Can an Englishman and a native Indian be friends under colonial rule
Published in 1924, A Passage to India asks a simple question with an extraordinarily complicated answer:
“Can an Englishman and a native Indian be friends under colonial rule?”
The novel traces the interactions of various British and Indian characters in an attempt to answer this question. In the process, it raises questions about the role of faith in modern life, the meaning or lack thereof in the universe, and the irreducible differences between the perceptions of Anglo and native Indians. The novel’s skillful depictions of character interactions and its beautifully crafted descriptions of India make it a pleasure to read as well as an indispensible exploration of British and indigenous identity. While not technically a Victorian novel, A Passage to India deftly explores the legacy of Victorian colonialism.
Lesson Objectives
• Relate description and setting to a novel’s theme
• Analyze foreshadowing to predict plot outcomes
• Identify differences in the perspectives of major characters
• Use quotes to develop and support an interpretation
• Analyze the use of symbolism in narrative fiction
• Discuss social issues such as racial prejudice, colonial identity, and religious faith
Reading Assignments
1. Read a biographical sketch of E.M. Forster at http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/forster.htm
2. Read Chapters 1-6 of A Passage to India
3. Read Chapters 7-12 of A Passage to India
4. Read Chapters 13-18 of A Passage to India
5. Read Chapters 19-24 of A Passage to India
6. Read Chapters 25-30 of A Passage to India
7. Read Chapters 31-37 of A Passage to India
Reading Questions
Read Chapters 1-6 of A Passage to India
1. The opening chapter of A Passage to India contains a detailed description of Chandrapore. How does this description reveal the racial and class divisions between native Indians and the British?
2. A Passage to India describes many instances where the British and Indians perceive the same events very differently. Analyze the different interpretations given to motives in the following scenes. What do these differing perceptions say about the division between the Indians and the British?
• Mrs. Moore’s encounter with Dr. Aziz at the mosque versus Ronny Heaslop’s interpretation later that evening. See Chapter III, third to last paragraph.
• Mahmoud Ali’s reference to Ronny Heaslop as Mr. Red-Nose at the beginning of Chapter II and Ronny’s encounter with “one of the Pleaders” (Mahmoud Ali) as recollected in Chapter III.
• Turton’s invitation of “natives” to the Bridge Party for Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore as perceived by Ronny (Chapter III) and as perceived by the Indian community (Chapter IV).
• Turton’s perception of Indian motives for attending the Bridge Party as described in Chapter V
Read Chapters 7-12 of A Passage to India
3. A Passage to India includes both Muslim and Hindu characters. How are these two groups portrayed in the novel? What differences do you notice between the representations of Hindus and Muslims? Is one group portrayed more sympathetically than the other? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
4. Why does Adela first decide not to marry Ronny? What changes her mind? How might this turn of events foreshadow Adela’s role in the British and Indian communities?
5. What role does faith play for the following characters? What larger message does the novel convey about faith?
Mrs. Moore: “Mrs. Moore felt that she had made a mistake in mentioning God, but she found him increasingly difficult to avoid as she grew older, and he had constantly been in her thoughts since she entered India, though oddly enough, he satisfied her less. She needs must pronounce his name repeatedly, as the greatest she knew, yet she had never found it less efficacious.”
Professor Godbole: “I will explain in detail. It was a religious song. I placed myself in the position of a milk maiden. I say to Shri Krishna, ‘Come! Come to me only.’ The god refuses to come. I grew humble and say: ‘Do not come to me only. Multiply yourself into a hundred Krishnas, and let each one go to each of my hundred companions, but one, O Lord of the Universe, come to me.’ He refuses to come. This is repeated several times. The song is composed in a raga appropriate to the present hour, which is the evening.”
Mr. Fielding: “The whole world looks to be dying, still it doesn’t die so we must assume the existence of a beneficent Providence.” [said Hamidullah]
“Oh that is true, how true!” said the policeman, thinking religion had been praised.
“Does Mr. Fielding think it’s true?”
“Think which is true? The world isn’t dying. I’m certain of that!”
“No, no—the existence of Providence.”
“Well, I don’t believe in Providence.”
“But how can you then believe in God?” asked Syed Mohammed.
“I don’t believe in God.”
Read Chapters 13-18 of A Passage to India
6. The expedition to the Marabar Caves seems particularly ill-fated from the outset. What difficulties face the expedition and what do these difficulties reveal about British-Indian relations? Consider:
• Adela and Mrs. Moore’s schedule
• Professor Godbole and Dr. Aziz’s dietary restrictions
• Fielding’s role as intermediary
• The following quote: “Trouble after trouble encountered him, because he had challenged the spirit of the Indian earth, which tries to keep men in compartments.”
7. Foreshadowing is a writer’s use of hints and clues to indicate events that will occur later in the story. Writers often generate suspense, or excitement, through foreshadowing. What hints or clues does Forster give with regard to Adela’s accusation that Aziz sexually assaults her in the events leading up to the exploration of the Kawa Dol? What hints or clues point to Aziz’s guilt or innocence?
8. Describe the response of the British to Adela’s accusation. What accounts for their unwillingness to believe Aziz or Fielding? What does their response say about the security of British colonial identity? Find and analyze at least one quote to support your answer.
Read Chapters 19-24 from A Passage to India
9. Think of the British reaction to Adela’s presumed assault as described in Chapter 20. What symbolic importance does the assault seem to have with regard to British colonial identity? Consider:
• Mrs. Blakiston’s social standing, comments about Indians, and her appearance
• The repeated mention of the phrase “women and children” and its effect on club members
• Adela’s status in the British community before and after the assault
10. Go online and research Mohurram (alt. spelling: Muharram). What is the significance of Mohurram and why might Forster have timed the assault and its aftermath during the preparations for its festival?
11. What is the echo that Adela hears in the days leading up to the trial? In what ways is it similar to Mrs. Moore’s echo? How does the echo relate to Adela’s perceptions of the events at the Marabar Caves?
Read Chapters 25-30 of A Passage to India
12. Analyze the following quote about the Lieutenant-Governor. Is Sir Gilbert any less of a racist than the Anglo-Indians of Chandrapore? Think of Mrs. Turton or Major Callendar. Explain your answer.
“Sir Gilbert, though not an enlightened man, held enlightened opinions. Exempted by a long career in the Secretariate from personal contact with the peoples of India, he was able to speak about them urbanely and to deplore racial prejudice.”
13. In describing Adela’s passage home, Forster writes, “With Egypt, the atmosphere altered. The clean sands heaped on each side of the canal seemed to wipe off everything that was difficult and equivocal.” Why does the passage from Asia into the West impact the behavior of the British passengers toward Adela so dramatically? What does this say about British colonial identity?
Read Chapters 31-37 of A Passage to India
14. Describe the significance of the names for the three sections of A Passage to India: Mosque, Caves, Temple. What do these names suggest about the unity of India? Does the closing section offer any kind of resolution to the problems that divide India in the novel?
15. In the final seven chapters of A Passage to India, what barriers exist to Fielding and Aziz remaining friends?
Vocabulary in Context
There is no Vocabulary in Context assignment
Main Assignment
Pretend you are Mrs. Moore or Adela Quested. Write a letter (350 words maximum) to a family member in England regarding your experiences in and impressions of India. Alternatively, pretend you are Dr. Aziz writing to a nephew studying in England. Describe your impressions of Mrs. Moore, Adela Quested, and Dr. Fielding. Regardless of whose point of view you adopt, write the letter before the expedition to the Marabar Caves.
