chooses what will truly make her happy by being with her true love George. Forster makes it obvious that doing what makes one content is the best choice.

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