A Room with a View by EM Forster contains two curiously named chapters: “Fourth Chapter” and “Twelfth Chapter.” All other chapters of this early 20th century novel have a descriptive, often humorous title. For example, the chapter following "Chapter Twelfth" is titled "How Miss Bartlett's Cauldron Was So Tiring." From this obvious distinction, we can assume that something important will happen in each of these oddly named sections of the book. In "Chapter Four", Lucy has a pivotal encounter with George that makes her question her own emotions and her upbringing. However, this article will focus on a passage from "Chapter Twelfth", which describes the naked antics of Freddy, George and Mr. Beebe in the pond behind Honeychurch's house. The next passage in this chapter reveals the strict constraints that govern English society and the sense of freedom and interpersonal connection that comes with escaping these conventions—a theme that permeates not only this chapter, but the novel as a whole. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay “They ran to dry themselves, they bathed to cool off, they played Indians in the willows and ferns, they bathed to clean themselves. And all the while, three little bundles were lying quietly on the lawn and proclaiming: “No. We are what matters. Without us, no business can start. In the end, all flesh returns to us. »(150). The beginning of this passage describes the actions of Freddy, George, and Mr. Beebe in the pond before they are accidentally discovered by Lucy, Cecil, and Mrs. Honeychurch. This passage shows precisely the evolution that took place in these characters during the “Twelfth Chapter”. Throughout the first few pages of the chapter, when the group of three first meets, they are extremely distant towards each other, despite Mr. Beebe's best efforts to initiate conversation. It is said that Freddy is "never amused" by "his fellows" and has not even wanted to visit the Emersons - he only follows them because Mr. Beebe persuades him to do so (142). Once the group begins walking through the woods toward the pond, the awkward silences remain - although one would think that being outside, in nature, would open up the characters. But, much to Mr. Beebe's dismay, although he was "forced to chatter," "none of his companions would utter a word" (146). And when George finally deigns to speak, he does so only “seriously” and without “enthusiasm” (146, 147). Only once they remove all their clothes and immerse themselves in the pond do the men begin to interact wildly. Ergo, it seems that clothing, in this passage, serves as a metaphor for the strict societal conventions of the 20th century. century in Great Britain. Despite being fully clothed, the three men are unable to form a meaningful connection, but once their clothes are removed, they enjoy each other's company and seem to be having the time of their young (and old) lives. In the first part of the selected passage, Forster illustrates this connection by using repetition to emphasize the characters' actions: "[t]hey ran...they bathed...they played... they bathed…” (150, emphasis added.) The subject is a unified “they” that reveals how this deviation from traditional conventions brought men together where simple conversation could not. The repetition of this passage also suggests that they spent quite a bit of time frolicking in and near the pond, continuing the cycle ofto play, get dirty, clean up and play again. One gets the impression that the men have lost track of time and could continue their festivities for much longer, if they were not interrupted by Lucy and her companions, who, as they are dressed, represent English society in its entirety. “taking a bath to clean oneself” seems to suggest that this time spent frolicking in the pond is in some way purifying for the three participants (150). Here, the conventions of society can be seen as pollutants because they seem to stifle human connections, freedom and happiness. The playful debauchery in which these men indulge can be considered as the solvent in which these “pollutants” dissolve. Freed from social restrictions, they are able to cleanse themselves by shedding the false self-image that society has imposed on them and be their true, instinctive self. This passage, focusing on the men immersing and cleansing themselves in water, could also evoke the religious imagery of a baptism. Many Christian baptisms – including that of Jesus himself, by John the Baptist – were (and sometimes still are) carried out in natural, open bodies of water, such as Honeychurch Pond, rather than in a cistern. 'a chapel. It is also not uncommon for men the age of Freddy and George or even Mr. Beebe to be baptized late, after a conversion or because they simply were not baptized as children. . The religious implication is heightened when one considers that Mr. Beebe is himself a clergyman. However, it seems that instead of Mr. Beebe being indoctrinated into a Christian tradition, it is the boys who overwhelm him in the carefree customs of youth and freedom. So it seems that Forster is using religious imagery here to convey a decidedly non-religious, but nonetheless important, message. Beebe is the most reluctant to go in the water, stating only that he "might as well wash too" after the boys have already been in the pond for several minutes (149). But, as mentioned earlier, once he undresses and enters the water, he too becomes part of the unified "they" who swim and play together, despite his advanced age and superior role as a clergyman. Thus, the water and the removal of clothing manage not only to erase societal conventions, but also to destroy the boundaries of class, profession, and age that stand between the boys and Mr. Beebe. In the second half of this passage, Forster personifies the clothes that men have cast off and discarded by giving them voice. Continuing the metaphor previously mentioned, the clothes speak for British society, dismayed by the freedom men currently enjoy. He attempts to warn them that they are essentially nothing without clothes – that is, the constraints imposed by society – by stating: “[w]e are what matters. Without us, no business can start. All flesh ultimately turns to us” (150). But, despite these grandiose proclamations, the clothes are described as “three little bundles” that “lie discreetly on the lawn” (150, emphasis added). So it seems that this message is in itself small, discreet and unimportant; an empty threat that is easily drowned out by the screams, splashes and laughter of the three jubilant men. Thus, the men are able to ignore this preemptive warning and continue to have fun, even kicking and playing with the clothes, which further illustrates their freedom. Here, metaphorically, they not only abandon societal conventions, but set them aside. It is also important to note the reference of the personified garment to.