Role and Influence of Ruth Wilcox in "Howard's End".
Howard's end is a symbolic novel. The novel deals with conflict of different social class and human relationship. Ruth Wilcox is very important character as I am going to discuss the role and influence of Mrs. Wilcox.
Ruth Wilcox is representing the conservative English. Although, she is alive only for a short time. Her symbolic connections are with the land. Mrs. Wilcox often wars a long dress trailing on the grass. In contrast to her, other women always avoid their skirt to have contact with land. Through Mrs. Wilcox, Forster opposes London. "London makes separateness: it against personal relations, it makes individuality almost impossible without money" (1) Forster main hope is at Howard's end (Mrs. Wilcox's house). The value and tradition of England is represent:
"[The house] was English and the wych-elm that [Margaret] saw from the window was an English tree. No report had prepared her for its peculiar glory. It was neither warrior, nor love, nor god; in none of these roles do the English excel. It was a comrade, bending over the house, strength and adventure in its roots, but in its utmost fingers tenderness, and the girth, that a dozen man could not have spanned became in the end evanescent, till pale bud clusters seemed to float in the air. It was a comrade. House and tree transcended any similes of sex." (pp.217-218)
Howard's end is a symbolic novel. The novel deals with conflict of different social class and human relationship. Ruth Wilcox is very important character as I am going to discuss the role and influence of Mrs. Wilcox.
Ruth Wilcox is representing the conservative English. Although, she is alive only for a short time. Her symbolic connections are with the land. Mrs. Wilcox often wars a long dress trailing on the grass. In contrast to her, other women always avoid their skirt to have contact with land. Through Mrs. Wilcox, Forster opposes London. "London makes separateness: it against personal relations, it makes individuality almost impossible without money" (1) Forster main hope is at Howard's end (Mrs. Wilcox's house). The value and tradition of England is represent:
"[The house] was English and the wych-elm that [Margaret] saw from the window was an English tree. No report had prepared her for its peculiar glory. It was neither warrior, nor love, nor god; in none of these roles do the English excel. It was a comrade, bending over the house, strength and adventure in its roots, but in its utmost fingers tenderness, and the girth, that a dozen man could not have spanned became in the end evanescent, till pale bud clusters seemed to float in the air. It was a comrade. House and tree transcended any similes of sex." (pp.217-218)
