The Wilcoxes are the rich capitalists, who have made a huge fortune in the Colonies. The novel, Howards End revolves around three families, each belonging to different strata of the society. The motto, ‘Only connect’ of the novel establish a relationship between the passion of human relationship and prose. While the culture is totally ignored by the Wilcoxes, the Schlegels accept it wholly and on the other hand, Leonard Bust wants to acquire it (Colmer 107). Different characters of Howards End show different reactions to it. The culture is as important a subject of the novel as the social distinctions. It explores the theme of social relationships that developed between different classes in England. The underlying theme of the social criticism makes the novel a representative of the ‘Edwardian novel’ (Colmer, 107). (sparknotes, 2008) People were concerned about which class will rule the nation. The most dominant question that was raised at that time was “Who shall inherit England”, as mentioned by an eminent critic Lionel Trilling. The novel gives an insight in to the life of England a few years before the World War I. Through the difficulties and benefits of the relationships between the people of various social causes, Forster presents a detailed thematic balance of the novel.įorster scathingly in Howards End dissects the economic underpinnings of different social relations by dealing with the social subjects like class, money, culture and social statuses. Published in the year of 1910, Howards End is essentially a conflict between the social values and the cultures, ultimately leading to the prejudging of various social vices. In the November 1910 edition of “Nation”, an anonymous reviewer pointed out this novel as a ‘far sighted criticism of middle class ideas’ (Colmer, 107). The brilliant form of art and design of the novel has successfully brought out the theme of class struggle. Forster reflects in this novel a picture of a narrow segment of the turn-of-the-century England. Howards End- the fourth novel by E.M Forster has drawn in attention for its strong social content.
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