Howards End presents two English families, the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes, as foils that represent different social classes and types of people in early 20th century England. These differences are so extreme that they sometimes verge on the hyperbolic. When Margaret Schlegel tries to explain how she sees the Wilcoxes to Helen in Chapter 4, she says:
“I’ve often thought about it, Helen. It’s one of the most interesting things in the world. The truth is that there is a great outer life that you and I have never touched—a life in which telegrams and anger count. Personal relations, that we think supreme, are not supreme there. There love means marriage settlements, death, death duties. So far I’m clear. But here’s my difficulty. [...]
The Schlegels are portrayed as cultured and intellectual, with a focus on ideals and emotions. The Wilcoxes are pragmatic, materialistic, and conservative, with an emphasis on the “outer life” of material goods and social conventions. The Schlegels, by contrast, have difficulty picturing a life which prioritizes “telegrams and anger” over “personal relations.”
Margaret's assessment suggests that the Wilcoxes are more concerned with material wealth and status than with emotional connections or intellectual pursuits. This is a life that she and her siblings have “never touched,” a notion that is at odds with the Schlegels' idealism. However, it is not only the Schlegels who reflect on their differences. Much later in the novel Charles Wilcox also explicitly considers the way the two families approach matters. In Chapter 42 the narrator tells the reader that:
for a warm-hearted man, Charles had conveyed very little joy. As he watched his father shuffling up the road, he had a vague regret—a wish that something had been different somewhere—a wish (though he did not express it thus) that he had been taught to say “I” in his youth.
Charles Wilcox has been brought up so devoid of an “inner life” that he has never “been taught to say “I.” This exaggerated and hyperbolic language (of course, he was literally taught to pronounce "I" at some point) underscores the Wilcoxes' disregard for emotional development. There is no “I” to constitute the center of Charles’s inner life, and so he can’t express his “warm heart” even if he wishes to. In moments like this, Forster paints a picture of the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes representing two different versions of 20th century Englishness. The former family embodies intellectualism and idealism in Howards End, and the latter pragmatism and materialism.
The Schlegel sisters act as foils for each other in Howards End. Although they have much in common, their ways of approaching life highlight the difference in their personalities. In Chapter 4, Forster describes their different qualities in the following way:
Margaret then remarked: “To me one of two things is very clear; either God does not know his own mind about England and Germany, or else these do not know the mind of God.” [...] at thirteen she had grasped a dilemma that most people travel through life without perceiving. Her brain darted up and down; it grew pliant and strong. [...] Helen advanced along the same lines, though with a more irresponsible tread. In character she resembled her sister, but she was pretty, and so apt to have a more amusing time.
Margaret is portrayed as wise, adult, spiritual, practical, reserved, and cautious. Her mind is unusually “pliant and strong” even at thirteen, emphasizing her flexibility and willingness to encounter new ideas. Helen is depicted as being idealistic, emotional, easily swayed, and rebellious against social norms. She is like Margaret in many ways, but strides forward into life “with a more irresponsible tread.”
Margaret’s flexibility and intelligence is shown in her statement about “things” that seem “very clear” to her; that “either God does not know his own mind about England and Germany, or else these do not know the mind of God." This comment displays both Margaret's quick wit and her ability to analyze complex situations. Her “pliant” mind can take in knotty and complicated ideas. Helen is shown to be similarly intelligent in other moments in the novel, but her thoughts and actions are generally portrayed as being more reckless and impulsive. She advances along the same lines as Margaret but with a more "irresponsible tread." This suggests that she is less cautious and more likely to act on her impulses.
Despite these differences in attitude, the sisters share a common value system. They both possess a strong sense of morality and a desire to do what is right, even when it’s difficult to pursue that rightness. They also both have a deep love of literature, travel, and culture, which is reflected in their discussions of art, music, literature, and philosophy throughout the novel.
Howards End presents two English families, the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes, as foils that represent different social classes and types of people in early 20th century England. These differences are so extreme that they sometimes verge on the hyperbolic. When Margaret Schlegel tries to explain how she sees the Wilcoxes to Helen in Chapter 4, she says:
“I’ve often thought about it, Helen. It’s one of the most interesting things in the world. The truth is that there is a great outer life that you and I have never touched—a life in which telegrams and anger count. Personal relations, that we think supreme, are not supreme there. There love means marriage settlements, death, death duties. So far I’m clear. But here’s my difficulty. [...]
The Schlegels are portrayed as cultured and intellectual, with a focus on ideals and emotions. The Wilcoxes are pragmatic, materialistic, and conservative, with an emphasis on the “outer life” of material goods and social conventions. The Schlegels, by contrast, have difficulty picturing a life which prioritizes “telegrams and anger” over “personal relations.”
Margaret's assessment suggests that the Wilcoxes are more concerned with material wealth and status than with emotional connections or intellectual pursuits. This is a life that she and her siblings have “never touched,” a notion that is at odds with the Schlegels' idealism. However, it is not only the Schlegels who reflect on their differences. Much later in the novel Charles Wilcox also explicitly considers the way the two families approach matters. In Chapter 42 the narrator tells the reader that:
for a warm-hearted man, Charles had conveyed very little joy. As he watched his father shuffling up the road, he had a vague regret—a wish that something had been different somewhere—a wish (though he did not express it thus) that he had been taught to say “I” in his youth.
Charles Wilcox has been brought up so devoid of an “inner life” that he has never “been taught to say “I.” This exaggerated and hyperbolic language (of course, he was literally taught to pronounce "I" at some point) underscores the Wilcoxes' disregard for emotional development. There is no “I” to constitute the center of Charles’s inner life, and so he can’t express his “warm heart” even if he wishes to. In moments like this, Forster paints a picture of the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes representing two different versions of 20th century Englishness. The former family embodies intellectualism and idealism in Howards End, and the latter pragmatism and materialism.
