The Importance of Knowing One's Self In E.M. Forster's Howard's End

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Do the characters of "Howards End" understand the importance of `knowing oneself'?

It was Rose Macauley who wrote in The Writings of E. M. Forster- Howards End (1938) that one meaning of the novel might be "about the importance of knowing oneself, of learning to say "I."." Those that can say "I" are those who can also see the `unseen' and accept the `inner'. Those that cannot only see the `seen' and the `outer'. The novel argues that a lack of knowing oneself leads to life's ills and no sense of personal responsibility for your actions. Mr Wilcox is the leading character for creating the ills and not taking any personal responsibility for them. It also leads to circumstances where one may know of someone else's misfortunes and not act if they become directly involved. In Howards End action presents its weakness when the Schlegels help, Mr Wilcox's ill advice and his lack of responsibility for it leads to Mr Bast's downfall and ultimate death. Like the fates, the upper classes crush those vulnerable ones below them who try to over step their mark in life. Bast's tragedy is a direct result of a rejection of the "I" from Mr Wilcox and too much interference or inter-personal relations between the Schlegels and Bast himself.

The inner life and the outer life become themes in opposition that are connected and bridged by Margaret, someone who understands the importance of them both. Understanding the importance of the Inner is essential to understanding the importance of knowing oneself.

" `Don't brood too much on the superiority of the unseen to the seen... Our business is not to contrast the two but to reconcile them.' "

She understands that to join together two halves, the monk and beast, brings together the Apollonian a...

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...nd it because Truth may come only with death, and so they will carry on searching, even though they may have found happiness, because it is part of their make up and soul to self-scrutinise and challenge things, like their father did. Personal responsibility will remain the most important factor for understanding the importance of "I." Those who accept when they are wrong and accept faults in others are sympathetic to human nature, they don't discard or reject connection made with other humans and they say "I" because they know who they are. Those who are of the opinion `Every man for himself' will never see the importance of connecting and taking responsibility for the connections, they will simply be motivated by their own personal gain regardless of its affect on others. They can never understand themselves or other human beings because they will never connect.

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