Week 4 Assignment

 On page 34 of A Room with a View, Mr. Beebe exclaims: "If Miss Honeychurch ever takes to live as she plays, it will be very exciting - both for us and for her."  How may we interpret this statement about Lucy's piano playing as a metaphor for the dichotomy between tourists and travelers?  What does it suggest about Lucy's potential to develop personal autonomy?

When Mr. Beebe exclaimed "If Miss Honeychurch ever takes to live as she plays, it will be very exciting - both for us and for her"(34), he meant that Lucy's piano playing is representing a different side of Lucy. The Lucy playing the piano is more like a traveler, while the Lucy in daily life represents a tourist. When Lucy is playing the piano, "she was then no longer either deferential or patronizing; no longer either a rebel or a slave"(32). Similar to a traveler, she does not judge people and sights by their reputation or their significance. Instead she views things with an open mind, always ready to accept a new sensation. Furthermore, Lucy claims that she likes her own playing “better than any one’s”(34). Again she resembles a traveler who prefers his or hers own discoveries along a journey over well-known tourist attractions. A traveler may think that a coffee shop he or her stumbled upon in France is more interesting than the Eiffel Tower, even though the Eiffel Tower is more grand and famous.