Summary
E. M. Forster's A Passage to India is a masterful exploration of cultural tensions and misunderstandings. Published in 1924, this classic novel remains relevant. Set against the backdrop of the movement for Indian independence from British colonial rule, the book delves into themes of racism, imperialism, and the complexities of cross-cultural relationships. Forster's nuanced portrayal of both British and Indian characters earned the novel critical acclaim and accolades, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. In 1984, A Passage to India was adapted into a successful film, directed by David Lean and starring Judy Davis and Victor Banerjee.
Plot
In A Passage to India, Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore travel to the fictional Indian city of Chandrapore. Adela is considering marriage to Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny Heaslop, the local magistrate. The women befriend Dr. Aziz, a young Muslim physician, and Cyril Fielding, an English school principal. Aziz arranges an expedition to the nearby Marabar Caves for the visitors.
During the cave visit, something mysterious occurs involving Adela, leading her to accuse Aziz of assault. He is arrested and put on trial, heightening racial tensions between the British colonizers and the Indian population. Fielding believes in Aziz's innocence, causing him to be ostracized by his fellow Britons. Mrs. Moore, disturbed by the incident, leaves India and dies during her voyage back to England.
At the trial, Adela withdraws her accusation, realizing she is unsure of what actually happened in the caves. Aziz is freed, but his friendship with Fielding is strained by the ordeal. Adela returns to England, her engagement to Ronny broken. Two years later, Fielding returns to India with his new wife, Stella, who is Mrs. Moore's daughter. Though Aziz and Fielding reunite, their friendship remains complicated by the colonial divide between Britain and India.
Themes
Cultural misunderstanding between East and West
Racism and colonialism in British India
The complexity of friendship across cultural divides
The mystical and spiritual nature of India
The role of women in colonial society
The limits of rational thinking in understanding other cultures
The struggle for Indian independence
Setting
Set in the 1920s during the British Raj, A Passage to India unfolds against the backdrop of India's struggle for independence. The novel vividly portrays the tensions and cultural clashes between the British colonizers and the Indian population during this tumultuous period. E. M. Forster's narrative captures the complexities of imperialism and the growing nationalist sentiment among Indians as they seek to reclaim their country from foreign rule.
The story primarily takes place in the fictional city of Chandrapore, located in northern India. This imaginary setting serves as a microcosm of British-controlled India, showcasing the stark divisions between the colonizers and the colonized. The city is divided into distinct areas, with the British occupying the elevated, more affluent parts while the Indian people reside in the lower, less developed regions. This geographical separation mirrors the social and cultural divide that exists between the two communities.
A pivotal part of the novel's setting is the mysterious Marabar Caves, located outside Chandrapore. These caves, inspired by the real-life Barabar Caves in Bihar, play a crucial role in the story's central incident. The caves' dark, echoing chambers serve as a powerful metaphor for the unknowable aspects of India, as well as the miscommunications and misunderstandings that arise between the British and Indian characters. Through these various settings, Forster creates a rich, atmospheric backdrop that enhances the novel's themes of cultural conflict, personal relationships, and the struggle for understanding in a colonial context.
Characters
Dr. Aziz: A young Muslim Indian physician who becomes friends with Fielding and is falsely accused of assaulting Adela.
Cyril Fielding: The British headmaster of the local government college who befriends Aziz and believes in his innocence.
Adela Quested: A young British woman visiting India who accuses Aziz of assault and ultimately retracts her claim.
Mrs. Moore: An elderly Englishwoman, Ronny's mother and Adela’s traveling companion, who becomes disillusioned with British colonial attitudes.
Ronny Heaslop: The British city magistrate of Chandrapore, who is engaged to Adela.
Professor Narayan Godbole: An elderly Hindu Brahmin professor who maintains a detached attitude.
Mr. Turton: The British city collector, who represents imperial authority in Chandrapore.
Mrs. Turton: Mr. Turton's openly racist wife, who embodies colonial prejudices.
Major Callendar: The bigoted British head doctor at the hospital where Aziz works.
Nawab Bahadur: A wealthy Indian Muslim who is loyal to the British.
Hamidullah: Aziz's uncle and a barrister educated in England.
Mahmoud Ali: An Indian lawyer who is openly hostile to the British.
Quick facts
A Passage to India was published in 1924, but Forster began writing the novel more than a decade earlier, inspired by his own travels to India in 1912 to 1913.
The title comes from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem “Passage to India” in Leaves of Grass.
The fictional Marabar Caves in the novel were based on the real Barabar Caves in Bihar, India.
A Passage to India was Forster's last novel, published 14 years after his previous one, Howards End.
A Passage to India won the 1924 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
Forster dedicated the novel to his friend Syed Ross Masood, an Indian Muslim he tutored at Oxford.
In 1960, the manuscript sold for a record £6,500 to raise money for the London Library.
A Passage to India was made into a 1984 film, directed by David Lean and starring Judy Davis and Victor Banerjee. The novel has also been adapted into a play and multiple radio productions.
A Passage to India was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English literature by the Modern Library.
About the Author
E.M. (Edward Morgan) Forster was an influential English novelist and essayist in the early 20th century. He is best known for novels examining class differences and social hypocrisy in British society, including A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910), and A Passage to India (1924). Along with symbolism and mystical elements, his writing often explores themes of understanding across societal and cultural barriers, reflected in his famous epigraph from Howards End, “Only connect.”
Born in 1879, Forster and his works were shaped by his beliefs as a humanist and his experience as a gay man. He was a member of the Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals and served as a conscientious objector during World War I, working for the Red Cross in Egypt. While maintaining a facade of bachelorhood, he was openly gay among his close circle of friends, during a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain. While he explored same-sex relationships in his writing, his novel Maurice, which depicts a gay love story, was only published posthumously in 1971.
As a novelist, A Passage to India is considered his masterpiece for its nuanced exploration of the dynamics between Westerners, particularly members of the British colonial ruling class, and “foreigners” or natives. Beyond his novels, Forster was an accomplished essayist and broadcaster. He wrote extensively on literary criticism, including the well-known work Aspects of the Novel.
Forster was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature an impressive 13 times over a span of more than 20 years, and he refused the honor of knighthood. He died in 1970 at the age of 91.
