Mrs. Honeychurch Character Analysis in A Room with a View

Lucy’s mother, who adheres to traditional Victorian social norms and ideas about gender roles. (For example, she bristles at learning that Miss Lavish is a novelist, thinking that women shouldn’t be writers.) Mrs. Honeychurch is a kind and rather supportive mother, but doesn’t quite understand what is happening with Lucy when she breaks off her engagement to Cecil. At the end of the novel, she is angry with Lucy for eloping with George to Italy.

Mrs. Honeychurch Quotes in A Room with a View

The A Room with a View quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Honeychurch or refer to Mrs. Honeychurch. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Society, Manners, and Changing Social Norms Theme Icon

Beware of women altogether. Only let to a man. . . . Men don't gossip over tea-cups. If they get drunk, there's an end of them—they lie down comfortably and sleep it off. If they're vulgar, they somehow keep it to themselves. It doesn't spread so. Give me a man—of course, provided he's clean.

Related Characters: Mrs. Honeychurch (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 97

Explanation and Analysis:

But I cannot see why you didn't tell your friends about Cecil and be done with it. There all the time we had to sit fencing, and almost telling lies, and be seen through, too, I dare say, which is most unpleasant.

Related Characters: Mrs. Honeychurch (speaker), Lucy Honeychurch, Cecil Vyse

Page Number and Citation: 179

Explanation and Analysis:

Mrs. Honeychurch Character Timeline in A Room with a View

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Honeychurch appears in A Room with a View. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Lucy’s brother Freddy is examining a bone and reading an anatomy manual, while Lucy’s mother Mrs. Honeychurch is writing a letter in the drawing room. They are discussing Lucy and a man... (full context)

Mrs. Honeychurch is writing to Cecil’s mother—Mrs. Vyse, of the same family that Lucy visited in Rome—and... (full context)

...thought the marriage would be a good thing. Freddy answered honestly, saying no. This irritates Mrs. Honeychurch , who reminds Freddy of “all that has passed between them [Lucy and Cecil] in... (full context)

Freddy tries to discern what it is about Cecil that he dislikes, as Mrs. Honeychurch looks over her letter, in which she tells Mrs. Vyse that she would be pleased... (full context)

Cecil informs Mrs. Honeychurch (first in Italian, then in English) that Lucy has accepted his marriage proposal, and both... (full context)

Freddy and Mrs. Honeychurch enter, and both are excited about the engagement. The narrator quips that “an engagement is... (full context)

A few days after the engagement, Mrs. Honeychurch takes Lucy and Cecil to a garden party, to show off the “presentable man” her... (full context)

...that she knows two such women from Florence—the Miss Alans. Sir Harry loves this idea. Mrs. Honeychurch says she would rather have men live there than women, because men “don’t gossip over... (full context)

Lucy tries to ascertain if this is the same Emerson family from Florence, and Mrs. Honeychurch says that she hopes the new tenants are “the right sort of person.” She says... (full context)

...The queerest people!” He says that there was a rumor Mr. Emerson killed his wife. Mrs. Honeychurch comments that this makes two accused murderers in the Pension Bertolini, as there was also... (full context)

...the Emersons. Charlotte says that she is worried and warns Lucy that she should tell Mrs. Honeychurch about her history with George Emerson. (full context)

Suddenly, Mr. Beebe alerts George and Freddy that people are coming by. Mrs. Honeychurch , Cecil, and Lucy happen to be walking through the woods. They see the three... (full context)

Mrs. Honeychurch is not shocked, though, and tells the three to dry off before coming inside, so... (full context)

...star.” Cecil is bored with talking to Mrs. Butterworth, and behaves difficultly. Back at home, Mrs. Honeychurch comments on how rude Cecil can be to people around Windy Corner, where “nothing appears... (full context)

Lucy and Mrs. Honeychurch talk about the letter Lucy received from Charlotte. Mrs. Honeychurch asks about Charlotte’s boiler, which... (full context)

Lucy says that Charlotte mentioned Miss Lavish, a novelist, knowing that this will cause Mrs. Honeychurch to go on about female writers. Indeed, her mother speaks at length about how, “if... (full context)

...her. She admits that both she and Cecil don’t like Charlotte, and calls her “tiresome.” Mrs. Honeychurch chides them both for not taking pity on Charlotte, and says, “you are young, dears,... (full context)

The next Sunday, a very sunny day, Lucy, Mrs. Honeychurch , Charlotte, and Minnie Beebe are all preparing to go to church. George, Freddy, and... (full context)

...to church, Minnie doesn’t want to go, wondering why she can’t stay with the men. Mrs. Honeychurch speaks up in favor of church, and insists that Minnie come. After church, Mrs. Honeychurch... (full context)

...playing Mozart on the piano. He decides to let her be, and goes to find Mrs. Honeychurch at work in her garden with Minnie, Charlotte and a servant. He goes inside and... (full context)

...“place her out of danger.” He and Charlotte go back to Windy Corner and convince Mrs. Honeychurch to let Lucy go to Greece with the Alans. Mr. Beebe then sees Lucy playing... (full context)

Mrs. Honeychurch goes to Lucy and tells her that she will allow her to go to Greece.... (full context)

Mrs. Honeychurch and Lucy go to visit the Alans in London, in preparation for the Greece trip.... (full context)

Mrs. Honeychurch is sad that Lucy is leaving Freddy and her for the Alans, and comments that... (full context)

...on. They learn from a servant that the Emersons have moved out. As Lucy and Mrs. Honeychurch go to the church to get Charlotte, Lucy thinks of what a wasted effort the... (full context)

...to stay for a service, so Lucy waits in Mr. Beebe’s study while Charlotte and Mrs. Honeychurch go into the church. There, Lucy is surprised to find Mr. Emerson, who immediately apologizes... (full context)