Paper 1

Sam Leidholt

Literary Visions of Florence

Italy and Self-Development

February 18, 2013

Changes in Florence

            Florence: more than just a breathtaking city in the most beautiful area of Italy. As we have been learning, Florence has long been viewed as an area of escape. Hundreds of years ago, Europeans and wealthy Americans fled to Florence in an attempt to leave behind and forget the less than desirable conditions that had arisen in their home countries. Money issues, relationship problems, work place difficulties, or family troubles were often times the reason for the Italian journey, although not the sole reasons behind it as many people’s voyages were for their own reasons. Whether these situations were self-inflicted or not, Florence was the answer. Not necessarily always the best solution, but coming to Florence helped the refugees find comfort.

            A Room with a View, however, demonstrates Florence’s use as an educational excursion and, in part, merely as a vacation. What Lucy was unaware of, however, were the changes taking place in her views of life. She realized she no longer had a desire to belong to the upper class in Britain’s much defined social class way of life. Through her realization, she even came to denounce it as part of her upbringing by completely cutting herself off from her family ties. Interestingly enough, the book also proved that those who held their social classes near and dear to their hearts were affected by the freedom Florence provides, though not as significantly as Lucy. One example of this is when Miss Bartlett, very sneakily and in a way to draw no attention to herself, aided Lucy’s escape from her family by not reporting to Lucy’s mother her knowledge of Lucy’s intention of running off. However small an act, this speaks volumes of Florence’s power. It shows that people, some as concretely set in their horrific ways as Miss Bartlett, can see the world differently in Florence. Miss Bartlett played an incredibly vital role in the life of Lucy’s mother. She knew that if she left then Mrs. Honeychurch’s life would turn very chaotic because of all that Miss Bartlett did for the family. As much as she may have wanted to leave, especially after her personal changes in Florence, she would never do that to the woman who had taken her in and been so kind to her. While she knew she couldn’t escape the upper class society herself, her actions were vital in Lucy and her new lover’s ending up together.

            That being said, the freedom of Florence can also have a negative effect on its temporary inhabitants. As in The Portrait of a Lady, the main character completely loses her independence. Isabel finds love, or so she thinks, and completely abandons the desirable character traits she left America with in order to remain with Gilbert. The reading shows that while the romantic and eye opening parts of Italy are life changing; their effects can be either negative or positive. Sadly, in this case, the modifications in Isabel’s life are anything but positive as they were in A Room with a View. The life loving, free, and independent person that Isabel comes to Florence as transforms into a restrained, quiet, introvert only to be controlled by the man she fell in love with. The beauty of Florence ignited her love for Gilbert, but their move to Rome alters Isabel into the title of the novel – a “portrait” of a human being, not an actual human being. While this is a very negative change, one of Isabel’s main reasons for doing so is to protect Gilbert’s daughter from her controlling father. So, while we as readers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride and want to yell at Isabel for allowing Gilbert to be in control, we also feel sympathetic to Gilbert’s daughter as Isabel feels she must stay so that Pansy can become a free girl.

            In reading these novels at first, it seemed rather farfetched that such drastic alterations in the life of a human being could take place merely from being in a European city. Granted, the city is entirely different from anything these characters knew from their homelands, but why Florence? Why did those changes only seem to happen here? What’s different about Florence in comparison to Sienna? Or Rome? Or anywhere in the world, for that matter? I was a firm believer that this was implausible and something that only happened in books. Until, that is, I realized how differently my views of things back home were becoming. I don’t know if it’s just my brain thinking I need to because of all the change we’ve been reading about, or if it’s actually the freedom of Florence working me over. But I think they can be summed up into three categories: simplicity, school, and home.

            I came to Europe with four pair of pants, eight t-shirts, four sweaters, three hoodies, and two coats. In comparison to my closet at home, I’d say that’s less than 25% of what’s still hanging in my walk-in closet and folded in my dresser drawers. In comparison to what I know think I need, I’d say that’s about 50% too much. I know this is just clothes, but it’s a prime example of exactly what I’m talking about – “the American Dream” always involves more, bigger, and better. The European lifestyle shows, quite bluntly, just how stupid that is. I’ve also realized that how simple different situations with friends and family are when all I’ve been thinking about is how complicated I thought they were. It really just takes some time to step back, look at it and compare it to the big picture of life, and realize how unimportant the minor details that we all focus far too much on really are.

            School and home, while two different things, can fall under one change. Being here has made me realize what my dreams for my life really are and how best to achieve those dreams. While the University of Minnesota has proven to be nothing but fantastic for me in every aspect, I’ve realized that my dreams lie in my home state of South Dakota. That being said, I’ve also decided that once I return to America, I will not be returning to the University of Minnesota. I have, instead, decided that the University of South Dakota is my new home and will help lead me to the dreams I’ve also thought about for my life.

            While I’m not denouncing my childhood or losing my independence, I feel that these changes are pretty substantial in my life. Simply transferring schools has allowed for me to realize my true dreams, chase after them, and hopefully one day look back on this and realize how influential every minor detail has been. Not only has my view of Florence’s power been created, but my view on life also has improved all from my month long stay (so far) here in the beautiful city. So, is the city really a changing place? Or is it just the legacy that continues to change people? While we may never know, I can say it’s worked on me!