Forster has also shown the effects that being a member of the upper -class on his characters. Cecil endeavors to remove Lucy of “the Honeychurch taint “. Forster constantly forewarns the demise of Lucy and Cecil’s relationship, as does Waugh. Lucy has refused Cecil’s offer or marriage three times before he finally accepts, showing her severe reluctance. The engagement is a sham, a front for Lucy’s relationship with George, much like Brenda’s marriage covering her affair with John Beaver.
Waugh seems to also hint at the destruction of the couple’s marriage simply by giving the couple different bedrooms, ‘Morgan le Fay’ and ‘Guinevere’. This shows a strong sense of irony, as Guinevere herself was said to be adulterous, suggesting Brenda’s impending infidelity. Her treachery is indicated when being referred to as like a mermaid, “a Nereid emerging from fathomless depths of clear water.” Waugh also uses techniques such as describing Brenda and Tony as two separate people, rather than a couple. Furthermore, this seems to be a new concept in the Hetton manor, breaking family traditions, as Tony’s parents were known to be ‘inseperable' in Guinevere’. This emphasizes the differences between the couple, showing that the marriage was already loveless from the offset. Tony’s ignorance of his wife’s mounting boredom is how Waugh prevents him as the male naïf in the novel. Which highlights Waugh’s reference to “Morgan Le Fay” with the inability to see what is right before his own eyes.
Waugh is particularly good at foreshadowing future events in his novel with possibly suggestive speech. Brenda says to Mr. Beaver at the end of his visit to Hetton “next time you come” with warns the reader of a future encounter between the pair. This is seems to hint at Brenda’s imminent adultery and her unfaithful nature.
Waugh also uses his description of John Beaver as a means of foreshadowing the relationships demise. He presents Beaver in a highly derogatory light, as a man who is dull and spends his time scrounging off others. “He got up late and sat near the telephone most of the day, hoping to be rung up” shows that he would rather waste time than pay his own way. Simply the name is an ironic choice, as it doesn’t suit his character. Beavers, by nature, are industrious and hard-working animals, and John Beaver is as far removed from his namesake as could be. Waugh shows that he has absolutely no prospects of employment. By portraying him in this way, Waugh depicts to the reader how desperate and lonely Brenda really is, as she will take up any company available. This is further expressed by how quickly she warms to Beaver. At the first hint of Beaver’s arrival, Brenda suggests that “he can go into Galahad, no one who sleeps there ever comes again.” However, she soon changes her mind, “Next time you come again you must have a better room … I daresay you wont ever come again, people so seldom do.” She is charmed, somehow, after spending only a day with him, and is eager to spend more time in his company.
This further serves to highlight Tony’s naivety and his misguided trust in his wife, which he does throughout the novel. Waugh also hints at Tony’s naivety continuously throughout the novel. Tony states that Brenda was ‘heroic with Beaver’, to which she replies that she was ‘coping’ with it, and she enjoyed his company, hinting at their growing intimacy. Waugh begins to refer to Brenda and Beaver as ‘they’ showing that they are now a couple. The fact that Tony notices none of this further alludes to his naivety. When Brenda sends a telegram to Tony, she finishes with ‘love to you both’, which is ironic considering that she is seeing another man behind Tony’s back, therefore leading Tony into a false sense of security about his marriage. As the novel progresses, Evelyn Waugh unveils more and more of Brenda’s true character.
The unsavory nature of Beaver’s character is enhanced throughout the book by dark imagery. His room is “gloomy and cluttered” and he “emerged from the shadows below.” It is clear that this is not a character the audience should support. Forster uses similar techniques in his novel to describe Cecil. Forster, unlike Waugh uses physical descriptions his characters rather than use of dialogue. Cecil was “medieval, like a gothic statue.” “Cecil snored on in his darkened room.” These are stark contrasts to Forsters’ description of George, Lucy’s other love interest. “The view was golden, enveloped by light and beauty.” George is presented as bright and colorful, and seems to make Lucy come alive, and Forster portrays George accordingly.
Waugh also alludes to Brenda’s infidelity many times throughout the novel. When asked about her doings in London by her husband, Brenda replies that she has ‘been behaving rather badly to tell the truth’, and also outright telling Tony that she has been carrying on ‘madly’ with ‘young men’. This shows Tony’s lack of understanding, as he sees Brenda’s confession as a sarcastic comment. It also conveys both Tony’s loyalty and his naivety, as he perceives her character as one who would not have such affairs. His trust makes him see his wife’s affair as a poor taste joke.
Brenda lets out that she doesn’t ‘really deserve’ Tony’s kindness, admitting that she has been ‘carrying on anyhow’ for the week. Waugh makes Brenda make a mockery out of Tony, toying with his emotion. This shows the reader how easily manipulated Tony is, whilst at the same time showing Brenda’s true nature. She is clever at using her husband’s feelings in her favor, making him feel bad when she is in the wrong. This is emphasized when Tony arrives to visit Brenda in London. She makes him feel guilty for arriving unannounced, and claims she is too busy to see him. “I’m going out darling, you should’ve rung ahead.” Tony is so blinded by naivety that he cannot see how strange this behavior is. However, despite not being able to see that his wife is cheating on him, Tony is intuitive to the fact that he is being pushed out of his wife’s life. “They call me old boy. I know they laugh at me.”
Waugh creates characters that do not evolve as the novel progresses, allowing you to sympathize with and admire Tony. He is named Tony Last as he is the last in a dying breed of true English gentlemen, and Waugh wants to convey his disgust in the “new” middle class’s abandonment of traditional morals, using satire to portray his sadness at the emergence of a new “flapper girl” culture. Forster, conversely, uses rounded characters who mature and adapt as A room with a View unfolds. Whereas Waugh wants to show how he doesn’t want culture and society, and even people to change, Forster has a more accepting view of this. A room with a view is also lacking in Waugh’s cynical satire, taking a more romantic view on relationships. Lucy, the central character, eventually ends up with George, her true love, proving that love can overcome many obstacles. However, in a Handful of dust the protagonist is left in the Amazon jungle.
It is apparent from the offset that Brenda and Tony’s relationship is doomed in the novel ‘A handful of Dust.’ Waugh makes their differences clear throughout the novel, also making clear his distaste at the relationships within the English Upper-class. Brenda’s further progression into a relationship with Jock Grant-Menzies, whilst Lucy remains with George, further emphasizes Waugh and Forster’s different views, with Waugh’s satirical sadness contrasting with Forster’s acceptance and romanticism. Despite Lucy and Cecil’s relationship being doomed, she did not act as unscrupulously with George as Brenda with Beaver, and this is the key point of comparison between the two novels. A Room with a View is a tale of love, hope and morality. A handful of Dust is an account of the author’s sadness as the demise of conventions in adapting upper-class society.
