Philip Herriton

Character Analysis

Mr. Know-It-All

Philip Herriton, Lilia's 24-year-old brother-in-law, is in many ways a walking contradiction. On the one hand, he's a mamma's boy: he does everything Mrs. Herriton orders him to do and he's even described by the narrator as a "weakly-built young man" (5.1) with a less-than-commanding physical presence. On the other hand, he's well-traveled, cultured, witty, discerning and super intelligent—all great qualities to have, if you know what to do with them. Problem is, Philip doesn't.

At the age of 22, Philip travels to Italy and falls in love with its beauty, but when he returns home to Sawston, he's disappointed to find that life is the same boring, pointless routine:

He concluded that nothing could happen, not knowing that human love and love of truth sometimes conquer where love of beauty fails. A little disenchanted, [...] he resumed his placid life, relying more and more on his second gift, the gift of humour. If he could not reform the world, he could at all events laugh at it, thus attaining at least an intellectual superiority. (5.3)

Instead of doing something to liven up the dullness of Sawston, Philip decides that nothing interesting will ever happen to him. Philip's biggest mistake is using his sense of humor to laugh at the world, instead of with it. He turns all of his qualities into flaws by acting like a superior Know-It-All. Refusing to participate in the ups and downs of life's rollercoaster, he claims that he prefers staying detached, watching the world with a God's-eye view.

To Do or Not to Do?

As the family messenger, Philip is sent back and forth from Sawston to Italy, first to bring Lilia home (he fails); and later, to bring Lilia's son home (he fails again). Throughout the novel, the one question that Forster wants us to think about is whether Philip is ever going to grow a spine and stick up for what's right.

He's the most educated character in the novel, but he sits in his ivory tower passing judgment and making fun of people instead of using his knowledge to become a better, more generous person. Forster seems to be asking us what's the use of a good education if you're going to be close-minded, or, even worse, hypocritical and fake?

Part of Philip's problem is that he's always divided against himself—he's intelligent yet indifferent; he's aware of social hypocrisies yet fails to resist them; he understands the moral stakes in any given situation but never acts for or against them. Before he can make something of himself, he needs to decide whether he's going to sit idly as life passes him by, or whether he's going to make a move, any move, to set a path for himself. To do or not to do. That is the question that Philip needs to answer.