A Room With a View · Chapter
XIX: Lying to Mr. Emerson explained
Lucy, preparing to flee to Greece with the Miss Alans, is confronted by Mr.
What happens
Lucy, preparing to flee to Greece with the Miss Alans, is confronted by Mr. Emerson, who sees through her lies and urges her to marry George. He reveals George's despair and the tragic story of his wife's death, forcing Lucy to confront her own feelings and the truth of her love for George. Mr. Beebe discovers the deception and withdraws his support, but Mr. Emerson's passionate plea for truth and love strengthens Lucy's resolve.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Discovery and Growth
Lucy is forced to confront her own feelings and the truth of her love for George, leading to a moment of profound self-awareness and growth.
Repression vs. Passion
Mr. Emerson's plea for truth and passion contrasts with Lucy's initial repression and lies, highlighting the struggle between societal expectations and authentic desire.
Art and Truth
Mr. Emerson emphasizes the importance of truth over love or pleasure, stating 'Truth counts, Truth does count,' linking moral clarity to a higher artistic or spiritual ideal.
Characters to notice
- Lucy Honeychurch
Lies to Mr. Emerson about her feelings for George, but ultimately breaks down and admits the truth, finding strength in his words.
- Mr. Emerson
Confronts Lucy about her deception, reveals George's despair and his wife's tragic death, and urges Lucy to marry George for the sake of truth.
- Mr. Beebe
Discovers Lucy's deception and withdraws his support, expressing grief and disappointment.
- Mrs. Honeychurch
Accompanies Lucy to London, annoyed by the secrecy surrounding Lucy's broken engagement.
- Miss Alans
Lucy and her mother visit them at their temperance hotel; they are preparing for travel and unaware of Lucy's true situation.
Key passages
“Then, Lucy—" "You've frightened me," she moaned. "Cecil— Mr. Beebe—the ticket's bought—everything." She fell sobbing into the chair. "I'm caught in the tangle. I must suffer and grow old away from him. I cannot break the whole of life for his sake. They trusted me."”
Lucy panics, feeling trapped by her obligations to Cecil and Mr. Beebe, and believes she must endure a life without George because others have placed their trust in her.
Lucy's emotional breakdown reveals her inner conflict between duty and desire.
“He gave her a sense of deities reconciled, a feeling that, in gaining the man she loved, she would gain something for the whole world. Throughout the squalor of her homeward drive—she spoke at once—his salutation remained. He had robbed the body of its taint, the world's taunts of their sting; he had shown her the holiness of direct desire.”
Mr. Emerson's kiss and words give Lucy a transcendent sense of unity and purpose, making her feel that loving George is not only right but sacred, and that she can withstand societal scorn.
The narrator describes the transformative effect of Mr. Emerson's blessing on Lucy's perspective.
“She "never exactly understood," she would say in after years, "how he managed to strengthen her. It was as if he had made her see the whole of everything at once."”
Lucy later reflects that she could never fully explain how Mr. Emerson gave her strength, but it felt like he enabled her to perceive the entirety of truth in a single moment.
This retrospective comment underscores the profound and lasting impact of Mr. Emerson's intervention.