Examine the importance of the public school mentality in The Howard House and A Passage to India Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe public school system remains unique because it was created by the Anglo-Saxon middle classes - as it perfectly expresses their character - with its boarding houses, its compulsory games, its system of prefects and fags, its insistence on good form and esprit de corps - (EM Forster, 'Notes on the English Character', 1936.) Forster perceived the public school system as being at the heart of the English middle classes, defining their core set of values ​​and shaping their behaviour. He was particularly intrigued by the concept of emotional repression indoctrinated into public school pupils, and the effects of this "stiff lip" mentality are carefully considered in both Howards End and A Passage to India. While many of his male protagonists unquestionably demonstrate solidity and efficiency, their lack of imagination and tendency towards hypocrisy inevitably undermines any potentially positive characteristics. As a result, their personal relationships with others are affected, and in A Passage to India the petty selfishness of the English contributes significantly to the failure of Anglo-Saxon relations. Forster's skillful use of contrast means that those far removed from the public school mentality, such as the colorful characters of Leonard Bast and Aziz, can serve to highlight its flaws. The extreme importance of maintaining an imperturbable sense of composure, or "good form" in all situations, even if done illusively, is an element of the public school mentality much explored by Forster. Margaret Schlegel is subjected to this when she travels by train with the Fussells, and notes with some perplexity how they rolled up the windows for some women and rolled them down for others - they identified colleges as the train passed Oxford, they took books or bags. in the act of falling to the ground. Yet there was nothing fussy about their public-school touch and, though scrupulous, they were manly - Margaret bowed to a charm she did not entirely approve of - (p.209). She is not at all impressed by these acts of courtesy, which are performed almost mechanically and without thinking: the naming of the colleges is not even correct. The fact that the Fussells' vigorous politeness clearly stems from a sense of duty makes Margaret a little wary of his charms. Perhaps he suspects that whatever lies beyond unnatural pleasantries is not as dignified, something that is certainly true of the Wilcox men. They seem fixated on the idea of ​​domestic harmony, eating civilized breakfasts together while reading the Times, for example. This apparent "good form" is however unrelated to their actual personality, especially regarding Charles and his violent nature: Charles had just scolded Dolly. She deserved the rebuke, and had bowed before it, but her head, though bloody, was untamed - (p.186) The way in which Forster alerts the reader to the fact that Dolly has been physically attacked is cunningly subtle: the word 'bloody' is mentioned in a quiet sub-clause amidst a flurry of details, and the incident is not subsequently alluded to. This partial obscuration of the truth is perhaps itself a satirical look at the superficiality of the public school mentality, while the comment that Dolly “deserved the scolding” is surely a sarcastic illumination of the way in which vulgar behavior can be excused or blindly overlooked for the sake of “good form.”remain prevalent. Ronny Heaslop's superior behavior towards Aziz in A Passage to India shows similar concerns with outward appearance. When he talks to Mrs. Moore, he smugly mentions that Aziz was exquisitely dressed, from the tie clip to the spats, but he had forgotten about the back.studded collar, and there's the Indian all over it: inattention to detail; the fundamental weakness that running reveals. (p.97) Ronny exploits a simple cosmetic flaw to make a disparaging generalization about the Indian race. The fact that the reader is told that Aziz kindly lent his button to Fielding is a prime example of Forster's clever use of irony: Ronny criticizes Aziz for inattention to detail while he himself is inattentive to logical reason so Aziz doesn't have his collar button. . Forster rather cruelly exploits Ronny's ignorance on the subject to intensify the unsympathetic light in which the reader sees him, and so criticism of Ronny's superficial values ​​is actively encouraged. Forster does not suggest that he is inherently corrupt, however, and Mrs Moore's observation of his callous behavior and the 'smug cadence' of his words, is very telling: how did he come to terms with the fact that he was not in India for behave in a pleasant way, and from there he gained positive satisfaction! It reminded her of her public school days. The traces of the young man's humanitarianism were gone and he spoke like an intelligent and embittered boy. (p.70) This is certainly a powerful critique of the damaging effects of a public school education on a potentially noble young boy, suggesting that he has been encouraged to act in an unpleasantly excessive and self-confident manner. Forster also suggests that – perhaps as a direct consequence of this – the English middle classes do not feel obliged, much less pressured, to act civilly towards foreigners, even when living in these people's native country. The claustrophobic Chandrapore Club, in which “Indians are not allowed, even as guests” (p.45), he recalls a boarding school, with its strict policy towards visitors and the way it coldly isolates itself from outside influences. Likewise, the Bridge Party farce has strong undertones of the compulsory school games, which Forster alludes to in the opening quote. The Collector, despite trying to evoke a pleasant atmosphere, "knew something to the discredit of almost all his guests, and was consequently superficial": here he can be seen as a supervising teacher figure of whom all the pupils are afraid. . Indeed, Aziz fears the worst by missing the party, believing that "he would be fired because he didn't show up" (p.78). The distinct lack of fun associated with the party, resulting from the fact that no one (except Adela and Mrs. Moore) wants to be there, is characteristic of the effects of public school rituals. In the novel it seems that most Englishmen are uninterested in showing true "good form" when directed at Indians, suggesting that Englishmen will only make an effort to be kind to those whose opinion they are interested in. This hateful attitude, personified in Ronny and most of the English women in A Passage to India, clearly has a negative impact on Indians. Towards the beginning of the novel, Aziz behaves admirably when Mrs Callendar and Mrs Lesley take his tonga: Aziz raised his hat. The first [lady], who was in evening dress, looked at the Indian and turned instinctively. 'Mrs. Lesley, it's a tonga," he shouted. "Ours?" - asked the second one, also seeing Aziz, and doing the same - they both jumped - "Go, I'll pay you tomorrow", said Aziz to the driver, andas they walked away he called politely, "You are welcome, ladies." They didn't answer, full of their own business." (p.39) The women's abominable behavior only serves to underline Aziz's courtesy: he values ​​polite behavior over asserting his own sense of self-respect. Interestingly, it seems that the stereotypes of the two races are subverted in this passage: although the women are dressed in "evening dress", they behave in a fundamentally antisocial way by ignoring Aziz. He, in turn, displays typically 'English' charm, offering to pay for their fare and addressing them with a respect they do not deserve: the behavior of both parties evokes the 'prefect and faggot' system, in which the former has the right to be treated and treat others as he sees fit. The view that Indians are not worthy of the English is thus painted in a satirical light, while the incident with the Tonga is itself evidence of the flaws of this view. Aziz's laudable values ​​begin to change soon after this event, particularly when he is antagonized by Ronny. When the latter interrupts a party between Adela, Godbole and Aziz, he insists on addressing only the girl, and this time Aziz "does not want to be forgotten". Until Ronny's insolent arrival he behaved perfectly decorously, but now he becomes "offensively friendly". The reader is told that 'Aziz was defiant. Everything she said had an impertinent or off-key flavor - [Adela] was perplexed by the sudden ugliness (p. 93-4)'. This abrupt character transformation indicates that Aziz has become less accommodating and more focused on his rights and dignity: the arrogance to which he has been rigorously exposed has been detrimental to his altruism. One could therefore argue that this public school mentality has a dangerous ability to reproduce itself. Another negative consequence of the public school mentality is that it leads to undeveloped emotional capacity. This can be seen most clearly in the character of Henry Wilcox in Howards End, who "longed for camaraderie and affection, but feared them" (p. 168). He has been taught to repress his feelings and the prospect of dealing with them is too overwhelming for him to contemplate. Margaret eventually tries to offer support and understanding regarding her relationship with Jackie, for example, and his reaction is to try to free her from their engagement, insisting that "I can't bear to talk about these things." We'd better leave it' (p.241). This suggests that he would rather lose his girlfriend than face his conscience. Her refusal to let Helen stay in Howards End because of her affair with Leonard is mostly hypocritical, showing hidden guilt for her own crimes. Henry's collapse at the end of the novel is described as his "fortress [giving way]" (p. 325), and Forster is thus implying that extreme inhibition can be mentally harmful. Margaret is seen as a threat by Charles precisely because she connects with his emotions, something he is also incapable of doing. When he hits a cat, for example, he continues driving while Margaret feels the need to jump out and deal with the animal. Charles is frustrated by her impulsive behavior, complaining that "that woman means spite" (p.216). His inclination to forget the incident as soon as it occurs is undoubtedly a metaphor for his way of overlooking emotional problems, and so perhaps he is secretly jealous of Margaret's ability to come to terms with her feelings. Leonard Bast's character provides another contrast to this public school mentality: although he clumsily tries to adopt bourgeois ways (his obsession with the "umbrella" as.