Great Expectations: The book v
When reading A Room with a View, one is tempted to take the story at face value only. By simply reading into the surface meaning, a rather dull tale of a young girl's struggle to find love in a culturally clashed world presents itself. However, Forster's brilliant use of symbolism throughout the novel tells a great deal more about the events taking place and the characters themselves. The setting of the scenes, the background objects and characters, and even the weather make for many underlying meanings that grant the reader a better awareness of how the characters feel and why they do the things they do. Without the symbolism used, the book would have been a bit ordinary and a futile read. I feel I have heard this story line many times. There is nothing interesting about a simple girl having to pick between two boys. It happens every day in every culture. It is the representation of carefully placed symbolic details that make A Room with a View such an intriguing experience. In the first chapter, a symbolic detail is placed that makes for a microcosm of the entire novel. Lucy and Miss Bartlett are sitting and dining at the pension complaining amongst
Throughout the novel, these acts of symbolism, among others put forth by Forster, make for an extraordinary read. They remind the reader that life, in itself, is much more complex than what it appears to be. One must never take anything at face value. By using such ingenious symbols, one becomes more aware of who the characters actually are and what they are actually feeling. The symbolism makes for much more complex, and in return, interesting characters. As a reader, I became more involved with the characters knowing little details that the symbolism provided. Forster constructed a very elaborate novel that seemed a bit dull from the surface. In chapter seven, Lucy returns from a carriage ride after being kissed by George. This was her first kiss ever and it happened not as she had planned. Her emotions were going in every direction and she had no concrete way to think. Lucy was confused. She liked George and the kiss but knew, simply form the way she was raised, that she should not be enjoying either. Ironically, because of the correlation between Lucy and the feeling of dreariness, it was pouring down rain at the time of her return. Rain is itself dreary, which so happened to match Lucy's emotions. Even more ironically, Mr. Emerson tells Lucy a profound statement at the end of chapter two in which Lucy makes no perceptible connection to within the novel. The distance between the quote and the event of rain and confusion wou
Some common words found in the essay are:
Miss Bartlett, Forster's View, Furthermore Lucy's, George Emerson, miss bartlett, throughout novel, Lavish Lucy, travel guide, lucy miss bartlett, lucy miss, explore life, george kiss, lucy taught, Lucy Miss,
Approximate Word count = 980
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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