To “see life steadily and see it whole” is one of the most important motifs in Howards End. Margaret is said to see the world “whole,” while Henry sees it “steadily.” Learning to see both ways at once, like learning to “connect the prose and the passion,” is the ideal human achievement in the eyes of the book’s narrator. Howards End is greatly concerned with the clarity of vision of its characters. Henry is repeatedly criticized for his “obtuseness” and his limited attention span, failing to notice anything that doesn’t serve his self-interest or that falls outside of his…