Where Angels Fear to Tread Summary

Where Angels Fear to Tread is a novel by British writer E.M. Forster, published in 1905. It deals with themes like social class, love, and cultural differences, much like his later novels A Room with a View (1908) and A Passage to India (1924). The story centers around a young widow, Lilia Herriton, who tries to escape the narrow-mindedness and strict expectations of life in Edwardian England. She becomes romantically involved with an Italian man named Gino Carella, who comes from a lower-class background. However, Lilia's attempt to find freedom ends tragically when she realizes Gino married her for her money, and she cannot go back to her former life in England. After Lilia’s death, her English and Italian families fight for custody of her son, who was born to her and Gino. The title of the novel comes from a line in Alexander Pope's Essay on Criticism (1711), which says, "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

The novel begins with Lilia arriving at the train station in Sawston, England, a small town where she has been living with her late husband’s family: Mrs. Herriton and her children, Philip and Harriet. Mrs. Herriton thinks of Lilia as unsophisticated and not suitable to raise her daughter, Irma. She is especially upset that Lilia is growing close to a man who is not of her social class. The town of Sawston itself is full of people who value appearances above everything else, and it is a place where hypocrisy and repression dominate.

To avoid public shame, Mrs. Herriton decides to send Lilia to Italy. She hopes that in Italy, Lilia will be far away from her lover, and might also become more cultured. Meanwhile, Mrs. Herriton plans to raise Irma in Sawston. To ensure Lilia doesn't get into trouble, Mrs. Herriton appoints a young woman named Miss Caroline Abbot to travel with her as a chaperone. Miss Abbot is younger than Lilia, but Mrs. Herriton believes she can be trusted.

Lilia, feeling trapped by the rules of Sawston and the difficulties of raising her daughter, agrees to this plan and travels to Italy. In Italy, Lilia feels free and alive, especially in the small town of Monteriano, where she is enchanted by the passionate, free-spirited Italian way of life. However, Forster gives us a hint that Lilia may be overlooking the differences in Italian customs, and that she might not fully understand what she is getting herself into.

Lilia falls in love with Gino Carella, a handsome, charming Italian man. However, Gino is not as sincere as he appears. While Lilia is in love with him, the reader can see that Gino is mostly interested in her because of her money and status.

Back in England, Mrs. Herriton hears from Lilia's mother that Lilia has married a noble Italian man. Suspecting this is not true, Mrs. Herriton sends Philip to find out the truth. Philip learns from Miss Abbot that Gino is actually the son of a local dentist, and the Herritons consider him no better than a peasant. Philip is shocked, and he takes Lilia back to England. The Herritons refuse to have anything to do with Lilia, but they keep Irma because she carries the Herriton name and must not be allowed to bring shame to it.

Lilia, now pregnant with Gino’s child, dies during childbirth. After her death, the Herritons and Gino argue over custody of the baby. Mrs. Herriton sends Philip and Harriet to Italy to bring Lilia’s son back to England. When they arrive in Italy, they meet Caroline and explain their mission. Caroline agrees to help, but privately she fears that Mrs. Herriton cares only about her family’s reputation and not about the well-being of the child.

Philip and Harriet try to convince Gino to give up the child, but Gino refuses. Caroline, although she helps, is conflicted. Eventually, Harriet kidnaps the baby and attempts to escape with him, but their carriage overturns on a steep road, and the baby dies.

Gino is devastated and furious, and he confronts Philip. Philip feels deep remorse for the situation. Caroline, who has been uncertain about the whole affair, steps in to calm things down.

Caroline and Philip return to England. During their journey, Philip plans to tell Caroline that he loves her, but before he can, Caroline confesses that she has fallen in love with Gino instead.

Where Angels Fear to Tread explores themes like the clash between different cultures, social prejudices, and the tension between family loyalty and romantic desires. This was Forster’s first novel and helped establish him as an important writer in British literature. In 1991, the novel was made into a film, and it has also been turned into an opera, which was first performed professionally in 2015 at Opera San Jose.

Character Analysis

Lilia Herriton

Lilia is a widow, stuck in England with her late husband's family and feeling miserable. When her friend Caroline Abbott invites her to travel to Italy, Lilia is excited for the change. While there, she meets a man named Gino Carella and gets pregnant. Unfortunately, things start to go wrong after that.

Philip Herriton

Philip isn't Lilia's late husband, but his brother. He's sent to Italy to bring Lilia back before she makes the mistake of marrying Gino. He arrives too late, but has to go back to Italy to bring Lilia's child home instead. While he's there, he falls in love with Caroline Abbott. But, just like everything else, things don’t go well after that.

Gino Carella

Gino is the man who marries Lilia, but then ends up taking Caroline away from Philip. He is poor and somewhat uncouth, and he doesn’t understand why British women are so interested in him. With a physique that could be compared to the marble statues of famous artists, he certainly has a striking appearance. After Lilia's death, he becomes fully dedicated to their son. However, just like the others, things don’t go as planned for him either.

Themes Analysis

Contradiction Between England and Italy

The story takes place in two countries that, while both powerful and magnificent, are different in their customs, traditions, and way of life: England and Italy. Sawston, a typical small English town, is described as “full of dust, good manners, and gossips.” Life there is unappealing and dull. People pretend to be virtuous, but they are more concerned with appearances than with doing the right thing, which is evident in the Herriton family. On the other hand, Italy is portrayed as a “museum of art” and “the land of beauty,” offering a pleasure to both the body and soul for anyone visiting. Yet, life in Italy isn’t as perfect as it may seem at first. The town of Monteriano, where Lilia moves, is beautiful in its landscapes and views, but the moral character of its inhabitants is questionable. This contrast between the cultural backgrounds of the two countries influences the people living in them, shaping their behaviors, manners, and attitudes toward life.

Life Inside the Box

Lilia couldn’t live in a metaphorical “box” that limited her choices. She had always been told what to do and how to behave in order to be part of the upper society. When she thought that marrying Gino would bring her freedom, she was fooling herself. Her family life was another box, albeit less beautiful and luxurious than the one she had before. Lilia’s desire for freedom was an illusion; she didn’t truly want it, because freedom comes with responsibility, and that wasn’t something she was interested in. In the end, she simply swapped one box for another, much like many people do today.

Marriage
Marriage is an important life decision and should be carefully considered. However, Lilia didn’t think this way when she married Gino after knowing him for just a few weeks. She didn’t think that a man should be mature and financially stable enough to provide for his family, and Gino didn’t either. He married Lilia when he was only 21 and as poor as could be. So, what did these two end up with? Naturally, nothing good. They ended up torturing each other and being unhappy. Passion alone is not enough for a happy marriage; it also requires responsibility, care, resources, and, of course, love.

Fatherhood
The theme of fatherhood is central to the story. While much is known about the connection between a mother and her child, the father’s role is often overlooked. This story presents a different view of fatherhood, where love and care are important, but not the deciding factors in raising a child. Gino longed to have a child, even though he was still a child himself. When Lilia told him she was pregnant, he naively suggested that he could be like a brother to his son. He was so proud of having a child that he didn’t even notice Lilia’s death. To him, the child became the most important thing, as he was the continuation of his family. When the child died, Gino felt as though a part of himself had gone. Strangely, he wanted to try again to have a baby, not because of love or devotion, but because he believed that the things that once made him happy would make him happy again. It wasn’t about emotions or love; it was more about satisfaction and enjoyment.

Society and the Individual

Society often dictates the life of the individual, imposing rules and values that must be followed. Those who challenge society’s norms risk being rejected. Lilia tried to rebel against British society, but she couldn’t withstand the strict and unforgiving nature of Italian society. The Italians didn’t care what others thought of them, unlike the British. But they were passionate, headstrong, and hard to manipulate. Italy is a traditional patriarchal society, where the husband is the head of the family and the wife must obey him. Lilia found herself out of place in both societies. She couldn’t be happy in England, and she wasn’t happy in Italy either. Her struggle against society’s norms was in vain, because society is a difficult force to overcome.