Abstract: While focusing on social and political implications， the current studies on E. M. Forster's Howards End pay little attention to the relationship between human and thing “Howards End” connotes. With the advance of urbanization in the early twentieth century， private renting became the dominant mode of housing consumption in London and people were not as connected with their houses as before. Recounting how the Wilcoxes， Leonard Bast and the Schlegels relate themselves to their houses， Howards End presents the characters' understanding of “home” and their different interpersonal relationships and therefore discloses the complexity of home imagination in the context of English land system reform and the home anxiety at that time. As far as Forster is concerned， the connection between people and their houses contributes to the formation of sense of space and elimination of sense of flux， thus getting back to the earth. “Howards End” not only configures the home of earth， but also reflects the new materialism dimension of Forster's “home”， which shows that the writer anticipates the relationship between human and thing in the modern society.

Key words: Howards End; home anxiety; sense of space; sense of flux; human and thing relationship