All of Forster's novels have a habit of terse, compact social criticism, in which a single story becomes symbolic of wider conditions (Rose: p79) To answer the question "who will inherit England?" he explores the lives of three different groups of people, each of which are symbolic of a particular social class: the literary, cultural Schlegal family, who represent the idealistic and intellectual aspect of the upper classes; the materialistic, pragmatic Wilcox family, who represent the "solid" English work ethic and conventional social morality; and the impoverished Bast family, headed by a lower-middle-class insurance clerk who desperately hopes books will save him from social and economic desolation
(Forster: End) Helen Schlegal and Paul Wilcox have a romantic interlude while Helen is visiting the Wilcox's home, Howard's End. This has the potential to connect the two aspects of the upper class, marrying the Schlegal intellectualism and idealism to the pragmatism and focus of the Wilcoxes. (Kelvin: 103) The relationship fell apart before it could even begin (Forster: End) and Forster made it clear that the ocean separating his two symbolic archetypes is a very deep and wide one (Kelvin: 103). The ending of Howard's End is filled with symbolism. Leonard Bast kills himself when a bookcase topples on top of him that causes a heart attack (Forster: End), symbolizing his terrible obsession with educating himself and his failure to pull himself from the abyss of poverty with books. In a way, books ruin him as a human being before they smother him and cause his heart attack. (Kelvin: 106) Charles is convicted of manslaughter for the death of Leonard Bast (Forster: End) which indicates the eroding authority of the upper classes: no matter how conventional and "solid" his acts, he cannot kill a man with impurity and get away with it (Kelvin: 107). The question "Who will inherit England?" is answered by Henry's decision about who will inherit Howard's End itself.
