FREE ESSAY ON A ROOM WITH A VIEW

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

The actions of people speak for their character. Some approach life through the senses and
some approach it through spirit. Others adhere to convention and some do not. Yet, any
way one approaches life, every action one makes indicates defining characteristics about
who the person is as an individual. In A Room With A View Mr. Eager and Mr. Emerson are
quite opposite in the way they approach situations. Therefore, they demonstrate their
character by the things they do and the words they say throughout the novel.
When Mr. Eager attempts to separate the "brother and sister" on the carriage, Mr. Emerson
says the following:
"'Leave them alone,' Mr. Emerson begged the chaplain, of whom he stood in no awe. 'Do we
find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
To be driven by lovers-A king might envy us, and if we part them it's more like sacrilege
than anything I know.'" (Chapter 6)
He does not want love to be interrupted under any circumstances. Mr. Emerson does not
understand why anyone would want to take away happiness, when there is so little to go
around. He even uses the term 'sacrilege' because Mr. Eager is a priest and maybe that
would be easier for him to understand. Mr. Emerson's view of life is: he sees things as
being about happiness and love. According to the standards of his time, he is flying in
the face of convention.
When the two lovers are separated Mr. Eager proclaims, "Victory at last!" But Mr. Emerson
quickly retorts, "It is not victory. It is defeat. You have parted two people who were
happy."(Chapter 6) According to the way that Mr. Eager views life, two lovers hugging,
touching and kissing is vulgar. But, Mr. Emerson thinks that it is wonderful and that
there should be more loving in life. Nevertheless, Mr. Eager thinks that it is not proper
conduct because he is a priest and in his world, it is not appropriate to show affection
in public. Conversely, Mr. Emerson regards the behavior in the carriage as a beautiful
and natural part of life. 
In general, Mr. Eager looks down on mankind. He thinks that on the average, man is
ignorant and unconscious. 
"If you will not think me rude, we residents sometimes pity you poor tourists not a
little...living herded together in pensions or hotels, quite unconscious of anything that
is outside Baedeker, their one anxiety to get 'done' or 'through' and go on somewhere
else."(Chapter 6)
This is a very negative stereotype of tourists. He thinks that all tourists are
uninformed and preoccupied. Mr. Eager's view is very odd because he is a priest and he is
supposed to embrace all of mankind. Italy is a large country and it contains many
historic sites. Tourists will often be fascinated and move quickly in order to see the
entire country: another example of how oblivious Mr. Eager's view of life is.
Mr. Emerson is 'sleeping' through all of Mr. Eager's ramblings and generalizations. He
does not even dignify him with an argument on the matter because Mr. Emerson knows that
all people, including tourists, do not fit Mr. Eager's description. He knows that people,
by nature, are curious and can be energetic, which, according to Mr. Emerson, is a
natural facet of human life. He believes that people should have a passion for life.
Even though the times have changed, there are still distinct differences between liberals
and conservatives. No matter what people say about how times have changed, there are
still opposing forces. The world contains many different cultures and religions, each
with different views of "acceptable" behavior. Today, it would be rare that someone would
stop a carriage because two people where embracing in the front. This is because today's
society has changed so much. But, one can understand both where Mr. Eager and Mr. Emerson
are coming from. As the world becomes smaller, educated societies are becoming more
tolerant of opposing ideas and beliefs.