A Passage To India - E.M. Forster

...India” by E.M Forster, is a novel set at the end of the British Raj over India. Set in the fictional city of Chandrapore, Forster clearly explores the problems with the British bureaucracy ruling a country they knew very little about. Despite being based on the poem “A Passage to India” by Walt Whitman, Forster contrasts every theory explored in this poem. While the Suez Canal was an act of blending two cultures together Forster depicts the lack ...
...Marabar Caves. However, due to a hallucination or another person Adela is “insulted” in one of the caves and makes her accusation against Aziz. Ironically Miss Quested’s desire to the real India results in one of the most heightened racial divisions Chandrapore has ever witnessed.

Ironically this novel, which is saturated with prejudiced and racist comments, opens with one of the most precious human connections between two individuals ... more

“A Passage to India” by E.M Forster, is a novel set at the end of the British Raj over India. Set in the fictional city of Chandrapore, Forster clearly explores the problems with the British bureaucracy ruling a country they knew very little about. Despite being based on the poem “A Passage to India” by Walt Whitman, Forster contrasts every theory explored in this poem. While the Suez Canal was an act of blending two cultures together Forster depicts the lack of connection between the two races. As a result prejudice and interaction between the East and West become prevailing themes.

Adela Quested has come to India to meet her possible future husband, Ronny Heaslop – who is the city magistrate of this fictional city. Mrs Moore too has accompanied her, being Ronny’s mother. When they arrive they are ardent to see the “real” India and are therefore enthusiastic to take up Aziz’s (Mrs Moore’s new Indian friend) invitation to the mysterious Marabar Caves. However, due to a hallucination or another person Adela is “insulted” in one of the caves and makes her accusation against Aziz. Ironically Miss Quested’s desire to the real India results in one of the most heightened racial divisions Chandrapore has ever witnessed.

Ironically this novel, which is saturated with prejudiced and racist comments, opens with one of the most precious human connections between two individuals of two different races. Aziz and Mrs Moore meet in a Mosque in the opening section of the novel – the novel is split into three different sections: Mosque, Caves and Temple. However, this human correlation is between individuals. Forster only ever saw success in individual relationships and yearned for people to “only connect” in his earlier novel ‘Howard’s End’ (1910). Furthermore Mrs Moore is more a symbolic than a ‘real’ character. The reader does not even find out her first name and she dies at the end of the second section, Caves, returning with more vitality as the Hindu Goddess “Esmiss Esmoore” in the final, more religious section. In addition this meeting is very quickly contrasted with the ‘Bridge Party’:
“Not the game but a party to bridge the gulf between East and West”
In chapter five Indians and the Anglo Indian bureaucracy are brought together in one area, however, remain separate as the Indians congregate at one side of the lawn and the English at the other. The two groups make little effort at interaction and, especially the English, do not truly want to be there. For example Mrs Turton – the Collector’s wife – simply feels that:
“You’re superior to everyone of the Indians, except one or two of the ranis and they’re on an equity”.
Miss Derek, a single English worker, has even stronger views:
“The kindest thing one can do to a native is let him die”
The social satire and the demeaning attitude the writer appears to have towards his own race is most effective at portraying this theme of prejudice. These characters like Miss Derek and Mrs Turton are not fully developed and in Forster’s own words they are “flat” characters.* This lack of development emphasises the shallowness of the Anglo-Indian community.

“The Bridge party was not a success” and to make up for the disappointment Mr Fielding – the liberal, principal of the Government college – organises a ‘tea party’ with just the two newcomers to Chandrapore, himself, Godbole – a Hindu professor at the college - and Aziz. This is a much more successful event showing that more intimate relationships are always more prominent as people are given the chance to appreciate each other. Group events do not give occasion for this and as a result misconceptions and intolerance results. This contrast is a very effective way of portraying the difference in the “flat” characters and the more “rounded” characters.*

Mr Fielding is similar to Mrs Moore and represents the thoughts of Forster of connection and communication. While he is not content in large groups such as the English Club he is at his best with his close friends, Aziz and Godbole. Again Forster is reaffirming the point that bigotry is a result of lack of understanding and closeness. If you can get intimate with others then the lack of understanding is not an issue. This liberal character is contrasted to another member of the British Raj the Chief Inspector of Police, Mr McBryde. The two come together before the trial for Aziz’s innocence where their contrast heightens the racial tensions in India and enlightens Fielding’s character because of his ability to escape the narrow-minded influences of the rest of the Anglo-India community. McBryde is brought evidence against the prosecuted and one such piece is a photograph of his dead wife. Fielding had been shown this photo earlier on in the novel and was “the first Englishman she has ever come by”. This intimacy and respect that Aziz had shown him uplift him into an overwhelming feeling of acceptance:
“…Like a traveller who suddenly sees through the desert flowers. The flowers have always been there but suddenly sees them.”
However to Mr McBryde the man’s wife is a “whore” because automatically he assumes, “Wife indeed. I know these wives.” The irony is that Fielding knew his wife better than the officer. Furthermore McBryde turns his prejudices into scientific fact. He believes that all Indians are criminals because the live under latitude of thirty degrees and that it is scientific fact that:
“The darker races are more attracted to the fairer, but not vice versa”
Again the irony is that Mr Fielding is more attracted to the darker races because they provide a solid base of friends. Once again Forster is using contrast to emphasise his point. The reader automatically empathises with Fielding because this character is based on Forster himself.

Nevertheless Forster does not only look at prejudice attitudes from the English against the Indians. Within the Indian community conflict exists between the Moslem and Hindu religion. Similar distasteful remarks are given against each religion as those given at the ‘Bridge party’, reaffirming that prejudice exists at all levels of society and often it is our nature to like people who “look like us”. To Aziz the, “Slack Hindus… hang together like flies and keep everything dark”. Likewise, to the Hindus when Aziz is ill they automatically assume that he is faking. Prejudice exists everywhere and therefore Forster casts doubt on the connected world he always dreamed of.

In conclusion, through many aspects of the novel “A Passage to India” E.M Forster depicts clearly his attitude towards prejudice. He fully engages the reader’s attention with the use of fully developed characters, contrast and general content of the novel. The novel ends on a note of muted hope when the sky says “No Not yet…Not there” to Fielding and Aziz’s aspiration of finding the perfect friend. Others do not stop the two men at this point; the barrier is put up by nature itself. Forster is indicating that it is a hurdle that will never be overcome and thus fully emphasising his point. Forster therefore concludes with the idea that connection is an aspiration rather than a real possibility.

*”Aspects of A Novel” E.M Forster published 1924.

 

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