Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Cecil comments that it matters “whether we fence ourselves in, or whether we are fenced out by the barriers of others.” Following this analogy, do you think Forster’s characters create their own social barriers, or are they fenced out by the barriers of others?
- We don’t actually see George and Lucy interact very much in the book – how true do you think their “true love” really is?
- Do you think a character like Cecil will ever find love? Can he?
- In order to move on with their life together, Lucy and George end up leaving the disapproval of English society behind them by moving to Italy. From this distance, does Lucy’s rebellion ultimately make a difference? Do you think Forster is optimistic about the possibility of broader social change, or do his characters just have to make it on their own?
- We see the trappings of religion all over this text – churches, art, clergymen – but we don’t really get any glimpse into the actual religious beliefs of any of its characters except Mr. Emerson, who doesn’t believe in organized religion at all. What role, if any, does religion play in this society? If it’s irrelevant, has anything replaced it?