Howards End - E.M Forster

Although A Room with a View didn’t make a lasting impression on me, I found Howards End to be much deeper and more philosophically engaging. Howards End looks at social problems and how people behave between classes, but it also goes deeper into the characters’ thoughts and feelings. The themes feel different too. The story talks about class and social differences , but it also deals with harder issues like responsibility and understanding between people during Edwardian era or early twentieth century

Howards End begins with a letter from Helen Schlegel to her sister Margaret, telling her about an impulsive romance with Paul Wilcox during Helen's visit at Howards End. However, Mr. Wilcox dismisses the relationship as unserious because Paul “hasn’t a penny” to marry. In the Wilcox family, a man must be financially independent before taking a wife, even though the family itself is wealthy.

The Schlegels live at Wickham Place in London—Margaret being the eldest, followed by Helen and their brother Tibby. The Wilcoxes live across the street for a time, and during this period Margaret becomes close to Mrs. Ruth Wilcox. Ruth sees something genuine and trustworthy in Margaret, something that reminds her of the spirit of Howards End-the property of Ruth Wilcox, and the house where she was born. This connection leads Ruth to leave Howards End to Margaret in her will—on a piece of paper written by her hand. This becomes the source of the conflict between the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels. The Wilcoxes assume that the house belongs to them and treat Ruth’s deathbed wish as sentimental nonsense rather than a real inheritance. 

Leonard Bast first meets the Schlegels when he comes to Wickham Place to retrieve his umbrella after Helen mistakenly takes it at a concert. The sisters become interested in him because he seems thoughtful and eager to improve himself. They invite him into conversations about books and life, which makes Leonard feel respected. 

The three families in Howards End, each from a different social class, really interest me because they show how people live and think in completely different ways. The Wilcox, the upper-class represent as practical, materialist, and power. Their bussines somehow is building the empire. The Schlegels,  upper-class but not as royal as Wilcoxes, they are more like bohemian, they value arts, books and philoshopy. The Bast or Leonard Bast is the lower-class, he is poor but sometimes loses himself while reading, he believe with reading he want to become "something". 

The heroine of this novel is Margaret, at the begining in the novel she 28 years old but her personality is mature, she is able to connect the people from different classes, and brave enough to confront about idealism with her husband who is very phatriach. She is contrast with Wilcoxes who think success and wealth are proof of superiority, Margaret thinks every person has value, whether rich or poor. Mr. Henry Wilcox remarks that "there are always the rich and the poor", and this reflects his worldview, believe that class divisions are natural. I think he benefits from this system, because his companies rely on lower-class workers.

This outer life, though obviously horrid, often seems the real one —there’s grit in it.

Helen Schlegel is too romanticize her life, and fancying the idealistic life where everyone is equal. Offcourse by reading books too much, we can't solve every problem in this life, but with reading we gain an educated mind, emphaty for our hearts, and appreciate the artistic in life, those are what Forster said about "the inner life" that holds our feelings. Helen insist to help Mr. Bast whatever its cost. Different from her sister, Margaret brings something new to the Wilcox family—she feeds their minds, comforts their hearts, and reminds them that life is more than just work and keep getting whealty, these are also what Forster said to us, that The Wilcoxes just have "the outer life" shaped by work, duty, and society’s expectations. Because the true harmony comes when we learn to connect the two, the inner and the outer life.

"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die."

The Schlegels’ idea of “Only Connect” suggests that people from the lower class, like Leonard Bast, can be helped through meaningful connection with those from the upper class. The rich may offer advice or guidance, but misunderstandings still happen because a real gap exists between the classes, such as different experience and practical knowledge. Leonard is intelligent, but his idealism and ambition clash with the Wilcoxes’ practicality and the realities of his own situation. The novel asks whether someone from the lower class in that era could truly “rise,” or whether the rigid social structure makes such upward movement extremely difficult. 

The novel ends at Howards End, returning to where it began. Forster wants readers to understand the philosophy of a house—not merely as a building, but as a place filled with history and meaning. Ruth and Margaret value the house because they believe it represents continuity, harmony, and connection. This contrasts with the Wilcoxes, who see the house only as a piece of property.

In the end, I find Forster’s writing  is easy to read, well structured though heavy issues and sharp social commentary. He often describes London in 1910 as cloudy and polluted because of motor-car smoke, which makes the city feel busy and heavy. In contrast, he shows the English countryside as calm, relaxing, and peaceful. This difference highlights how Forster sees the countryside as a place where people can find clarity and connection.

Ruang Buku Megga Rated : ✬✬✬✬(4/5)
Title : Howards End
Author : E. M Forster
Publisher : Penguin English Library
Year : 2012 (First Published in 1910)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 382 pages
ISBN : 978-0141199405