Galsworthy’s style undoubtedly reflects his approach to the characters, and thus - to general problems of man in society. Galsworthy takes sides, yet shows mercy to both sets of sinners. He attacks a Forsyte as a social being, yet shows compassion and often a great deal of respect for the human being.
The second part gives us a description of Soames's actions after his coming home. Here we can see explanations of his wife why she is leaving him and perhaps, giving at least a slight hope for her coming back. There are many key words and phrases such as: "…he went into the dining-room, her room was dark and cold, a great illumination with candles, pacing up and down, searching for some message, some reason, some reading, drawer after drawer was untouched, perhaps...it was only a freak, it was her duty as a wife, she did belong to him, she was evidently not quite right in her head, the jewel box had the key in it.” Soames is full of different kinds of emotions. On the one hand he loves and understands his wife completely but on the other Irene is a part of his property. We can see how Mr. Soames values his property (painting, home, etc). He likes the beauty of his paintings and home but just as inanimate things. Even he also expects that his wife is like his property too, that should be taken care as a property not as human who has feelings and emotions. All Soames’s principles are destroyed. And physical and spiritual riches become more necessary than just money or jewels. Maybe in the inmost recesses of his heart Soames understood that it was wrong. But being a man of property, a strong and reasonable husband he wouldn't listen to his inner voice saying things controversial to the sense of all his material things.
(By Tanya)
Let’s consider now Book 2 of "The Man of Property”. In this book the plot development is not rapid as well. All the action is focused on one conflict, so to say, a love square. Soames and Irene are living together, June and Bosinney have just been engaged. But Irene and Bosinney are dating with each other. June is worried about it a lot. She can’t simply bear it.
As we see, Soames, Irene, June and Bosinney are four major characters of this part of "The Forsyte Saga”. Let’s analyze their relations couple by couple, beginning with Soames and Irene.
Soames and Irene are an unlucky couple. He loves her greatly, but she rejects him. That’s why Soames is trying to dominate, to "enslave” her. Such actions cause quite an opposite effect. Irene is unwilling to adjust, to bend. And what does she do? She betrays Soames and starts new relationships with Bosinney.
Irene and Bosinney will be the next couple to discuss then. These are the only two characters in "The Forsyte Saga” who do not belong to the Forsyte family. They are different from them. That’s why it seems quite natural that they finally meet each other and recognize similar, close souls.
Bosinney and June.They have just been engaged. But nevertheless Bosinney prefers Irene to June. June is a young and nice girl. She hasn’t done him any harm. And when she understands what is going on, she can’t behave naturally. She is depressed. But unlike Irene and Soames, their relations at least seem to be normal.
Irene and June. Not much is said about their relations, but still there is an episode of June’s coming to Irene and talking to her about the existing situation. These were extreme measures, but even they didn’t help. And at the end of the Book Irene leaves Soames for Bosinney, leaving both Forsytes unhappy.
And now the last pair of characters to analyze: Soames and Bosinney. Their relations are developing as well. They don’t influence the plot-line greatly but I suppose they will play their role later. What are these relations based on? On money, of course! Everything, where the Forsytes are involved, is based on money. What’s the problem then? Bosinney is an architect. He is building and decorating a house for Soames. But he wants to have "a free hand”. And it does not appeal to Soames. Soames does not want to let him spend an extra penny. They keep writing each other letters, which are endowed by Galsworthy with irony. He is mooching at Soames. "If you think that in such a delicate matter as decoration I can bind myself to the extra pound, I am afraid you are mistaken. I can see that you are tired of the arrangement, and of me, and I had better, therefore, resign”. And the answer of Soames then: "I did not mean to say that it should exceed the sum named in my letter to you by ten or twenty or even fifty pounds there would be any difficulty between us”. Really, Soames sound so funny! Soames wants to have everything: love, money, excellent property,… But he does not want to sacrifice anything. Even for the sake of prosperity.
So, these are major conflicts taking place in Book 2 in brief. As I have already mentioned, there is one main conflict in this book, but the others still add to it. Or, maybe, we’d better say that that there are many minor conflicts that make up a major one.
This is all I wanted to tell you about Book 2 of "The Forsyte Saga”.
(By Asya)
In the second part the author continuous telling us about the Forsyte family. Soames invests all his money into building a new house for Irene. He loves his wife very much though, but he tries to minimize the expenses. Bosinney who is now controlling the building of this house does not pay attention to Soames’s requests, argumentating it in a way that several more pounds will not change his material state at all. Finally Soames learns that Irene cheats on him with Bosinney and that breaks his heart because Irene is everything for him and even a slight thought that he can remain without her makes him feel very depressed and frustrated.
There is one more person who suffers from an unhappy love affair. And this person is young June who has just been engaged to Bosinney. She realizes that Irene is a woman who has just broken her life and future forever; but still she prefers not to tell her anything about it now.
"I believe you are made of stone...”
In the first chapter it seemed that there is something between Irene and Phillip Bosinney, and in the chapter II our suppositions came true. From the very beginning of this chapter (June and Phillip visited Soames and Irene) we see that Irene and Phillip had some feelings to each other each other, and they already didn’t conceal them. And when June and Phillip were in the theatre she after all understood that he was not her property more. Soames realized it too, but he didn’t intend to part with his property – Irene. At first he tried to be polite and kind with Bosinney, she thought, that if Irene he would behave that way, Irene would become softer with him, he would break the ice of their relations. But unfortunately it didn’t work. I think that if Irene changed her attitude towards Soames, he would close his eyes to her adultery. She loved her, and all he wanted to be with her: to live under one roof and to tell her about his work in the evening. His demands were not high. But she fall in love and lost a common sense, she was too pure and sensitive to live with unloved husband. Soames understood it, but didn’t reconcile himself to the situation. So he was doomed to change his strategy. He started a correspondence with Bosinney in order to send him a firm signal that he could hold his own. And it of course hurt Irene’s feeling.
The theme of relation between Soames and Irene runs through the whole chapter and concerns every member of the family. At the Zoo old Jolyon told the story to his son, and young Jolyon remembered his love with his second wife, his sufferings and expectations. At Timothy’s the atmosphere is hot, we feel that the scandal is unavoidable, a Forsyte is undermined and there is no return way. There is a funny description of what was going on there: when Swithin and old Jolyon left the house, those 6 people who remained sat silent and "each one of them knew for a fact that he or she never talked scandal, each one of them also knew that the other six did; all were therefore angry and at a loss”. I don’t want to say that someone wanted to do harm to the other, no. They tried to avoid the Theme and to smooth the problem, but they were just people! If there was something to discuss, they would do it.
That’s why, I think, Winifred and her husband Montague Dartie invited Irene and Bossiney "to make up a little party and drive down to Richmond”. Winifred thought that she did it in order to dispel Family’s fears, but I think that curiosity prevailed. Maybe Mrs. Dartie was really guided by good intentions, but in fact it led to truth that hurts.
Soames understood that he might lose but he decided "to play the part of the serene and trusting husband”. He invited Bossiney for dinner and behaved as if everything was all right, as every Forsyte would do.
It seems to me that every member of the family have its own play in the script made by rules of behaviour and laws of society, and they couldn’t change anything if they want to belong to this very community. And sometimes they really find love and support there. We see a number of families that look and are happy. In conclusion I want to say that to be a man of property doesn’t mean to be unhappy. I don’t think that Soames is cruel and rude, he just want to be loved by Irene.
(by Ayayulia)
The second section of the book mainly focuses on relationships between, Irene, Soames, Bosinney and June. The thing is that the young architect, Bosinney falls in love with Soames’ beautiful wife Irene, and naturally there is no way out to conceal his feelings, so he begins relationships with her. Irene feels return affection and their affair is developing secretly from everybody. But everything has its end and finally their relationships are revealed. Soames at firsts suspects his wife in adultery, but he has no proves. Finally he finds out everything, and he’s in rage actually, as well as June, the bride of Bosinney. He feels not very well about all this, but she’s not as upset as Soames. Still she comes to Irene and tries to regulate the conflict.
It seems natural that Soames is the last to learn about Bosinney. All the family obviously knew about it, but all were just watching in order to feel the intrigue in there. The focus on the relationships between Bosinney and Irene is made in order to reveal Irene’s and Soames character. We see how much she hated Soames, and how she betrayed him. We can’t justify her marriage with him, because it was her own decision – she has other ways out. The first time she had a chance to fall in love – and she did it. And Soames looks really miserable trying to reconcile with an ocean of feelings tormenting his soul bringing pain that he can hardly stand. We read the story of how they met, and slowly understand that this marriage was caused by hopelessness of Irene and passion of Soames. Its fate was predetermined beforehand probably. I can’t say that some of them are not right, but the fact is that this is their fate that they should follow. Actually their fate is all the following events that happen in consequence of this drama.
by 8davids8
In the second part of the book the majority of events touch upon Soames, his wife Irene, Bossiney and the house at Robin Hill. Bossiney, who had been hired to rule the project at Robin Hill exceeds the estimate, and spends far more money than Soams had
"The advantages of the stable home are visible, tangible, so many pieces of property; there is no risk in the status quo. To break up a home is at best a dangerous experiment, and selfish into the bargain”.
All the apprehensions that were gradually foregrounded in the first part of the novel are taking shape of the real dangers threatening the peaceful and hasteless life of the Forsytes. Those entangled relationships between Soames and his wife become exhausted and worn out. Her visible affection towards Philip Bosinney puts the whole family into a flutter. This gives rise to countless talks and equivocal gossip about the real state of Soames’ marital affairs. It seems everyone finds a bit of gamy pleasure in discussing close friendship of the married woman to the penniless architect whose prodigality in the matters of building a house for the couple is maddening Soames.
The whole set of events described in the second part is nurturing the general atmosphere of the book – helplessness and decay. Even the high and mighties are not able to alter the course of events, to charge and refresh relationships. Soames understands his ‘sense of property’ is mortally wounded as his wife is no more his possession. He cannot reconcile himself to this but he has no plan to gain his wife back. He behaves like an animal at bay, his feelings hurt, but his mind still aware of the outcomes. "It would be unbearable to contemplate the necessity of making his marital relations public property”. Soames is bothered both by piqued ambitions and the thought of being ridiculed. But he still refuses to believe that his wife has enough courage to turn herself adrift in the world. "And suddenly <…> he reflected that Irene had no money either. They [Irene and Bosinney] were both beggars. This gave him a strange satisfaction”. It is in the Forsyte’s nature to judge the situation by its material superventions; but Irene is different and even she can be justified. She has not a slightest intention to go on like this any more – she does not love her husband (and has never loved him, by the way) and realizes her life is not worth keeping his company.
What strikes the eye most of all when reading the novel is that it contains no lightness. The sense of the clouds piling up above the characters does not leave the reader. But it is not a storm yet. Some details featuring the background of the events give a strong feeling of the imminent peril. "The sunlight still showered on the plane-trees, and in the breeze their gay broad leaves shone and swung in rhyme to a barrel organ at the corner. It was playing a waltz, an old waltz that was out of fashion, with a fateful rhythm in the notes; and it went on and on, though nothing indeed but leaves danced to the tune”. It might easily be assumed that this description bears a certain portion of joy in it; taken away for its context it does. But in fact it represents an explicit derision on the seeming stability of Soames’ family life. It fulfils the role of a warning to late to have been made.
(by MissJane)The second part of the book "The Man of Property” shows us the stratagem of the relationships in the Forsyte family. The relationships between Bossiney and Irene are developing. And this is one of the main plot-lines in the second Part. These very relationships straight or marginally influence the state of the whole family. The death of Aunt Ann has become only the first event in the sequence of troubles for the Forsytes.
