Study Questions
Compare and contrast the Schlegel and Wilcox
families. How are they alike? How are they
different? What ideals do they each represent?
In what way is Howards End a symbol of all England?
How does Forster answer the novel's main question
(posed by critic Lionel Trilling) of "Who shall
inherit England?"
Two minor characters who are contrasted powerfully at
the end of the novel are Tibby Schlegel and
Charles Wilcox. What roles do these characters
portray in the novel, and how is their contrast
illuminating?
What is Margaret like as a character? How does
she differ from Helen? Is it fair to say that
Margaret is the conscience of Howards End?
Though Helen declares herself a suffragist in the
first part of the book, Forster's exploration of
gender politics in Edwardian England does not really
take off until the second half of the novel, after
Margaret marries Henry. What does their
marriage say about the relations between men and
women in general? What kind of critique does Forster
offer: moral, social, or simply literary?
Discuss the conflict between the "seen" and the
"unseen" as it plays out throughout the novel in
different characters' thoughts. What ways does the
novel suggest might be used to connect the seen to
the unseen? What is the role of money in that
process? What is the role of death?
How does Margaret's philosophy of "Only connect"
conflict with Henry's adage, "Concentrate"? Is
it fair to say that this conflict is the main
conflict of the novel? Which idea prevails over the
course of the novel?
