A Passage to India

E. M. Forster

A Passage to India

E. M. Forster इ. एम. फोरस्टर

Hossein Heidari हुसैन हेइदारी Rahmat Rabipour रहमत रबिपौर

Saeed Khanjani Nejad सईद खजंनी नेजाद

Mohammad Javad Hassani Nejad मोहम्मद जवाद हस्सनी नेजाद

भारत के लिए एक मागग

Author Biography

When Edward Morgan Forster completed A Passage to India, he was

in his mid−forties and was already a respected and relatively successful

novelist. Between 1905 and 1910 he had published four well−crafted

Edwardian novels of upper−middle class life and manners: Where Angels

Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room With a View

(1908), and Howards End (1910). However, although he had continued to

write short stories as well as another novel, Maurice (published in 1971,

after Forster's death), he published little in the decade after Howards End.

Born in London on January I, 1879, E. M. Forster was an only child. His father, an architect, died

when Forster was only a year old. The boy was raised by his mother, grandmother, and his father's aunt,

who left Forster the sum of 8,000 pounds in her will. This large amount of money eventually paid for

Forster's education and his early travels. Early in the new twentieth century it also enabled him to live

independently while he established his career as a writer.

Forster grew up in the English countryside north of London, where he had a happy early childhood.

He attended an Eastbourne preparatory school and then the family moved to Kent so that he could

attend Tonbridge School (a traditional English public school), where he was miserable. However, he

found happiness and intellectual stimulation when he went to Cambridge University. There, at King's

College, he studied the classics and joined a student intellectual society known as the Apostles. Among

his teachers was the philosopher G. E. Moore, who had an important influence on Forster's views. He

made many friends and acquaintances, some of whom went on to become important writers and

eventually became active in the Bloomsbury Group.

After graduating from Cambridge, Forster traveled in Italy and Greece. These experiences further

broadened his outlook, and he decided to become a writer. He became an instructor at London's

Working Men's College in 1902 and remained with them for two decades.

In 1906, while living with his mother in the town of Weybridge, near London, Forster tutored an

Indian student named Syed Ross Masood. The two developed a close friendship, and Forster became

curious about India. In 1912 Forster visited India for the first time, with some friends from Cambridge

University, and spent some time with Masood there. He stayed in India for six months and saw the

town of Bankipore, located on the Ganges River in northeast India. Bankipore became the model for

Chandrapore. Forster also saw the nearby Barabar Caves, which gave him the idea for the Marabar

Caves. While in India he wrote first drafts of seven chapters of a new novel that would become A

Passage to India

During World War I, Forster worked as a Red Cross volunteer in Alexandria, Egypt. In 1921 he made

a second visit to India, where he spent six months as private secretary to the Maharajah of Dewas

Senior, an independent Moslem state. He gathered more material about India, and after returning to

England he finished writing A Passage to India, which he dedicated to Masood. Forster found the

writing process difficult and feared that the book would be a failure. He was relieved by the book's

favorable reception, and in the remaining forty−five years of his life he received many awards and

honors. Although he continued to write short stories, essays, and radio programs, he turned away from

the novel form.

Forster died of a stroke on June 7, 1970, in Coventry, England. Today, his literary reputation remains

high, and all of his novels, except The Longest Journey, have been adapted into films.

Summary

In Part 1, "Mosque," the novel opens with a panoramic view of the fictional city of Chandrapore,

India. The narrative shifts to Dr. Aziz, who is called away from dinner with his friends by his superior

at the hospital, Major Callendar. He then visits to the local mosque, where he meets Mrs. Moore, an

Englishwoman who has recently arrived to visit her son, Ronny Heaslop, with his love interest, Adela

Quested.

After the mosque, Mrs. Moore arrives at the club just as Adela announces to the members of the club

that she would like to see the real India. To humor her, Mr. Turton, the Collector of the district, offers

to set up a Bridge Party. At the Bridge Party, Adela is disappointed to find that the British and Indian

guests are grouped in separate areas of the lawn. There, Adela meets Mr. Fielding, the principal of the

local Government College, who invites her to a tea party where she might meet more Indians, including

Mrs. Moore's friend Aziz.

At Fielding's tea party, Adela finally meets Aziz. The other guests include Mrs. Moore and Professor

Godbole. While Fielding gives Mrs. Moore a tour of the grounds, Aziz and Adela continue their

conversation. Aziz spontaneously offers to take Adela and the rest of the party for an excursion to the

Marabar Caves. During this conversation, Aziz and Adela are interrupted by Ronny, who is angered to

see Adela alone with an Indian. After Fielding's tea party, Adela tells Ronny that she is unwilling to

marry him. Just then, the Nawab Bahadur offers to take them on a ride in his new car. They accept, but

on the ride, get into a car accident. No one is hurt, and the accident is a bonding experience for Adela

and Ronny, who agree to marry each other by the time they return home.

Aziz skips work for a few days feigning illness. Aziz's friends, including Hamidullah, stop by to see

how he's doing, followed by Fielding. After the rest of the guests leave, Aziz detains Fielding in order

to show him a photograph of his dead wife as a gesture of friendship.

In Part 2, "Caves," the hot season approaches. Upon hearing a false rumor that Adela is offended that

Aziz has not invited them out to the caves, Aziz invites Adela and Mrs. Moore for an excursion to the

caves, even though no one in the party wants to go.

On the morning of the picnic, Aziz meets Adela and Mrs. Moore at the train station, but Fielding and

Godbole arrive too late to make the train. Aziz, Adela, Mrs. Moore, and the rest of their party proceed

to the Marabar Caves. In the tour of the first cave, Mrs. Moore feels ill and is shaken to her spiritual

core by the troubling echo within the cave. She stays behind at the picnic site while Adela follows Aziz

and the guide to other caves. Just as Adela comes to a realization that she doesn't love Ronny, she

offends Aziz, who slips into another cave to escape her. Distracted, Adela also walks into a cave.

Having recovered his composure, Aziz leaves the cave, and notices that Adela is missing. Aziz also

notices that a car is driving by the hills below. When he returns to the picnic site, he is greeted by

Fielding. Together with Mrs. Moore, they return to Chandrapore, but upon their arrival, Aziz is arrested

for allegedly attacking Adela. Fielding spends the rest of the day working for Aziz's release. At the

club, the British gather to discuss Adela's case. Fielding defends Aziz's innocence, in the process

offending Ronny Heaslop and the rest of the club members. After Adela recovers from her injuries at

the McBrydes' bungalow, she returns to Ronny's bungalow, where Mrs. Moore, still overwhelmed by

her experience in the caves, speaks incoherently and unpleasantly to Adela. Unwilling to participate in

the trial, Mrs. Moore, with Ronny's help, arranges to sail back to England.

After Mrs. Moore leaves, Adela stays with the Turtons. On the day of the trial, the Turtons take

Adela to the courthouse. In the courtroom, McBryde opens the case against the defendant. When Adela

takes the stand, she suddenly realizes her mistake and withdraws her charge against Aziz. The

courtroom is thrown into a tumult. Adela is carried out of the courtroom by the crowds. Fielding

rescues her and drives her back to the college for safety. Meanwhile, Aziz and his party decide to attack

the hospital, but Lal's buffoonery defuses their riotous impulses.

Ronny visits Adela at Fielding's, where he notifies both of them of Mrs. Moore's death on the boat

out to England. Fielding lets Adela stay at the college while he goes to Aziz's victory celebration,

where he tries to convince Aziz not to pursue a lawsuit for damages against Adela. Later, Aziz decides

not to press charges against Adela.

With Ronny breaking off their engagement, Adela returns to England. A rumor that Adela and

Fielding had an affair while she was staying at the college strains Aziz's relationship with Fielding, who

also leaves for England before their friendship is repaired.

In Part 3, "Temple," the novel fast-forwards several years to Mau during the rainy season. Godbole,

the Minister of Education at Mau, directs the Gokul Ashtami festivities while Aziz, now a doctor at

Mau, attends to the ailing ruler. On a walk to a local shrine, Aziz sees Fielding and a man get chased

out by bees. The man turns out to be Ralph Moore, and Aziz realizes his mistake: Fielding has married

Stella Moore, Mrs. Moore's daughter, not Adela. Aziz's antagonism toward Fielding and his party melts

when he talks with Ralph alone in their guest quarters. Aziz takes Ralph out on the Mau tank to view

the festivities, but their boat collides with Fielding and Stella's. Everyone ends up in the water. The

novel ends as Fielding and Aziz go on a horse ride together, with the mutual realization that

circumstances prevent them from maintaining their friendship.

A Passage to India is written in

the third person, with an

impersonal narrative voice.

Point of View

The action of the first two sections of

the book takes place in the town of

Chandrapore and at the Marabar

Caves, located outside the town. Setting

Characters

Dr. Aziz - An intelligent, emotional Indian doctor in Chandrapore. Aziz attempts to make friends with

Adela Quested, Mrs. Moore, and Cyril Fielding. Later, Adela falsely accuses Aziz of attempted rape

after an expedition to the Marabar Caves, but the charges are dropped after Adela’s testimony at the

trial. Aziz enjoys writing and reciting poetry. He has three children; his wife died several years before

the beginning of the novel.

Cyril Fielding - The principal of the government college near Chandrapore. Fielding is an

independent man who believes in educating the Indians to be individuals—a much more sympathetic

attitude toward the native population than that held by most English in India. Fielding befriends Dr.

Aziz, taking the doctor’s side against the rest of the English in Chandrapore when Aziz is accused of

attempting to rape Adela Quested.

Miss Adela Quested - A young, intelligent, inquisitive, but somewhat repressed Englishwoman.

Adela travels to India with Mrs. Moore in order to decide whether or not to marry Mrs. Moore’s son

Ronny. Miss Quested begins with an openminded desire to get to know Indians and see the real India.

Later, she falsely accuses Aziz of attempting to rape her in the Marabar Caves.

Mrs. Moore - An elderly Englishwoman who voyages to India with Adela Quested. Mrs. Moore

wishes to see the country and hopes that Adela will marry her son Ronny. Mrs. Moore befriends Dr.

Aziz, as she feels some spiritual connection with him. She has an unsettling experience with the bizarre

echoes in the Marabar Caves, which cause her to feel a sense of dread, especially about human

relationships. Mrs. Moore hurries back to England, and she dies at sea during the journey.

Ronny Heaslop - Mrs. Moore’s son, the magistrate at Chandrapore. Ronny, though well educated and

open-minded at heart, has become prejudiced and intolerant of Indians ever since he moved to India—

as is standard for most Englishmen serving there. Ronny is briefly engaged to Adela Quested, though

he does not appear particularly passionate about her.

Mr. Turton - The collector, the man who governs Chandrapore. Mr. Turton is officious and stern,

though more tactful than his wife.

Mrs. Turton - Turton’s wife. In her interactions with Indians, Mrs. Turton embodies the novel’s

stereotype of the snobby, rude, and prejudiced English colonial wife.

Mr. McBryde - The superintendent of police in Chandrapore, who has an elaborate theory that he

claims explains the inferiority of dark-skinned races to light-skinned ones. McBryde, though

condescending, actually shows more tolerance toward Indians than most English do. Not surprisingly,

he and Fielding are friendly acquain-tances. McBryde himself stands up against the group mentality of

the English at Chandrapore when he divorces his wife after having an affair with Miss Derek.

Major Callendar - The civil surgeon at Chandrapore, Dr. Aziz’s superior. Major Callendar is a

boastful, cruel, intolerant, and ridiculous man.

Professor Godbole - A Brahman Hindu who teaches at Fielding’s college. Godbole is very spiritual

and reluctant to become involved in human affairs.

Hamidullah - Dr. Aziz’s uncle and friend. Hamidullah, who was educated at Cambridge, believes that

friendship between the English and Indians is more likely possible in England than in India.

Hamidullah was a close friend of Fielding before Fielding and Aziz met.

Mahmoud Ali - A lawyer friend of Dr. Aziz who is deeply pessimistic about the English.

The Nawab Bahadur - The leading loyalist in Chandrapore. The Nawab Bahadur is wealthy,

generous, and faithful to the English. After Aziz’s trial, however, he gives up his title in protest.

Dr. Panna Lal - A low-born Hindu doctor and Aziz’s rival. Dr. Panna Lal intends to testify against

Aziz at the trial, but he begs forgiveness after Aziz is set free.

Stella Moore - Mrs. Moore’s daughter from her second marriage. Stella marries Fielding toward the

end of the novel.

Ralph Moore - Mrs. Moore’s son from her second marriage, a sensitive young man.

Miss Derek - A young Englishwoman who works for a wealthy Indian family and often steals their

car. Miss Derek is easygoing and has a fine sense of humor, but many of the English at Chandrapore

resent her, considering her presence unseemly.

Amritrao - The lawyer who defends Aziz at his trial. Amritrao is a highly anti-British man.

Themes

Imperialism

A Passage to India is a critique of British rule of India. The British are not shown as tyrants, although

they do fail to understand Indian religion and culture. They are also convinced that the British Empire

is a civilizing force on the benighted "natives" of India, and they regard all Indians as their inferiors,

incapable of leadership. And yet, in their own way, the English try to rule in a just way. Ronny, for

example, the City Magistrate, is completely sincere when he says that the British "are out here to do

justice and keep the peace" (chapter 5). And there is no trace of satire in the passage that shortly

follows this, which describes Ronny's daily routine: "Every day he worked hard in the court trying to

decide which of two untrue account was the less untrue, trying to dispense justice fearlessly, to protect

the weak against the less weak, the incoherent against the plausible, surrounded by lies and flattery."

Ronny is also aware of the hostility between Hindus and Moslems, and believes that a British presence

is necessary to prevent bloodshed. Even Fielding, the most sympathetic of the English characters, does

not argue that the British should leave India. However, the British lack any ability to question their own

basic assumptions about race and Empire, and as such they become the objects of Forster's biting satire.

The economic consequences of British imperialism are hinted at only briefly in the novel. This

occurs when Fielding mentions to Godbole and Adela that mangoes can now be purchased in England:

"They ship them in ice-cold rooms. You can make India in England apparently, just as you can make

England in India" (chapter 7). This hints at the economic exploitation of India. The British claim to be

in India for the good of the Indians, whereas in fact, they are there to increase their own wealth by

setting up a system of trade that is entirely beneficial to themselves.

Twenty-three years after the publication of A Passage to India, Aziz's prediction at the end of the

novel came true. He tells Fielding that the next European war will lead to the liberation of India. That

war was World War II, and Britain, economically exhausted and facing a nonviolent nationalist

movement in India led by Gandhi, granted India independence in 1947. An attempt to pacify the

simmering hostility between Moslem and Hindu resulted in the creation of the mostly Moslem state of

Pakistan.

Culture Clash

The English, schooled in a fairly simple version of Christianity, are unable to understand the

mysterious spirituality of India. Mrs. Moore shows some interest in the topic when she first arrives in

the country. She likes the idea of "resignation"-being passively resigned to the will of God-which she

associates with Indian thought. She is also attracted to the unity of everything in the universe, another

idea she associates with India. But the incident in the caves, when she hears the echo, unnerves her. The

echo annihilates all distinctions in the name of the unity of life, and also annihilates distinctions

between good and evil. This is far from the Christian view of life, at least in Mrs. Moore's view, and

leads her into despair and apathy.

But this is merely a Westerner's point of view. Against the negative portrayal of Indian spirituality

implicit in the "echo" incident is a more positive vision that occurs in Part 3 of the novel. There is no

mistaking the joy and affirmative value of the Hindu festival conducted at Mau, in which the birth of

Lord Krishna is enacted. Once again, this is rendered largely from the outsider's point of view, since

neither Aziz nor Fielding understands it, but it well represents the "mystery" of Indian spirituality that

cannot be penetrated by Westerners.

The clash of cultures can be seen not only in Mrs. Moore's response to India but also in Fielding's.

Fielding does not believe in God and therefore has no interest in the contrast between Eastern and

Western spirituality, but nonetheless, as chapter 32 shows, he feels far more at home with the forms of

Western architecture he encounters in Venice than with the temples of India. The temples represent to

him merely the "muddle" of India, whereas Western architecture presents him with a view of "the

harmony between the works of man and the earth that upholds them, the civilization that has escaped

muddle, the spirit in a reasonable form, with flesh and blood subsisting.

God and Religion

E. M. Forster was not a religious man nor a religious writer. However, religion is a major

preoccupation in the book. India is seen as a meeting point of three of the world's historic

religions−Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. Indeed, the three parts of the book−"Mosque," "Cave,"

and "Temple"−generally correspond to these religions. Aziz loves the cultural and social aspects of his

Moslem (Islamic) heritage, but he seems less concerned with its theology and religious practice. He is

aware that Moslems are in the minority in India, and he thus feels a special kinship with other Moslems

such as Hamidullah. The Anglo−Indians are nominal representatives of Christianity, although there is

little overt sign of such Christian virtues as charity, love, and forgiveness. Ronny Heaslop admits that

for him Christianity is fine in its place, but he does not let It interfere with his civil duty. Mrs. Moore is

basically Christian in her outlook. However, she experiences a crisis of faith during her visit to the

Marabar Caves, and her belief in God or in any meaning to life is destroyed.

Hinduism is the main religion of India, and Professor Godbole is the central Hindu figure in the book.

He is also, by far, the most religious character. For Godbole, Hinduism is "completeness, not

reconstruction." The central principle of this religion is the total acceptance of things as they are.

Forster suggests that this is the most positive spiritual approach to life. It is also most representative of

the true spirit of India.

Media Adaptation

A Passage to India was adapted as a film by David Lean,

starring Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft,

James Fox, and Alec Guinness, Columbia, 1984. It was

nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best

Picture; Ashcroft was named Best Supporting Actress for

her portrayal of Mrs. Moore. Available from Columbia

Tristar Home Video.