The actions of people speak for their character. Some approach life through the
senses and some approach it through spirit. Others adhere to convention and some
do not. Yet, any way one approaches life, every action one makes indicates
defining characteristics about who the person is as an individual. In A Room
With A View Mr. Eager and Mr. Emerson are quite opposite in the way they
approach situations. Therefore, they demonstrate their character by the things
they do and the words they say throughout the novel. When Mr. Eager attempts to
separate the “brother and sister” on the carriage, Mr. Emerson says the
following: “‘Leave them alone,’ Mr. Emerson begged the chaplain, of whom
he stood in no awe. ‘Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off
the box when it happens to sit there? To be driven by lovers—A king might envy
us, and if we part them it’s more like sacrilege than anything I know.’”
(Chapter 6) He does not want love to be interrupted under any circumstances. Mr.
Emerson does not understand why anyone would want to take away happiness, when
there is so little to go around. He even uses the term ‘sacrilege’ because
Mr. Eager is a priest and maybe that would be easier for him to understand. Mr.
Emerson’s view of life is: he sees things as being about happiness and love.
According to the standards of his time, he is flying in the face of convention.
When the two lovers are separated Mr. Eager proclaims, “Victory at last!”
But Mr. Emerson quickly retorts, “It is not victory. It is defeat. You have
parted two people who were happy.”(Chapter 6) According to the way that Mr.
Eager views life, two lovers hugging, touching and kissing is vulgar. But, Mr.
Emerson thinks that it is wonderful and that there should be more loving in
life. Nevertheless, Mr. Eager thinks that it is not proper conduct because he is
a priest and in his world, it is not appropriate to show affection in public.
Conversely, Mr. Emerson regards the behavior in the carriage as a beautiful and
natural part of life. In general, Mr. Eager looks down on mankind. He thinks
that on the average, man is ignorant and unconscious. “If you will not think
me rude, we residents sometimes pity you poor tourists not a little…living
herded together in pensions or hotels, quite unconscious of anything that is
outside Baedeker, their one anxiety to get ‘done’ or ‘through’ and go on
somewhere else.”(Chapter 6) This is a very negative stereotype of tourists. He
thinks that all tourists are uninformed and preoccupied. Mr. Eager’s view is
very odd because he is a priest and he is supposed to embrace all of mankind.
Italy is a large country and it contains many historic sites. Tourists will
often be fascinated and move quickly in order to see the entire country: another
example of how oblivious Mr. Eager’s view of life is. Mr. Emerson is
‘sleeping’ through all of Mr. Eager’s ramblings and generalizations. He
does not even dignify him with an argument on the matter because Mr. Emerson
knows that all people, including tourists, do not fit Mr. Eager’s description.
He knows that people, by nature, are curious and can be energetic, which,
according to Mr. Emerson, is a natural facet of human life. He believes that
people should have a passion for life. Even though the times have changed, there
are still distinct differences between liberals and conservatives. No matter
what people say about how times have changed, there are still opposing forces.
The world contains many different cultures and religions, each with different
views of “acceptable” behavior. Today, it would be rare that someone would
stop a carriage because two people where embracing in the front. This is because
today’s society has changed so much. But, one can understand both where Mr.
Eager and Mr. Emerson are coming from. As the world becomes smaller, educated
societies are becoming more tolerant of opposing ideas and beliefs.