How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mrs. Wilcox had no idea; she paid little attention to grounds. She was not intellectual, nor even alert, and it was odd that, all the same, she should give the idea of greatness. Margaret, zigzagging with her friends over Thought and Art, was conscious of a personality that transcended their own and dwarfed their activities. There was no bitterness in Mrs. Wilcox; there was not even criticism; she was lovable, and no ungracious or uncharitable word had passed her lips. Yet she and daily life were out of focus: one or the other must show blurred. And at lunch she seemed more out of focus than usual, and nearer the line that divides life from a life that may be of greater importance. (9.5)
This description, one of the odder ones in this novel, demonstrates Mrs. Wilcox's strange separation from the world – it's almost as if the narrator can't figure out how to describe her, except to tell us that she's so mysteriously, mystically amazing that there are no words for it. She's just not of this world, even when she's in it.
Quote #5
To them Howards End was a house: they could not know that to her it had been a spirit, for which she sought a spiritual heir. And--pushing one step farther in these mists--may they not have decided even better than they supposed? Is it credible that the possessions of the spirit can be bequeathed at all? Has the soul offspring? A wych-elm tree, a vine, a wisp of hay with dew on it--can passion for such things be transmitted where there is no bond of blood? No; the Wilcoxes are not to be blamed. The problem is too terrific, and they could not even perceive a problem. (11.38)
Mrs. Wilcox's identification with Margaret is made clear in her final bequest of Howards End; the question of spiritual identity (of a person, of a house) is what's up for debate here. The metaphysical question, however, is lost on the pragmatic Wilcoxes.
Quote #6
"Henceforward I'm going my own way. I mean to be thorough, because thoroughness is easy. I mean to dislike your husband, and to tell him so. I mean to make no concessions to Tibby. If Tibby wants to live with me, he must lump me. I mean to love you more than ever. Yes, I do. You and I have built up something real, because it is purely spiritual. There's no veil of mystery over us. Unreality and mystery begin as soon as one touches the body. The popular view is, as usual, exactly the wrong one. Our bothers are over tangible things--money, husbands, house-hunting. But Heaven will work of itself." (23.1)
Helen declares her independence here, and it's a turning point in the novel – from here on out, she intends to do exactly what she pleases, and refuses to explain herself to anyone else.