Character Clues

Character Analysis

Social Status

In case you haven't noticed, social class is a huge deal in this book. Characters are measured in terms of where they fall on the social ladder. The reason the Herritons flip out when they find out Lilia is engaged is because her fiancé is an Italian (i.e. not English) and the son of a poor working-class dentist, which puts him pretty much at the bottom of the ladder.

Lilia is wealthy, the Herritons are respected members of the upper class, and the fact that Philip doesn't have to work for a living is a sign of his high social status. Foster's portrayal of what happens when members of different classes come into contact with each other is entertaining, yet also critical of the massive importance that characters place on the subtle differences in social status.

Occupation

Characters in this novel measure each other's worth based on what they do (or don't do) for a living. Gino is immediately labeled as unfit when the Herritons find out that he comes from a family of dentists.

Nowadays, being a dentist is considered awesome (when it's not considered a sign of sadism, that is) and nowadays the fact that Philip has no job, still lives at home with his mother, and spends his days sitting around doing absolutely nothing would raise a whole lot of red flags—we'd likely think of him as a manchild. But back in the day, idleness was reserved for the Important People who couldn't be bothered to work.

Actions

To act or not to act: that is the question. This novel spends a lot of time thinking about the importance of action versus inaction. Miss Abbott gives Philip a really hard time when he sits passively by, refusing to choose which side to fight on, Mrs. Herriton's or Gino's.

On the flipside, Forster also shows us the dire consequences of acting when you shouldn't— another word for this is meddling. Harriet's meddling leads to tragedy when she kidnaps Gino's baby, leading to the poor child's death in a carriage accident. Forster asks us to think about the importance of weighing our actions carefully.