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There is an underlying mystery in Howards End that I can not quite figure out.  This mystery appears to start when Mr. Wilcox, a supposed very wealthy man who has acquired a fair amount of real estate, asks Margaret, a woman with money but not enough to pay for her current house, to marry him.  Every since that moment in the book I have wondered what Mr. Wilcox’s intentions are.  At one point in the book, when Margaret is trying to discuss finances with her fiancé, Mr. Wilcox says “I assure you; you’re marrying a poor man” (Forster 188), after he has avoided her questions concerning how much money he makes.  In addition, the couple’s first kiss was also very intriguing.  Margaret had noticed that after their first kiss, Mr. Wilcox had “hurried away as if ashamed” (Forster 192).  This suggests that Mr. Wilcox had thought he was doing something wrong.  Perhaps it was about keeping the truth from his future wife about his financial circumstances? 

Andrea Zambetti