English Literature Assessment Lucy Honeychurch and Stevens are two characters who represent the emotional repression of English society. Basing your answer on A Room With A View by E.M Forster and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ish

English Literature Assessment – “Lucy Honeychurch and Stevens are two characters who represent the emotional repression of English society.” Basing your answer on A Room With A View by E.M Forster and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Both authors use a number of techniques to portray the theme of emotional repression consistently throughout their books. This is established instantly in both opening chapters and the representation of the suppressive characters his kept constantly flowing throughout the novels. E.M. Forster's character of Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View develops from a submissive, innocent young girl, to an independent, passionate woman. Through Lucy Honeychurch and the Emerson’s, Forster endorses his own personal views and values. Kazuo Ishiguro’s Stevens, the protagonist and narrator of The Remains of the Day, also progresses emotionally throughout the book. Although perhaps not as drastically as Lucy Honeychurch, which makes the novel more realistic and alas easier to relate to.

Edwardian England was an era of severe social boundaries especially within the upper classes. It was almost unacceptable to participate in friendly conversation or “banter” with another individual they did not been yet acquainted with. It was known to be considerably rude if a stranger joins in uninvited to a private conversation. Therefore during the first chapter of Room With A View, when Mr Emerson interrupts Lucy and Miss Bartlett’s “peevish wrangling” and declares “I have a view, I have a view.” This clearly causes Miss Bartlett much offence and consternation, and the entire room of the “better class of tourist” were too, stunned by Mr Emerson’s apparent lack of manners. Yet he is utterly ignorant of the anxiety he is causing her and does not intend to offend neither Lucy nor Miss Bartlett and simply thinks that the room with a view deserves to be taken by the ones who most take most pleasure in it. Although Mr. Emerson is referring to the view from his room’s window, this is one of Forster’s methods of symbolism. Views in a room represent their own perceptive of the world. They recur throughout the novel. The theme of “views” is immensely important when it comes to recognising the personality and quality of characters in both novels. Some have their own strong personal views on life, such as Mr. Emerson and George, and some that don’t, such as Cecil.

The strict social conventions of England are explored in Room With A View and is full of shrewd social commentary on the severity of the expected standards. When Miss Bartlett shows vast concerns about undertaking a room trade with the kind but outcast Emersons, present day readers may be staggered by her and the higher class resident’s reactions. But the fact is that Miss Bartlett is repressing what she truly wants under social pressures. For Miss Bartlett, and many other upper-class Edwardians, rules and principles are to be followed in accordance with what they consider to be valued concerns. "A scene," is to be avoided at all costs. Throughout the novel, Forster uses a variety of methods to force readers to trace back to the start to realize that every single character is reserved due to society’s requirements, and are merely acting as expected of them, and not necessarily as they truly wish to do. At the end of the novel George explains to Lucy how Miss Bartlett’s interference was the driving force behind their love. “That from the moment we met, she hoped, far down in her mind that we should be like this of course, very far down. That she fought us on the surface, and yet she hoped . . . Look how she kept me alive in you all summer, how she gave you no peace” Though, she did attempt to keep George and Lucy apart by once by rushing Lucy off to Rome, and preventing them from being together in Italy as much as possible, I think deep down, Miss Bartlett wished for George and Lucy to end up together, and her love for Lucy is more powerful than her sense of respectability. But the social order has kept her prisoner to her own desires. Cecil is also a portrayal of emotional repression and inflicts this trend on Lucy. He is a defining example of class snobbery, which is a constant feature in A Room with a View. Cecil looks down on the more radical views of the Renaissance and the lower class characters. Forster uses symbolism of crossing over barriers as one of his ways of showing this. In the ninth chapter Lucy, Cecil, and Mrs. Honeychurch consider fences, which signify the social obstacles of that time. Cecil comments that there are “immoveable barriers” between him and the lower class. Lucy later considers that whereas it isn’t possible to disregard social barriers, “you can jump over them” Tennis is also a metaphor for this. Forster uses symbolism for the ball crossing over the net. Cecil “does not play tennis at least, not in public” whilst in comparison, George does.

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Another important theme in the exploration of Edwardian society is when Lucy asks about the delicate and the beautiful. Lucy deliberates delicacy and beauty being two different things, while Miss Bartlett considers them to be the same. Her world classifies beauty and delicacy to be no different, and that beauty is established in politeness, dignified and subtle discussion with little expressions of real emotion. Therefore, Miss Bartlett and the rest of the medieval, repressed minded upper class see no beauty in Mr Emerson and his offer of the room swap. And although Lucy is naïve and hardly highly academic, she has more imagination and the ability to rebel against the social principles of her class and time. Yet she is not yet secure enough to express her doubts about the trivial concerns of society. She lacks the self-confidence to make her own judgments about art. In Santa Croce, she longs for her Baedeker guide so that she can know "good art" from bad.

The Remains of the Day also introduces a theme of emotional repression in the immediate first chapter through Steven’s very proper and fine English language. His state of heavy thought in his dialogue implies that he is holding back and ensuring he does not reveal too much of his real and personal thoughts and emotions. It becomes apparent that he is an unreliable narrator; therefore we need to be cautious when reading the novel as we is strictly limited to knowing only what Stevens wishes to disclose, and spot the symbolism that Ishiguro creates. We can see through Stevens's emotionless obscure language, and that there are informative signs that he is in love with Miss Kenton, and is very much looking forward to seeing her again. The fact that Stevens used to look through books to get a trace as to Miss Kenton's new home is reveals to us that she is always in his mind, even though she has left due to what he would usually consider to be very dishonourable reasons. He seems to stress the fact that the reason he is undertaking the trip across England to see Miss Kenton is purely for “professional matters” and instantly has connotations with the Shakespearean phrase “thou doth protest too much”.

The social aspects of Remains Of The day is equally as important as it is in Room With A View, Forster’s character of Lucy Honeychurch is greatly affected by her culture and peers of her Edwardian time. Whilst the 1930’s pre-war English society was not generally as reserved and strict as the Edwardian era, Ishiguro makes it known that Stevens seems to have little contact with the outside world, and most of his “views” and attitudes on life are strongly influenced by his father. He repeatedly speaks of his father as though he completely embodies the quality of dignity. He accounts of his father's fiercely modest completing of his duties as a butler. Stevens blatantly wishes to be like his father and he succeeds only too well. Though Stevens is undoubtedly a skilled butler, constantly gracious and accurate, his inheritance of his father's ridiculously formal relations with other people limits his relationships with other people. The interactions between Stevens and his father appear to be entirely devoid of any warmth or affection.

Another concept to consider in the novels is the use of time periods, and its change, which represents characters and their positions in the books. In the time of the Room With A View’s setting the whole world is in the process of undergoing a dramatic change in views, from the Medieval to the Renaissance. The high-maintenance nature of Cecil is associated with the medieval period, whereas George is allied with the classical, Renaissance world. The medieval age tends to illustrate the repressed, harsh and old age world, whilst Renaissance represents thoughts of, rebirth, passion, beauty and art.

Ishiguro presents two very contrasting time periods in the novel and he uses his characters to portray a certain era. Stevens represents older, pre-war codes of decorum, one obsessed with “dignity” and restraint. The current culture, post-war, is less worried with what is appropriate and more relaxed. While Steven’s England of the 1930’s ridiculed American civilization and politics, the new world England seems to take on their concepts, creating a separation of two very diverse viewpoints in 50’s post-war England. Stevens lack of ability of "bantering" displays his in old-fashioned values and judgments. Stevens is too fearful of insulting Mr. Farraday to loosen up enough to joke with him. He has been bought up in a time to believe that he is inferior to Mr. Farraday because he is his master. Although the world has progressed to become more democratic and the strict order that was once used to run English manor houses has faded away, Stevens has been able to adapt to this due to never venturing outside Darlington Hall.

Another significant factor of the repressive theme is the use of travel and scenery. In Room With A View, Forster uses Italy and it’s contrast to England as a way of getting under the skin of Lucy, transforming her. Lucy's yearning for a room with a view is a symbol for her longing to escape the harshness of Britain and to go out into Italy and explore it as richly as possible, away from the safety sensibilities. Her “opening the window and breathing the clean air night” symbolizes Lucy's openness to a new world. Whereas Forster then uses the distinction of Miss Bartlett fastening the window shutters and locking the door, to show her repression. And whilst Lucy may show repressive signs on the outside, this is merely caused by peer pressure and what she’s expected to do, on the inside she is full of passion and open-mind ness to the world. Lucy is intensely dissatisfied by the Pension Bertolini, which to her seems like a replica of England, “Don’t you feel too, that we might be in London? I can hardly believe that all kinds of other things are just outside” The pension is decorated like a room would be in London, it shields the guests from Italy, and so it stops the transforming occurrence that could be inflicted on them. Italy also challenges the idea of beauty and delicacy being indistinguishable. Italy's attractiveness is sophisticated and exquisite, yet not at all delicate.

The cyclical structure of A Room with a View is also important to recognise. The book begins and ends in the spring. The spring season has connotations of beauty and rebirth. This implicates that George and Lucy are both reborn. The idea of man and nature being inextricable from each other runs throughout the novel, through Mr Emerson, Forster asks the question “Mr. Emerson wonders, “Do you suppose there is any difference between spring in nature and spring in a man?” Forster highlights this with the use of pathetic fallacy, by his description of the weather often reflecting the moods and feelings of his characters. This can be seen when George and Lucy kiss for the first time, “for the first time she felt the influence of spring”, the beauty of the field affects her deeply and Forster repeatedly uses implications of water in the description of the scene to establish the feeling of re-birth, “pools in the hollow”, “the hillside with blue”.

Forster also begins the novel at the Bertolini Hotel in Italy, and ends it there. Furthermore, Lucy and George now have a room with a view of a river. This represents the fact that they have both evolved into acquring “views” of their own.
The English landscape that Stevens in Remains Of The Day admires at the beginning of his trip is an important sign, as Stevens relates the same values of “greatness” to the landscape as he does to himself. He feels that English landscape is beautiful due to its restraint, and serenity. This relates to his ruthless pursuit of "dignity" in which leads him to constantly deny his own feelings and put on a mask of professional composure at all times. Although by the end of the novel, Stevens is no longer certain about these values and is more open- minded to individuality, and love.

To echo Lucy's state of mind in Room With A View Forster makes much use of art and imagery. Through Italian art and buildings, Forster presents Lucy's sexual arousing and her subdued desires. He utilizes music to express Lucy's subconscious emotions throughout the novel. Her playing is an indication that she has untapped reserves of passion; Mr. Beebe remarks that “one day Lucy will live as well as she plays”

Ishiguro also presents Stevens’s repression in Remains of the day through use of imagery, this can be seen when Miss Kenton tries to take the romantic book off him. This also has erotic imagery.

Sam Whyte.