A Room with a View

第十四章 : How Lucy Faced the External Situation Bravely

Lucy Honeychurch confronts the aftermath of her encounter with George Emerson in Florence, preparing to face both the social obligations and her own confused emotions as Miss Bartlett arrives for a visit. The chapter explores Lucy’s tendency to rationalize genuine feelings as mere nervousness, her complicated relationship with Cecil, and the various small dramas that unfold during Miss Bartlett’s somewhat chaotic visit to Summer Street.

Lucy’s Bravado and Nerves

Lucy approaches the external situation with apparent bravery, though she confines her attention only to matters within her immediate grasp, never examining herself deeply. She attributes any strange feelings or images that rise from within to simple nerves—a comfortable explanation that allows her to avoid confronting what might actually be happening in her heart. When Cecil first brought the Emersons to Summer Street, it unsettled her nerves; when Charlotte threatened to bring up past foolishness, that might upset her nerves too; she was nervous at night; and when she talked to George at the Rectory, his voice moved her deeply, making her wish to remain near him. She found all these sensations easily explained away as nervous responses. Cecil had once explained psychology to her during a wet afternoon, offering a framework that allowed all the troubles of youth in an unknown world to be dismissed with a single word. The reader can easily perceive that Lucy loves young Emerson, but Lucy herself remains blind to what would be obvious to anyone in her position. Life proves easy to chronicle but bewildering to practice, and we all welcome “nerves” or any similar shibboleth that will cloak our personal desires. Lucy believes she loves Cecil and that George makes her nervous—the truth is precisely the opposite, though no one has explained this reversal to her yet.