A Passage To India Summary

A Passage To India Summary

In writing his 1912 novel, A Passage to India, Forster found himself deeply troubled by the racial oppression and deep cultural misunderstandings that divided the Indian people and the British colonists, a reflection which is strikingly pertinent in his writing. He lamented that ''the sense of racial tension, of incompatibility, never left (him)" during the days of the British Raj, between 1858 and 1947, and as a result, aimed to capture the intense social segregation from this period in A Passage to India. Through the interactions between Adela Quested, Mrs Moore and Ronny Heaslop, among others, and the prominent Indian figures in the novel, most notably Dr Aziz, the deep–rooted racial prejudices and popular sentiment of British superiority, becomes apparent.



For example, Mrs Turton addresses her servants only through 'the imperative mood' at the Bridge Party in chapter 5, and assures Mrs Moore that she is 'superior to everyone in India except one or two of the ranis...' What may be perceived as a deluded statement reflecting poor social awareness, is actually a tribute to the security and confidence felt by haughty British wives who were so self–assured of their place at the top of the social ladder. Mrs Turton also refuses to shake the hand of any Indian man, 'unless it has to be the Nawab Bahadur' then goes on to discuss the travel routes of a group of Indian women as if 'describing the movements of migratory birds.' Here, one can observe four separate instances whereby

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