A Room with a View

Social class is the foundation on which A Room with a View is built. Everything in the novel is dependent on the characters' understanding of social class, both in terms of what is expected of them and how they expect others to act. The friction between the expectations and reality of the class system drives the plot forward.

From the first chapter, the working-class Emersons transgress against the middle-class guests' expectations of how people of a certain social class should behave. Quickly, the middle-class guests agree with one another that the Emersons are "somewhat unfortunate" (12) and most certainly not their favored type of people. This rush to judgement reveals the hypocrisy and absurdity of the class system. Emerson's only crime is to offer Lucy exactly what she wants: a room with a view. The other guests are offended by his manner of speaking and astonished that anyone would make such an offer.

When Mr. Beebe resolves the issue and produces the exact same result, however, they congratulate him. Beebe knows the rules and etiquette of the middle class. Emerson's issue is one of impropriety, in that his working-class background has not equipped him with the tools for navigating these situations.