Friday, October 14, 2011
A Room With a View chapter one
1. Delicacy v. beauty: Miss Bartlett is for delicacy, Lucy is for beauty. Explain.
2. What indications are there that social class is a big issue for Miss Bartlett?
3. For whom is social class not a big issue?
4. Where might Mr. Beebe--is social class a big issue or not?
5. In what ways is Lucy a sympathetic (likable) character?
6. In what ways is Miss Bartlett not as sympathetic/likable?
7. What do you make of George, the son of Mr. Emerson?
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I am eager to talk about delicacy v. beauty because the comparison of the two throughout the first chapter of "A Room With a View" struck me as very poetic. Miss Bartlett is for delicacy, and Lucy is for beauty. At one point the question is raised- but aren't beauty and delicacy the same thing? I think that beauty and delicacy are not the same thing, especially in terms of the way they are applied to Miss Bartlett and to Lucy. Lucy is care-free and trusting. She likes to believe that all people are good and that all the world is beautiful. It pains her to think anything otherwise. Miss Bartlett is a bit more pessimistic, and stands for proper delicacy. She likes the idea of sophistication and manners, and thinks that delicacy is what makes something beautiful. In this Lucy and Miss Bartlett differ. Lucy does not deem delicacy as important as beauty, and does not think that delicacy makes beauty. Miss Bartlett is not concerned with beauty, only with delicacy because she thinks beauty will occur when the correct manners are used. Unfortunately, I think Miss Bartlett is a bit too uptight with her delicacy, and isn't likely to find, or see, the beauty that Lucy sees all the time by ignoring delicacy.
ReplyDeleteSocial class appears to be a big issue for Ms. Bartlett. While she and Lucy are speaking about their room, a stranger joins in on their conversation. Ms. Bartlett is shocked by this action and thinks to herself about how people at pensions generally will not talk to her for a few days perhaps because of intimidation. Because of this, she assumes the stranger is "ill-bred". You can tell by her thoughts that Ms. Bartlett is very proud and full of herself. She even glances over the stranger's clothing which did not "attract her" in any way. She also refers to the man as an "intruder" though he was only offering the ladies a very kind gesture.
ReplyDeleteHaving previously read "A Room With A View", it is difficult for me to hone in on Lucy's character in the first chapter, after seeing her grow throughout the course of the whole novel. However, I also got to focus on Lucy's first impressions to the reader as I re-read chapter one. For example, Lucy is very fickle and unsure of who she is and what she wants. In a broader sense it seems like she is naive and curious. We see small instances in the first chapter where Lucy's naive nature. For example, Lucy is very impressionable and acts differently in front of certain people, when she is around Charlotte she acts very high class, especially when she is complaining about not having a view initially but she also interacts with people of a lower class as if they are of equal standards (as she should). She interacts with the Emerson's and the priest as if they are on the same level, as apposed to Charlotte. Lucy has a lot of potential should expand on her talent. This immaturity in Lucy is somewhat charming, and very human. It is refreshing to see a character of higher class have flaws, especially flaws that are so relatable.
ReplyDeleteMr Emerson's Son, George is a very interesting character. When we first meet George he is discontented and confused. This character was truly raised to be his father’s son, and like his father, he doesn’t appear to be into into religion, political correctness, or saying things he doesn’t mean. George does however believe in fate, and he wonders what his own fate is. His father even notes that he he is looking for the meaning in life. George has a passionate desire for truth. Despite this though, he does appear to have a deep feeling that life isn't actually worth living.
ReplyDeleteLucy is a bit impetuous, but has led a sheltered life up until now and becomes easily confused by Italy and the presence of the Emersons. Because of this lack of association with the upper class, she is not knowledgeable of it, and seems to trust everybody without second guessing herself. She also does not judge people by what social class they are a part of. I think this innocence that Lucy has can really appeal to the reader and is what makes her a true sympathetic character in the book.
ReplyDeleteSome indications that social class is a big issue for Miss Bartlett is when she was talks to her friend, Lucy, and one of the men around them "intrudes" into their conversation, and she describes him as "one of the ill-bred people whome one does meet abroad..." This told me that Miss Bartlett seems to enjoy her privacy from other people regardless if the are from a higher-class, but perhaps they don't look as if they are higher ranked, socially. This makes me think that she is not only classist, but also materialistic. She assumes a lot from the way people look and dress, like when she described the man and discusses his clothing, which she scanned over in much more detail. Later on in the conversation, even after the stranger makes the kind gesture of swapping rooms with these ladies, she describes herself as "the better class of tourist was shocked at this, and sympathized with the new-comers." Miss Bartlett came off as a bit overly-confident and tad bit arrogant. She didn't seem very grateful for the nice, spontaneous gesture that the old man made to them... She almost seemed to expect him to do such a thing. Also, just the fact that Miss Bartlett is very aware socially, and Lucy is very fascinated with beautiful things, and both of them insisted on rooms with views, seemed shallow, and very aesthetically prioritized. I think that they want rooms with views, not only because it would be a pretty view, but also because then it would give them something to brag about, and to show off. In many cases where you live and how nice the "view" is, can set people's assumptions about you and your importance/power in society, and their judgements towards you, which is very important to these ladies to always be a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between Lucy and Charlotte is considerable, and is defined by their care for social class and manners. Also, Lucy is considered more of a representative of delicacy than beauty. She appreciates the quality of a situation or thing, such as Mr. Emerson's kind offer, rather than the way in which he went about it, which Mrs. Bartlett cares more about. Charlotte cares far too much about the mannerisms of Mr. Emerson. She refers to him as "ill-bred" when first seeing him and looks at his clothes and appearance to judge him as an ignorant man. She calls the rest of the dinner table "the better class of tourists," quite a condescending phrase upon someone. In contrast, Lucy cared about the Emersons, and gave them a polite bow as she followed her cousin out of the dining room: "It gave her no extra pleasure that any one should be left in the cold." Later, Charlotte asks Mr. Beebe if Mr. Emerson is a socialist, clearly defining her as a wealthy upper-class member who despises liberal thinkers and those who threaten her power and money.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I think George, Mr. Emerson's son, is the symbol of independence and (good) immaturity. They do speak of how he might be influenced by his father, but Mr. Beebe explains that he probably is not old enough to understand. He has little to no regard for the standards expected of him while talking to a lady. He puts her below her father's bath, which greatly angers Mrs. Bartlett.
Lucy is sort of immature and unexperienced, i think that it what makes the reader feel sympathy for her. She seems as she does not know what she wants. with her way of reacting to situations one can foreshadow she does know now what she is doing because of her lack of knowledge. I feel she is an interesting character that is going to develop, mature and become a woman towards the end of the story
ReplyDeleteLucy is a character who draws in the reader because of her genuine behavior. She treats all people in her life as equals. No one person is greater than another in her mind. In life, many times people admire those who can see others without judgement, because they themselves do not have that power. Other people might find this lack of judgement immature and annoying, as they believe bringing others down makes them stronger. Lucy would appeal to readers who are attracted to kind, down to earth, genuine characters. Lucy has an innocence about her that is also very appealing. She does not seem to know how she should be acting, and instead just acts with her intuition, which many people admire.
ReplyDeleteI think that Lucy is a great and compelling character. She is very naive and innocent, which I think is kind of cute, and draws me in as the reader. Usually I find protagonists like this a little bit hard to deal with and read about, but lucy seems like an exception to this, because I genuinely care about the character. I think that this is a good starting place for a protagonist, because she has plenty of room to grow and develop.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bartlett's descriptions of not only the enormous house, but every expensive detail. Her long sentences of the garden's beauty, the outside of the house with the trees, and the similarity of the house with an expensive hotel all show that she is impressed and obsessed with class and wealth/beauty. Her condescending descriptions of Tibby and how he is usually sick also shows that she looks down upon others less rich or in a lower class. She criticizes the Wilcox's and evidently has something to gripe about them. She is jealous of their wealth and the expensive dresses that Mrs. Wilcox wears. She openly insults her in the letter to Meg. She insults Mrs. Wilcox several times when she is describing her in the garden staring at the poppies and how much she loves the garden. She also is disgusted about how Mrs. Wilcox wears long dresses while she walks in the grass. Later on when she is describing/ comparing her dress with Mrs. Wilcox's, she omits parts where she seems like she is cursing her. This shows her complete disgust and jealousy, indicating that social class is a big issue for her.
ReplyDeleteI find Lucy to be a great character. She is naive and doesn't seem to know much but that is a great personality to have because it allows you as the reader to want to help her, it draws you into the story. Most people probably cannot wait to see her grow because we do feel sympathetic for her. My only worry for Lucy would be that her innocence will be her downfall.
ReplyDeleteLucy is a very sympathetic character. She is relatable because she is kind of thrown into this new situation and she doesn't really know quite how to navigate it and I think we have all been there at some point in our lives. Lucy is very innocent and naive, and this is something that could lead her into trouble. Yet, we will all be hoping that she doesn't get into trouble because the reader immediately likes her. She is presented as our heroine, and we want her to win!
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that social class is very important to Mrs. Bartlett. From the very beginning of the chapter we find her complaining of what seem to be little, illegitimate things, that most of us would except and move on from. However, Mrs. Bartlett seems to think that she is so important, and deserves so much that she is entitled to such petty comforts. She also complains about contacting the "signora" in such a way that its clear she is going to speak with her in a demeaning manor. Also, when the kind gentlemen initially speaks with her and lucy, she instantly judges the man pitilessly. Once she has deduced that cannot be of the same social class as her and her companion, she wants absolutely nothing to do with him, and makes it painfully clear. Her pride even goes as far as to stop Lucy from politely replying to the man.
ReplyDelete