How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"My dear," said the old man gently, "I think that you are repeating what you have heard older people say. You are pretending to be touchy; but you are not really. Stop being so tiresome, and tell me instead what part of the church you want to see. To take you to it will be a real pleasure" (2.29).
Mr. Emerson flatly (but “gently”) refuses to accept any of the “delicate” and politically correct nonsense that Lucy regurgitates. He sees that she’s just adopting the stance of other women (notably Charlotte) who behave properly – and he highlights the fact that this is totally unnatural for her.
Quote #5
This successful morning left no pleasant impressions on Lucy. She had been a little frightened, both by Miss Lavish and by Mr. Eager, she knew not why. And as they frightened her, she had, strangely enough, ceased to respect them. She doubted that Miss Lavish was a great artist. She doubted that Mr. Eager was as full of spirituality and culture as she had been led to suppose. They were tried by some new test, and they were found wanting (5.27).
This “new test” is one that transcends social roles or ranks. After her confrontation with death (the murder), Lucy begins to see that people cannot simply be defined by their accepted roles in society.
Quote #6
The Honeychurches were a worthy family, but he began to realize that Lucy was of another clay; and perhaps—he did not put it very definitely—he ought to introduce her into more congenial circles as soon as possible (8.27).
What Cecil really means here is that he wants to remove Lucy from the “worthy” but unsatisfactory class the Honeychurches inhabit (that of the well-to-do bourgeois), and absorb her into the slightly more well-to-do, cosmopolitan social circle that his family belongs to. He likes to think of himself as open-minded (hah!), so he attempts to frame this situation in less class-based and snobby terms.