Howards End by E. M. Forster – a book review

A poor man is dead, a good soul is killed. But who killed him? Fright, Deception, Poverty, Helplessness or Belief/Trust? What led to his death probably was the gnawing at by each of them while Innocence only looked on and wasn’t of any help, but what killed him in all likelihood was Ignorance, not his though.

Is it dangerous to make others believe that from experience and being intelligent you know and hence are superior, everything you say and do is justified for there is always a valid reason standing erect supporting it. Who then is to blame if you err, if you inadvertently destroy someone by your error – the listener or believer who thinks they know you, who are awed by the persona you’ve presented to them, who are just lazy to dig deep to validate or the complacent you?

And who is more vicious for the poor and the needy – the condescendingly resolute rich who are not just happy keeping the poor at bay but are disdainful towards them, or the ones who think they care for them, even reach out to them, shoulder their cause but only for a bit till it amuses them and strengthens their thoughts that they are useful to society, till their own selves gain importance again, till their impetuousness sways them away from the ones they had promised to help, keeping them lingering and leaving them devastated, worse than they were before coz they were made to believe for a moment and had trusted that things would get better.  

Howards End is a story primarily about two sisters who have inherited wealth, haven’t had to work but have opinions, strong ones at that about society. They think they understand and read people very well. Howards end is a house – not theirs but eventually becomes theirs. How it becomes their possession is what the story is about – through strong will, deceit, gifted, destiny or is there an uncanny element? It is a beautifully written story disturbingly telling us how one’s thoughtless words and actions could not only unknowingly deprive someone of their livelihood or identity but also destroy them completely. It particularly urges us to stop and think when we are ready to offer a helping hand – is it the other or us that we are really helping, is it ‘they need help’ or ‘I want to help them’, is it for finding our identity more than to defend theirs and finally is the feeling here to stay or wear off under the weight of personal agendas. Sometimes it's better to let things be and not change the world, especially when you have neither the aptitude nor the needed will, more so when the world doesn't always come before you.

The classics are always a delight to read; they bring back the colourful times of the past in beautiful shades of black and white.

My ratings: 4/5

Image copyrights:

Book cover - https://www.bookfusion.com/books/138001-howards-end

E. M. Forster - https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/how-times-readers-heartened-em-forster-mx6qzd22q