One of Forster's working titles for "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was "Rescue". Explore the theme of Rescue in the novel and assess how far you think it is the most important theme.
Forster uses the idea of Rescue as a continuous motif throughout the book. It returns with different connotations in different situations. For example, when Philip leaves to try and stop Lilia marrying an Italian. This is the first of two rescue parties and is a physical plan to rescue a character. However, Forster also uses the idea of rescue through the development of Caroline and Philip's character. Here "rescue" has connotations of conversion and being saved. These two characters develop an emotional maturity am d knowledge of self that allow them to belong to the category of the "saved". There are also failures associated with these attempts of rescue. Philip failed to prevent Lilia's marriage to the Italian and the rescue party that departed to save the baby failed.
In order to examine why the rescue parties, dispatched from England, failed in their original plan we should consider why these parties assumed the right to determine the characters that need rescuing and the right to rescue them. Mrs Herriton dispatched Philip "so Philip was received with the news that he must start in half an hour for Monteriano" Forster implies that it is Mrs Herriton's decision to send a rescue party rather than Philip choosing to go and save Lilia. As Mrs Herriton is Lilia's mother-in-law she has no real right to assume this responsibility. However she does so and her reason, as she claims is, "If Lilia marries him she insults the memory of Charles, she insults Irma, she insults us. Therefore I forbid her and if she disobeys we have done with her forever". This suggests that she is protecting the memory of her son. Her reprimand of Mrs Theobald, "using plain language about Lilia's conduct" hints that this is not the only reason she feels the right to undertake this responsibility.