The man of the property Soams The Man of Property is very interesting novel. It gives us the description about the society in nineteenth century which most of the people in polite society had to own things. This story focuses on Forstye family. The strong interest to this novel is about the character of Soames Forstye who called as ‘The Man of Property’. It stimulates the writer to explore further about the psychological aspect of Soames Forstye. The aim of study are first, to know and describe what is The Man of Property like and second, to know and describe why Old Jolyon chose to Soames as ‘The man of Property”.
In completing this scientific research paper, the writer uses the library research, reads the novel “The Man of Property”, dictionaries, collects from theinternet and books that have connetion with the subject, analyze data, and make a conclusion. By reading this novel the writer loves the story and interested in character “Soames Forstye”. Soames Forstye as ‘The Man of Property’ has big desire to own all beautiful things. Soames Forstye is an ambitious, selfish, clever, and careful man.That is a reason why Old Jolyon chose him as “The Man of Property’. Therefore, in this scientific research paper, the writer seeks more deeply about “Soames Forstye” from psychological approach.
Soames Forsyte was modelled after Arthur Galsworthy, the writer's cousin. Soames is married to beautiful and rebellious Irene. The incident, when Soames rapes his wife, was supposedly based on Ada Galsworthy's experience with her former husband Arthur. Soames, a second-generation Forsyte, is therefore showing his status by building property.
Soames’ uncle Jolyon says at one point, “I don’t know what Soames is about … to make a fuss over a few hundred pounds. I thought he was a man of property. ” (page 258). Thus, being a man of property is a status symbol to that generation. To Soames’s surprise, his wife and others in his generation don’t seem to grasp the impact of this status; the times are changing and he’s not certain what is significant anymore. But it soon became apparent to me that there was another, more significant way that Soames was a “man of property”: “property” refers to Soames’s wife, Irene.
Irene has expressed her dislike of him and desires to leave the relationship. The older generation Forsytes urge Soames to beat his wife into submission, to take the locks off of her doors, and to force her to submit to him and be a “proper” wife. Yet Soames is a man torn between two generations. He cannot do so: he loves his wife and does not want to hurt her. And yet, he still holds to some of the ideals of the old generation and considers his own “status” before that of his poor wife, who loathes him. Ironically, Soames is only one “man of property.
Another of the second-generation, young Jolyon, has been cut off from the Forsyte family for “breaking up” his own marriage fifteen years earlier. When he re-enters the family arena, he likewise adds to the modern generations’ views, for he can understand a spouse being unhappy in the marriage and seeking freedom. He’s the opposite of Soames in that he cannot understand much, if any, of the import of “property” and why it should be praised. He has the best grasp of the situation, as his thoughts show when he visits the zoo with his father.The young Forsytes Young Jolyon, Old Jolyon's artistic and free-thinking son, married three times Soames, James and Emily's son, an intense, unimaginative and possessive solicitor, married to the unhappy Irene, who later marries Young Jolyon Winifred, Soames's sister, one of the three daughters of James and Emily, married to the foppish and lethargic Montague Dartie George, Roger's son, a dyed-in-the-wool mocker Francie, George's sister and Roger's daughter, emancipated from God
