In Howards End by E.M. Forster, the contrast between the two Schlegel sisters is central to the development of the novel. The story is very much a matter of character development and revelation, and Forster has strong feelings about his characters which can be discerned in the way he treats them and in the degree of attention he gives to each of them. Helen is presented in a way that shows a complex attitude on the part of the author, and attitude reflected in the relationship between the sisters and in the way each responds to the situations as they develop.
While the two sisters are contrasted to a degree, they also have numerous similarities. Forster contrasts the Schlegels with the Wilcoxes. Helen and Margaret's mother is a British woman who comes from a family with money and their father a German idealist from whom they have inherited a certain attitude toward the world. Because of him, they have passionate beliefs about art, human relations, and the intellectual life. The Wilcoxes are capitalists with a passion for motor cars and other things that can be purchased rather than intellectual pursuits. The Schlegels and the Wilcoxes have more than one encounter, with differing consequences, and Margaret and Helen react differently to these encounters.
Helen is introduced first in the novel through the letters she is writing to her sister, and the author thus first takes us into the consciousness of this young lady directly. She is the younger of the two sisters by eight years, and Margaret clearly has a somewhat maternal attitude toward the younger girl. When she hears of the love developing between her sister and Paul, she becomes alarmed and seeks to intervene as a mother might, to see if the match is worthy and if Helen is making an error or not. She cannot go herself and sends Aunt Juley, but by the time Aunt Juley arrives, Paul and Helen have separated. Helen has reacted against her perception of the Wilcoxes ...