Compare and contrast the ways in which Forster and
Churchill present the conflict between appearances and
reality in ‘A Room With A View’ and ‘Top Girls’.
There is clear conflict between appearances and reality in Churchill’s 1982 Top Girls
and Forster’s 1908 A Room with a View. Although published at contrasting ends of a
century there are similarities in what is first perceived and what turns out to be true.
1982 Thatcherite Britain was a society supporting meritocracy and individualism,
embodied through Marlene who prospers independently. Edwardian 1908 England
similarly sees females increasingly being able to stand alone, visible through Lucy
Honeychurch who is able to find liberation from ancient Victorian ideals. On their way
to standing independently, women tackle limited views placed on them by dominant
men who turn out ineffectual and pathetic, as well as having to identify desires they
were forced to repress.
Both Churchill and Forster present an oppressive patriarchal society where men hold
blinkered perceptions of women’s capabilities, which is challenged throughout the
text. Society’s belief of male dominance over women is evident in Top Girls through
Mrs Kidd, remonstrating about Marlene’s appointment as “managing director instead
of Howard” believing it to be “only fair” he is appointed as “he’s a man”. This
indicates that society believed Marlene to be undeserving of a “managing director”
role merely due to her gender, reflecting difficulties of 1980s society where only 6%
of managing directors were female. Marlene, however, is evidence that women are
capable of such roles, and thus beliefs of male dominance are false ancient ideas. It
would therefore appear that generally, men believed women to only be useful for
“housework” and “cleaning” jobs that Joyce was confined to, whilst they prospered in
the hierarchical roles. In reality however, this is not true as Marlene exemplifies her
success as a woman through her ability to “get out” of her restrictive home life where
she would most likely “marry a dairyman who’d come home pissed” or be a “packer
in Tesco” , and can now enjoy materialistic luxuries such as “spen(ding) alot” and
“driv(ing) across (America) in a fast car.” This portrays Marlene as revelling in 1980s
consumerist society where she always wants more and is bereft of struggles other
women traditionally experienced. Her ability to be independent and have “courage” to
succeed individually presents her as “one of the beneficiaries...of individualism” as
Buse argues, demonstrating some women can prosper alone, without male support
and are capable of more than what they appeared to be, or thought of, in the 1980s,
reflective of 2nd wave feminism. Churchill therefore uses Marlene to show others
there is hope of liberation from patriarchal restraint. In contrast however, Lucy
Honeychurch in the opening of A Room with a View, appears to support men’s
limited view of her through her dependency on the male written “Baedekar” to
navigate Italy, alluding to Palgrave’s description of her as a “product of her….period”
being a submissive woman to men who believe that “the only
relationship... ..conceiv(able) was...that of protector and protected”. This “medieval”
idea, relating to the conflict between ancient Victorian and new age Edwardian
ideals, is further portrayed when Lucy “fainted” and was “held..in (George’s) arms”,
fulfilling the stereotypical role of needing saved. This changes, due to the
Bildungsroman genre, and there is development in Lucy throughout as she listens to
progressive Edwardian views of George Emmerson who reprimands her for
“listen(ing) to (Cecil’s) voice instead of his” as Cecil is “the type who’s kept Europe
back for a thousand years”. This is interesting however as it may be argued that Lucy
merely exchanges one male oppressor for another. Cecil’s restrictive views are
evident through attempting to “wrap (Lucy) up”. The verb “wrap..up” has negative
Churchill present the conflict between appearances and
reality in ‘A Room With A View’ and ‘Top Girls’.
There is clear conflict between appearances and reality in Churchill’s 1982 Top Girls
and Forster’s 1908 A Room with a View. Although published at contrasting ends of a
century there are similarities in what is first perceived and what turns out to be true.
1982 Thatcherite Britain was a society supporting meritocracy and individualism,
embodied through Marlene who prospers independently. Edwardian 1908 England
similarly sees females increasingly being able to stand alone, visible through Lucy
Honeychurch who is able to find liberation from ancient Victorian ideals. On their way
to standing independently, women tackle limited views placed on them by dominant
men who turn out ineffectual and pathetic, as well as having to identify desires they
were forced to repress.
Both Churchill and Forster present an oppressive patriarchal society where men hold
blinkered perceptions of women’s capabilities, which is challenged throughout the
text. Society’s belief of male dominance over women is evident in Top Girls through
Mrs Kidd, remonstrating about Marlene’s appointment as “managing director instead
of Howard” believing it to be “only fair” he is appointed as “he’s a man”. This
indicates that society believed Marlene to be undeserving of a “managing director”
role merely due to her gender, reflecting difficulties of 1980s society where only 6%
of managing directors were female. Marlene, however, is evidence that women are
capable of such roles, and thus beliefs of male dominance are false ancient ideas. It
would therefore appear that generally, men believed women to only be useful for
“housework” and “cleaning” jobs that Joyce was confined to, whilst they prospered in
the hierarchical roles. In reality however, this is not true as Marlene exemplifies her
success as a woman through her ability to “get out” of her restrictive home life where
she would most likely “marry a dairyman who’d come home pissed” or be a “packer
in Tesco” , and can now enjoy materialistic luxuries such as “spen(ding) alot” and
“driv(ing) across (America) in a fast car.” This portrays Marlene as revelling in 1980s
consumerist society where she always wants more and is bereft of struggles other
women traditionally experienced. Her ability to be independent and have “courage” to
succeed individually presents her as “one of the beneficiaries...of individualism” as
Buse argues, demonstrating some women can prosper alone, without male support
and are capable of more than what they appeared to be, or thought of, in the 1980s,
reflective of 2nd wave feminism. Churchill therefore uses Marlene to show others
there is hope of liberation from patriarchal restraint. In contrast however, Lucy
Honeychurch in the opening of A Room with a View, appears to support men’s
limited view of her through her dependency on the male written “Baedekar” to
navigate Italy, alluding to Palgrave’s description of her as a “product of her….period”
being a submissive woman to men who believe that “the only
relationship... ..conceiv(able) was...that of protector and protected”. This “medieval”
idea, relating to the conflict between ancient Victorian and new age Edwardian
ideals, is further portrayed when Lucy “fainted” and was “held..in (George’s) arms”,
fulfilling the stereotypical role of needing saved. This changes, due to the
Bildungsroman genre, and there is development in Lucy throughout as she listens to
progressive Edwardian views of George Emmerson who reprimands her for
“listen(ing) to (Cecil’s) voice instead of his” as Cecil is “the type who’s kept Europe
back for a thousand years”. This is interesting however as it may be argued that Lucy
merely exchanges one male oppressor for another. Cecil’s restrictive views are
evident through attempting to “wrap (Lucy) up”. The verb “wrap..up” has negative
