In class last week we discussed how Mrs. Wilcox is representative of Keynes’ “decision-maker” in “Howards End”. My experience reading the novel however had me thinking that Mrs. Munt could also be understood as a “decision-maker” among the Schlegels, albeit a much poorer one than Mrs. Wilcox.
Initially, Mrs. Munt essentially wrestles her way into her nieces’ and nephew’s life despite their repeated rejection of her. Mrs. Munt succeeds in her third attempt to enter into their lives, as she seems to have already decided she would, as “disaster was bound to come. How right she was, and how lucky to be on the spot when the disaster came” (13).
Mrs. Munt is ironically confident in her actions while simultaneously being repeatedly wrong or misinformed. Be it about Helen’s supposed engagement with Paul, or even with details as small as her accusing Charles of stating that he was his brother Paul, (18) Mrs. Munt acts with intent and confidence that she not ought necessarily do, as it never seems to resolve issues. This is emphasized when she is contrasted with Mrs. Wilcox as decision-maker for the first time. Mrs. Wilcox is equally confident in her delegating actions to Paul and Helen on the lawn, as Mrs. Munt is in her own belief in her ability to solve problems. However Mrs. Wilcox comes across much more at peace, drawing wisdom from her “ancestors,” (21) and succeeding in diffusing the tense situation. This may be seen as representative of how Keynes finds there are only certain people with the ability to properly run the government.
My question is then, why is Mrs. Wilcox represented as an efficient “decision-maker,” a member of the investment class, when Keynes’ point is partially that people of the upper-class are not necessarily well-fit to run the government? Mrs. Wilcox’s drawing wisdom from the past makes it seem less like she is an efficient leader because of her reasoning skills, but instead simply because of her family’s past.
Madison, I agree with your thoughts about seeing Mrs. Munt as a poor decision maker. Mrs. Munt appears to be very careful and calculated about making decisions, however makes many mistakes. When Margaret puts her money into “Foreign Things” after her father’s death, Mrs. Munt is horrified and suggests investing in “Home Rails” like her instead. However, it turns out that that Margaret’s “Foreign Things” do better than the “Home Rails”. Nevertheless, Mrs. Munt is always under the impression that her actions and decisions are correct and best for everyone. After Paul and Helen’s engagement breaks off, Mrs. Munt takes credit for it and imagines that she is the one who fixed everything.
When it comes to making decisions, Mrs. Munt prefers do so with caution. Before breaking off Helen’s engagement she says, “What is wanted is a person who will go slowly, slowly in this business, and see how things are and where they are likely to lead to”. Mrs. Munt likes to speculate and take calculated action. She treats marriage like a “business” instead of valuing relationships. But, even after all the speculation and careful thinking, Mrs. Munt still fails in her goals. Perhaps this is because she is always missing something and because things always seem to escape her eyes.
At some point, when Mrs. Munt is with Charles Wilcox, he gives “a slight look of surprise, which, like most slight looks, escaped Mrs. Munt’s attention”. When she travels by train, she “concentrate[s] on the end of her journey” instead of paying attention to her surroundings. When she hears about the Wilcoxes, she immediately jumps to conclusions about them. When Charles insults her family, she becomes very angry and reacts aggressively towards him.
Although it seems like Mrs. Munt is very thoughtful and observant, could it be that she is not careful enough?