A Room With A View - Marriage Is Not Freedom

 Women in the past did not have the choice to choose who they were to marry. Since they were young their parents chose who they were to marry and many times these men were a lot older than the women. Some of these women would learn to love their husband with time but many never did. They were seen as fit wives to procreate and maintain the household in order but not to have freedom, choice and vote. The also had no right for education and expressing their feelings openly. The role of the men was to provide for the wife and children but they had freedom to go out with their friends and be around and about with no one to question them.

In the movie “A Room With A View” Lucy Honeychurch was setup for marriage which she willingly and blindly accepted because it seemed a good choice since he was a wealthy man. She was in love with another man. She was in love with the man that stole her first kiss and saved her from an accident in Italy. Lucy’s family did not approve of George Emerson because he was not a man of money and did not seem to be aware of the upper class manners of the Victorian times. Despite this, Lucy was able to overcome her fear and broke her engagement with Cecil Vyse. She ran back to the arms of her new neighbor…Guess who? Yes, George. He had moved back to England with his father Mr. Emerson and to the same village Lucy lived in. This was of course after being convinced by Mr. Emerson and Mr. Beebe that what matters is what she felt in heart and not what people approved or disapproved of. After a hot sex session with her truly beloved one they both realized they were where they wanted to be regardless what anybody thought. Like many English men in the Edwardian era, George died at what seems to be World War I, which started in the 1914, leaving behind a broken hearted Lucy.

The movie takes place in the transition from the Victorian Era to the Edwardian Era, an era characterized by peace and economic prosperity. Not until the late 20th century did women obtain the right to omit the promise of wedding vows. Marriage for women was a lifetime commitment. Very rarely were women allowed to have a divorce and even until 1891 if a woman attempted to escape from an unhappy marriage, she could be captured and punished by the law. This is to say that Lucy’s actions were indeed risky ones and she was lucky to have ended her engagement before getting married. Once she had been married, there was no going back.

Many women in the 21^st century have not yet realized how broad their opportunity to triumph in life is, because of the degree of freedom we now have and the rights to assume and develop our own identity through education, commitment and vote. While this is mostly true for women in America and most Europe and Asia, there are still countries that are underdeveloped and lack the opportunity America and Europe can give to women. There are also few religions where women do not have the right to education, choose who to marry and even what to wear. These are the women we have to fight for.

How powerful do you think the world would be if women kept away from education by economics and religious means were given the opportunity to study and work?

Comment down below! J

                                                                                     A Room With A View Trailer!