Margaret Schlegel And Henry Wilcox--To Humanize And To Be Humanized

E. M. Forster is one of the famous twentieth century novelists and critics. In all his novels, he makes in-depth explorations of various social, economical and political issues in British society from the late Victorian era to the postwar period. In his life, he has altogether published six long novels, among which Howards End is generally regarded as his masterpiece. In Howards End, Forster employs his favorite antithetical device. Through contrasting the two families, the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes, he reveals the spiritual desert of the Wilcoxes representing the businessmen, highlights the spiritual forces of the cultural Schlegels, and expresses his ideal of connecting the worlds of business and culture. This thesis is intended to be a tentative study of the humanizing theme in Howards End. With an eye to the development of the relations between the protagonists Margaret Schlegel and Henry Wilcox, this thesis conducts a discussion on the significance of Margaret's efforts to humanize Henry from two different angles. Margaret Schlegel sees in her philistine husband Henry Wilcox a spiritual desert. Out of love and sympathy, she sets about transforming him so as to help him cultivate a harmonious inner life. After examining various aspects of the relations between Margaret and Henry and the nature of the process of her efforts, a conclusion is reached: both Henry and Margaret benefit form her heroic efforts, the latter more than the former. In the process of humanizing Henry, Margaret humanizes and improves herself: she has gradually grown and formed the mature inclusive humanist view, the view of wholeness, balance and harmony.This humanizing theme not only reflects Forster's criticism of the Edwardian values of the middle classes but also enlightens us on how to redress the problem of spiritual chaos and emptiness in modern society.