Margaret Schlegel who is the main fictional character in this novel is an honest, trustworthy and a genuine woman. Being the oldest of all the Schlegel's, it is her role "Howard's End" to take care of her siblings Helen and Tibby, due to the passing of their mother and father. Margaret is an efficient and practical character in this novel, this meaning that she has the ability to know what type of situations she is in whether it is being around two different social classes, or just having the ability to have a genuine interest in another character's life in order to enhance or bolster their relationship. A certain toughness of character or strong-mindedness is a key trait that this essay will discuss, especially in Margaret Schlegel's view. First glance of Margaret is when she tries to make friends with Mrs. Wilcox, at first Margaret is unsure whether she can develop this friendship due to the awkward break up of Paul Wilcox and Helen Schlegel. Margaret's moral imagination begins to think that there is no chance of having a relationship with Mrs. Wilcox due to the awkward situation, as she writes in her letter she believes their friendship can no longer continue. Forster shows how Margaret's mind works. "Her mind darted from impulse to impulse, and finally marshalled them all in review. The practical person, who knows what he wants at once, and generally knows nothing else, will excuse her of indecision. But this was the way her mind worked"" (Page 71, Forster). This psychonarration used by Forster lets the reader understand what is going on in Margaret's head. Her reasoning and emotions are kept internal, while she does portrays her ideas in her letter to Mrs. Wilcox. Her true desires are not shown here. She wants to find a balance for their relationship, while not trying to hurt anyone in the process. This is a key trait to her character throughout this novel, trying to find a successful path that will benefit her personally, but more importantly due to her kind hearted character, she wants a successful path and relationship between all characters.
