ملخص انجليزي لرواية A Passage To India )1(Part one)
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ملخص انجليزي لرواية A Passage To India )1(Part one)
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- A Passage to India Summary
E.M. Forster's A Passage to India concerns the relations between the English and the native population of India during the colonial period in which Britain ruled India. The novel takes place primarily in Chandrapore, a city along the Ganges River notable only for the nearby Marabar caves. The main character of the novel is Dr. Aziz, a Moslem doctor in Chandrapore and widower. After he is summoned to the Civil Surgeon's home only to be promptly ignored, Aziz visits a local Islamic temple where he meets Mrs. Moore, an elderly British woman visiting her son, Mr. Heaslop, who is the City Magistrate. Although Aziz reprimands her for not taking her shoes off in the temple before realizing she has in fact observed this rule, the two soon find that they have much in common and he escorts her back to the club.
Back at the club, Mrs. Moore meets her companion, Adela Quested, who will likely marry her son. Adela complains that they have seen nothing of India, but rather English customs replicated abroad. Although a few persons make racist statements about Indians, Mr. Turton, the Collector, proposes having a Bridge Party (to bridge the gulf between east and west). When Mrs. Moore tells her son, Ronny, about Aziz, he reprimands her for associating with an Indian. When Mr. Turton issues the invitations to the Bridge Party, the invitees suspect that this is a political move, for the Collector would not behave so cordially without a motive, but accept the invitations despite the suspicion.
For Adela and Mrs. Moore, the Bridge Party is a failure, for only a select few of the English guests behave well toward the Indians. Among these is Mr. Fielding, the schoolmaster at the Government College, who suggests that Adela meet Aziz. Mrs. Moore scolds her son for being impolite to the Indians, but Ronny Heaslop feels that he is not in India to be kind, for there are more important things to do; this offends her sense of Christian charity.
Aziz accepts Fielding's invitation to tea with Adela, Mrs. Moore, and Professor Narayan Godbole. During tea they discuss the Marabar Caves, while Fielding takes Mrs. Moore to see the college. Ronny arrives to find Adela alone with Aziz and Godbole, and later chastises Fielding for leaving an Englishwoman alone with two Indians. However, he reminds Ronny that Adela is capable of making her own decisions. Aziz plans a picnic at the Marabar Caves for Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore. Adela tells Ronny that she will not marry him, but he nevertheless suggests that they take a car trip to see Chandrapore. The Nawab Bahadur, an important local figure, agrees to take them. During the trip, the car swerves into a tree and Miss Derek, an Englishwoman passing by at the time, agrees to take them back to town. However, she snubs the Nawab Bahadur and his chauffeur. Adela speaks to Ronny, and tells him that she was foolish to say that they should not be married.
Both Aziz and Godbole fall sick after the party at Mr. Fielding's home, so Fielding visits Aziz and they discuss the state of politics in India. Aziz shows Fielding a picture of his wife, a significant event considering his Islamic background and an important demonstration of their friendship.
Aziz plans the expedition to the Marabar Caves, considering every minute detail because he does not wish to offend the English ladies. During the day when they are to embark. Mohammed Latif, a friend of Aziz, bribes Adela's servant, Antony, not to go on the expedition, for he serves as a spy for Ronny Heaslop. Although Aziz, Adela and Mrs. Moore arrive to the train station on time, Fielding and Godbole miss the train because of Godbole's morning prayers. Adela and Aziz discuss her marriage, and she fears she will become a narrow-minded Anglo-Indian such as the other wives of British officials. When they reach the caves, a distinct echo in one of them frightens Mrs. Moore, who decides she must leave immediately. The echo terrifies her, for it gives her the sense that the universe is chaotic and has no order.
Aziz and Adela continue to explore the caves, and Adela realizes that she does not love Ronny. However, she does not think that this is reason enough to break off her engagement. Adela leaves Aziz, who goes into a cave to smoke, but when he exits he finds their guide alone and asleep. Aziz searches for Adela, but only finds her broken field glasses. Finally he finds Fielding, who arrived at the cave in Miss Derek's care, but he does not know where Adela is. When the group returns to Chandrapore, Aziz is arrested for assaulting Adela.
Fielding speaks to the Collector about the charge, and claims that Adela is mad and Aziz must be innocent. The Collector feels that this is inevitable, for disaster always occurs when the English and Indians interact socially. Fielding requests that he see Adela, but McBryde, the police superintendent, denies this request. Fielding acts as Aziz's advocate, explaining such things as why Aziz would have the field glasses. Aziz hires as his lawyer Armitrao, a Hindu who is notoriously anti-British. Godbole leaves Chandrapore to start a high school in Central India.
The Anglo-Indians rally to Miss Quested's defense and call a meeting to discuss the trial. Fielding attends, and makes the mistake of actually referring to her by name. The Collector advises all to behave cautiously. When Ronny enters, Fielding does not stand as a sign of respect. Mr. Turton demands an apology, but Fielding merely resigns from the club and claims he will resign from his post if Aziz is found guilty.
Adela remains in the McBryde's bungalow, where the men are too respectful and the women too sympathetic. She wishes to see Mrs. Moore, who kept away. Ronny tells her that Fielding wrote her a letter to her pleading Aziz's case. Adela admits to Ronny that she has made a mistake and that Aziz is innocent. When Adela sees Mrs. Moore, she is morose and detached. She knows that Aziz is innocent and tells Adela that directly. Mrs. Moore wishes to leave India, and Ronny agrees, for she is doing no one any good by remaining. Lady Mellanby, the wife of the Lieutenant-Governor, secures Mrs. Moore quick passage out of India.
During the trial, the Indians in the crowd jeer Adela for her appearance, and Mahmoud Ali, one of Aziz's lawyers, claims that Mrs. Moore was sent away because she would clear Aziz's name. When McBryde asks Adela whether Aziz followed her, she admits that she made a mistake. Major Callendar attempts to stop the proceedings on medical grounds, but Mr. Das, the judge, releases Aziz. After the trial, Adela leaves the courtroom alone as a riot foments. Fielding finds her and escorts her to the college where she will be safe. Disaster is averted only when Dr. Panna Lal, who was to testify for the prosecution, publicly apologizes to Aziz and secures the release of Nureddin, a prisoner rumored to have been tortured by the English.
At the college, Fielding asks Adela why she would make her charge, but she cannot give a definite answer. He suggests that she was either assaulted by the guide or had a hallucination. Adela seems to believe that she had a hallucination, for she thinks she had a hallucination of a marriage proposal when there was none. Fielding warns her that Aziz is very bitter. Ronny arrives and tells them that his mother died at sea.
After a victory banquet for Aziz, he and Fielding discuss his future plans. Fielding implores Aziz not to sue Adela, for it will show him to be a gentleman, but Aziz claims that he is fully anti-British now. Fielding reminds Aziz what a momentous sacrifice Adela made, for now she does not have the support nor friendship of the other English officials. Fielding tells Aziz that Mrs. Moore is dead, but he does not believe him. The death of Mrs. Moore leads to suspicion that Ronny had her killed for trying to defend Aziz. Although there was no wrongdoing in the situation, Ronny nevertheless feels guilty for treating his mother so poorly. Adela decides to leave India and not marry Ronny.
Fielding gains new respect for Adela for her humility and loyalty as he attempts to persuade Aziz not to take action against Adela. Adela leaves India and vows to visit Mrs. Moore's other children (and Ronny's step-siblings) Stella and Ralph. Aziz hears rumors and begins to suspect that Fielding had an affair with Adela. He believes these rumors out of his cynicism concerning human nature. Because of this suspicion, the friendship between Aziz and Fielding begins to cool, even after Fielding denies the affair to Aziz. Fielding himself leaves Chandrapore to travel, while Aziz remains convinced that Fielding will marry Adela Quested.
Forster resumes the novel some time later in the town of Mau, where Godbole now works. Godbole currently takes part in a Hindu birthing ceremony with Aziz, who now works in this region. Fielding visits Mau; he has married, and Aziz assumes that his bride is Miss Quested. Aziz stopped corresponding with Fielding when he received a letter which stated that Fielding married someone Aziz knows. However, he did not marry Adela, as Aziz assumes, but rather Mrs. Moore's daughter, Stella. When Fielding meets with Aziz and clears up this misunderstanding, Aziz remains angry, for he has assumed for such a long time that Fielding married his enemy.
Nevertheless, Aziz goes to the guest house where Fielding stays and finds Ralph Moore there. His anger at Fielding cools when Ralph invokes the memory of Mrs. Moore, and Aziz even takes Ralph boating on the river so that they can observe the local Hindu ceremonies. Their boat, however, crashes into one carrying Fielding and Stella. After this comical event, the ill will between Aziz and Fielding fully dissipates. However, they realize that because of their different cultures they cannot remain friends and part from one another cordially.
Character List
Dr. Aziz
A Moslem doctor living in Chandrapore at the beginning of the novel, he is a widower with three children who meets Mrs. Moore, an elderly English widow who has three children herself and becomes friends with her. Although he is generous and loving toward his English friends, including Mrs. Moore and Cyril Fielding, after Adela Quested accuses him of assault he becomes bitter, vindictive and notoriously anti-British. A primary concern of A Passage to India is the shift in Dr. Aziz's views of the British from accommodating and even a bit submissive to an aggressively anti-colonial stance.
Cyril Fielding
The schoolmaster of Government College, Fielding stands alone among the British officials in India, for he is one of the few to treat the Indians with a sense of decency and respect. Fielding is an individualist who has no great allegiance to any particular group, but rather to his core set of liberal values and sense of justice. This quality allows Fielding to break with the English who support Adela Quested's charges against Aziz and side with the Indians in support of him. However, the events surrounding Aziz's trial cause Fielding to become disenchanted with India, despite his affection for the nation, and motivate him to leave India and return to resume a different post.
Adela Quested
Adela Quested arrives in India with the intention of marrying Ronny Heaslop, but changes her mind several times and eventually realizes that she does not love him and cannot marry him. She is a woman of conflicting character traits: although an intellectual, she is short-sighted. Although she foolishly accuses Dr. Aziz of assaulting her in the Marabar Caves, she finds the courage to withdraw the charge. She also suffers from hallucinations that are symptomatic of her somewhat unstable personality. However, Forster finally reveals her to be a woman of character and decency who accepts the difficulties she suffers.
Mrs. Moore
An elderly woman with three children, Mrs. Moore visits India with Adela Quested to see her son, Ronny Heaslop. Mrs. Moore is the paragon of Christian decency and kindness, but she suffers from anxiety concerning her own mortality. During the expedition to the Marabar Caves her confidence in the order of the universe is shaken by an echo that she hears in one of the caves. Afterwards, Mrs. Moore becomes sullen and depressed. When Ronny suspects that she will aid Aziz in his defense, he arranges for Mrs. Moore to leave India. On the journey home, she dies from heat exhaustion.
Professor Narayan Godbole
A Deccani Brahmin who is a professor at the college in Chandrapore, Godbole represents Hindu philosophies in A Passage to India. He is a man of calm character and utter repose, showing no worry for the events around him, no matter how significant. He leaves Chandrapore to start a high school in Central India after the trial of Aziz, who later joins him there.
Ronny Heaslop
The son of Mrs. Moore from her first marriage, Ronny typifies the "sun-dried bureaucrat" and Anglo-Indian. He is condescending and cruel toward the Indians, believing that he is not in India to be kind, but rather to rule over the nation. He becomes a martyr during the trial because of the ill treatment of Adela, but shows himself to be manipulative and callous when he pushes to have his mother leave India when he fears she may hurt the prosecution's case.
Mahmoud Ali
This friend of Aziz serves as one of the lawyers for his defense, and takes a defiant anti-British stance. His behavior during the trial is dangerously aggressive, however, and he threatens to provoke a riot after Aziz's acquittal. Later he refuses to clear up the misunderstanding concerning Fielding's marriage to Stella Moore.
Antony
One of Adela's servants, he was to accompany Adela and Mrs. Moore to the Marabar Caves, but since he was a spy for Ronny Heaslop, Mohammed Latif bribes him not to go. Later he follows Adela as she leaves India and attempts to blackmail her.
Armitrao
Aziz hires this Hindu attorney as his defense lawyer. Since Armitrao is known for his anti-British attitudes, this move highlights the racial and political overtones of Aziz's trial.
Nawab Bahadur
A distinguished local resident in Chandrapore, he is well-respected and admired among the Indians. However, Miss Derek snubs him when his car crashes into a tree while he takes Adela and Ronny on a tour of Chandrapore.
Mrs. Bhattacharya
An Indian woman whom Mrs. Moore meets during the Bridge Party, Mrs. Bhattacharya postpones a trip to Calcutta to have tea with Mrs. Moore, but abruptly cancels at the last minute.
Major Callendar
Major Callendar is the civil surgeon in Chandrapore and Aziz's boss. He also takes part in the trial against Aziz, attempting to stop Adela's confession on medical grounds.
Mrs. Callendar
The wife of Major Callendar, she typifies the Anglo-Indian mindset, openly dismissing the Indians as uncultured inferiors.
Ram Chand
He is one of Aziz's friends with whom he discusses the consequences of attending the Bridge Party.
Mr. Das
The brother of Mrs. Bhattacharya and Ronny's assistant, he is the judge who presides over the trial of Aziz. After the trial, he approaches Aziz to ask him to write for his journal, which is primarily for Hindus.
Miss Derek
A younger Englishwoman, she assists Ronny and Adela after the Nawab Bahadur's car crashes, but snubs the Nawab Bahadur. Later she brings Fielding to the Marabar Caves after he misses the train.
Sir Gilbert
The Lieutenant-Governor of the province, he visits Chandrapore after the trial to deal with the problems of racial discord precipitated by the charges against Aziz.
Mr. Graysford
He is one of the local missionaries in Chandrapore.
Hamidullah
This friend of Aziz, educated at Cambridge, tells Aziz that one can only be friends with an English person outside of India.
Hamidullah Begum
The wife of Hamidullah, she is a distant aunt of Aziz.
Mr. Haq
He is the police inspector who arrests Aziz after
Mr. Harris
He is the Eurasian chauffeur for the Nawab Bahadur who crashes the car into a tree and is snubbed by Miss Derek.
Panna Lal
A friend of Aziz who was to testify for the prosecution at his trial, he makes a public apology to Aziz and secures the release of Nureddin after rumors circulate that he was being tortured by the English officials.
Mohammed Latif
A friend of Aziz, he bribes Antony not to attend the expedition to Chandrapore.
Mrs. Lesley
This friend of Mrs. Callendar takes Aziz's tonga when he arrives at the Callendar's house upon the Major's request.
Colonel Maggs
The Political Agent in Mau, he is the new adversary of Aziz who keeps him under suspicion because of the events in Chandrapore.
Lady Mellanby
The wife of the Lieutenant-Governor, she aids Mrs. Moore in her attempt to leave India by offering her own cabin on a ship traveling to England.
Mr. McBryde
The District Superintendent of Police in Chandrapore, he is the most reflective and educated of the Chandrapore officials, but like the rest of them he has stern prejudices against Indians. He conducts the prosecution of Aziz.
Syed Mohammed
He is the assistant engineer in Chandrapore and a confidant of Aziz.
Ralph Moore
The youngest son of Mrs. Moore, he accompanies his sister and Fielding on their travels around India. Aziz behaves rudely to him, but soon relents and takes Ralph on the nearby river for a tour of Mau.
Stella Moore
The daughter of Mrs. Moore, she marries Fielding after he leaves India, a circumstance that causes Aziz to believe that he has married Adela Quested instead.
Nureddin
This Indian is rumored to have been held and tortured by the police during the trial of Aziz, but is released unharmed.
Rafi
The nephew of Syed Mohammed, he proposes that something suspicious occurred during Fielding's party because both Aziz and Godbole fell ill afterward.
Mr. Sorley
He is one of the local missionaries in Chandrapore.
Mr. Turton
He is the local Collector who proposes a Bridge Party for the Indians, and other than Fielding is the only British official who treats the Indian guests well during that event.
Part One, Chapters 1-5
Part One: Mosque
Chapter One:
Forster begins A Passage to India with a short description of Chandrapore, a city along that Ganges that is not notable except for the nearby Marabar caves. Chandrapore is a city of gardens with few fine houses from the imperial period of Upper India; it is primarily a "forest sparsely scattered with huts."
Analysis:
The first chapter of A Passage to India describes the setting of the novel. Forster establishes Chandrapore as a prototypical Indian town, neither distinguished nor exceptionally troubled. This town can therefore be taken to be symbolic of the rest of India rather than an exceptional case. This allows the actions that occur in the following chapters to be representative of the Anglo-Indian colonial relations that will dominate the events of the novel. By beginning the novel with a mention of the Marabar Caves, Forster foreshadows later events that will occur concerning the Marabar Caves and that will provide the narrative turning point of A Passage to India. It is significant that Forster does not begin the novel with the description of any particular character. This places the story in context of the town of Chandrapore in particular and the nation of India in general.
Chapter Two:
Dr. Aziz arrives by bicycle at the house of Hamidullah, where Hamidullah and Mr. Mahmoud Ali are smoking hookah and arguing about whether it is possible to be friends with an Englishman. Hamidullah, educated at Cambridge, claims that it is possibly only in England, and the three gossip about English elites in India. Hamidullah Begum, a distant aunt of Aziz, asks him when he will be married, but he responds that once is enough. A servant arrives, bearing a note from the Civil Surgeon; Callendar wishes to see Aziz at his bungalow about a medical case. Aziz leaves, traveling down the various streets named after victorious English generals, to reach Major Callendar's compound. The servant at the compound snubs Aziz, telling him the major has no message. Two English ladies, Mrs. Callendar and Mrs. Lesley, take Aziz's tonga (carriage), thinking that his ride is their own. Aziz then leaves to go to the nearly mosque paved with broken slabs. The Islamic temple awakens Aziz's sense of beauty; for Aziz, Islam is more than a mere Faith, but an attitude towards life. Suddenly, an elderly Englishwoman arrives at the mosque. He reprimands her, telling her that she has no right to be there and that she should have taken off her shoes, but she tells him that she did remember to take them off. Aziz then apologizes for assuming that she would have forgotten. She introduces herself as Mrs. Moore, and tells Aziz that she is newly arrived in India and has come from the club. He warns her about walking alone at night, because of poisonous snakes and insects. Mrs. Moore is visiting her son, Mr. Heaslop, who is the City Magistrate. They find that they have much in common: both were married twice and have two sons and a daughter. He escorts Mrs. Moore back to the club, but tells her that Indians are not allowed into the Chandrapore Club, even as guests.
Analysis:
In this chapter, Forster establishes several of the major themes that will predominate A Passage to India. Most important among these is the vast difference between the English colonial elite and the native population of India. Forster makes it clear that the British elite treat the Indians with disrespect, as demonstrated by Major Callendar's summons to Aziz and his wife's oblivious attitude toward Aziz when she takes his tonga. However, Aziz is too polite to confront the women on their slight. He values behaving politely to these English elites over asserting his own sense of self-respect. This event therefore provides a contrast to later events of the novel in which Aziz becomes less accommodating and more focused on his rights and dignity.
Forster harbors a particular distrust for English women in India, finding that they are more likely to treat Indians with disrespect. The Indians, in turn, are preoccupied with the English treatment of them. The Indians are aware of the degrees of English treatment toward them, as shown when Hamidullah notes that the English in India are less kind than the English in England. This evokes broader themes of colonialism that permeate the novel; Forster will indicate that the position of the English as rulers changes the social dynamic between them and the Indians at the expense of normal, cordial behavior that would otherwise occur.
Dr. Aziz emerges in this chapter as an easily excitable man who is conscious of any slight against him by the English elite, having been trained by experience to notice these snubs. He automatically assumes the worst when dealing with the English, as shown with his premature reprimand of Mrs. Moore, who defies all of his expectations of English women. Yet if Aziz is extremely sensitive to others behavior and initially distrustful of Mrs. Moore, his reserve soon melts around Mrs. Moore after she shows respect for him and his culture. This relates to a major theme in the novel, the interaction between eastern and western culture. Mrs. Moore is to a large extent an idealized character in A Passage to India; this elderly woman is sensitive, intelligent and kind to Dr. Aziz. She is a symbol of all that is decent in western culture: she takes liberal views and adheres to Christian ideals of behavior. It is not at all surprising that he so quickly takes a liking to her.
Chapter Three:
Mrs. Moore returns to the Chandrapore Club, where she meets Adela Quested, her companion from England who may marry her son Ronny Heaslop; Adela wishes to see "the real India." She complains that they have seen nothing of India, but rather a replica of England. After the play at the Club ends, the orchestra plays the anthem of the Army of Occupation, a reminder of every club member that he or she is a British in exile. Fielding, the schoolmaster of Government College, suggests that if they want to see India they should actually see Indians. Mrs. Callendar says that the kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die. The Collector suggests that they have a Bridge Party (a party to bridge the gulf between east and west). When Mrs. Moore tells Ronny about her trip to the mosque, he scolds her for speaking to a Mohammedan and suspects the worst, but Mrs. Moore defends Dr. Aziz. Ronny worries that Aziz does not tolerate the English (the "brutal conqueror, the sun-dried bureaucrat" as he describes them). When she tells him that Aziz dislikes the Callendars, Ronny decides that he must pass that information on to them and tells her that Aziz abused them in order to impress her. When she tells Ronny that he never judged people in this way at home, Ronny rudely replies that India is not home. Finally Ronny agrees not to say anything to Major Callendar.
Analysis:
In this chapter, Forster introduces Adela Quested, Ronny Heaslop and Mr. Fielding, each of whom will play major roles throughout the novel. Adela Quested, as her name implies, is on a quest in India. She is motivated by a strong curiosity and a desire to seek what she perceives as the truth about India. Although she has a taste for learning about India and is certainly more receptive to interacting with Indians than her fellow Englishwomen in India, her passion seems somewhat academic; her curiosity about India is not primarily a curiosity about Indians themselves, but rather an intellectual concern with their culture. Forster allows the possibility that the now decent and accommodating Adela will assume the imperialist attitudes that mark the other Englishwomen, whose treatment of Indians is deplorable. Mrs. Callendar's statement about the kindness of letting natives die is perhaps the most egregious example, but even in their more subtle conduct there is a perpetual undercurrent of colonialist superiority that marks most of the English characters. With the exception of Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore, the other female British characters are flat characters. Their sole purpose in the novel is symbolic: they show the racism and cultural superiority felt by the British in India.
Ronny Heaslop exemplifies the colonial bureaucratic mindset that dominates the English elite. He suspects all Indians of wrongdoing and consistently scolds his mother for deeming Indians worthy of her company. However, Forster indicates that Ronny is not completely to blame for his own behavior. Mrs. Moore notes that he never behaved so rudely at home, implying that his position in India has made Ronny suspicious and mundanely malicious. This is a significant point: Forster condemns the colonial system in India for its effects on both the native population and the elite, rather than the individual English bureaucrat who soon adopts the prejudices that colonialism promotes.
Mr. Fielding, however, stands outside of the colonialist bureaucracy. He is primarily an educator whose interests are independent of the colonial political hierarchy. Fielding therefore can transgress social boundaries that the other characters must obey. He will serve as both the conduit between the English and the Indians in A Passage to India as well as the character who can offer the most realistic assessment of the colonial system within India, neither altogether condemning it as do the Indians nor wholeheartedly supporting it as the British bureaucracy do. The degree to which Fielding can move among the English and the Indians illustrates another one of Forster's themes in A Passage to India: the meaning and responsibilities of belonging to a race.' Fielding will demonstrate a fluid conception of race in which belonging to a particular culture does not necessitate supporting that race, yet the degree to which he can break from the English will be tested.
Chapter Four:
Mr. Turton, the Collector, issues invitations to numerous Indian gentlemen in the neighborhood for the Bridge Party. While he argues with Mr. Ram Chand and the elderly and distinguished Nawab Bahadur, Mahmoud Ali claims that the Bridge Party is due to actions from the Lieutenant Governor, for Turton would never do this unless compelled. The Nawab Bahadur is a large proprietor and philanthropist; his decision to attend the Bridge party carries great weight. Mr. Graysford and Mr. Sorley, the missionaries who live nearby, argue that no one should be turned away by God, but cannot decide whether divine hospitality should end at monkeys or jackals or wasps or even bacteria. They conclude that someone must be excluded or they shall be left with nothing.
Analysis:
The Bridge Party is a significant event for the Indians, who consider it with an appropriate skepticism. They believe that the motivation for the party is not a sincere attempt to stimulate a sense of reciprocity among the two societies, but rather the dictate of a higher-ranking colonial official. The decision of the Nawab Bahadur, however, dictates that those invited should accept the invitation. Forster specifically shows the Nawab Bahadur to be a distinguished member of Indian society whose decisions must be respected, a symbol of Indian authority; this foreshadows later events in which he does not receive the appropriate deference from others.
The discussion about religion by the missionaries is a reminder of the hierarchies that dominate A Passage to India. The purpose of these hierarchies is to degrade others to elevate the elite; when such an elite system of inclusion and exclusion occurs, the ability to set who can be can included is the only power that these elites truly have. Their conversation has an obvious analogy in British India. The British define their power by their ability to dominate the Indians and exclude them from certain privileges, whether political or social.
Chapter Five:
Neither Mrs. Moore nor Adela Quested consider the Bridge Party to be a success. The Indians for the most part adopt European costume, and the conversations are uncomfortable. Mrs. Moore speaks to Mrs. Bhattacharya and asks if she may call on her some day, but becomes distressed when she believes that Mrs. Bhattacharya will postpone a trip to Calcutta for her. During the party, Mr. Turton and Mr. Fielding are the only officials who behave well toward the Indian guests. Mr. Fielding comes to respect Mrs. Moore and Adela. Mr. Fielding suggests that Adela meet Dr. Aziz. Ronny and Mrs. Moore discuss his behavior in India, and he tells her that he is not there to be pleasant, for he has more important things to do there. Mrs. Moore believes that Ronny reminds her of his public school days when he talked like an intelligent and embittered boy. Mrs. Moore reminds him that God put us on earth to love our neighbors, even in India. She feels it is a mistake to mention God, but as she has aged she found him increasingly difficult to avoid.
Analysis:
The Bridge Party is an honorable failure for all those who attend, borne of mostly good intentions but extremely poor execution. It represents all of the problems of cross-cultural exchange between the English and the Indians. With a few notable exceptions, the British who attend the party do not behave well. Of the men, only Mr. Fielding and Mr. Turton behave well, while among the women only Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested are interested in speaking with the Indians. However, these two women, who wish to learn from the Indians, find that this particular setting is stifling.
Even when Mrs. Moore and Adela attempt to reach out to Indians, they find that their attempts go awry. F The interaction between Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Bhattacharya is indicative of this; while Mrs. Moore simply wants to visit with Mrs. Bhattacharya, this woman, unaccustomed to such polite behavior, misinterprets this as a significant event and plans to postpone her vacation for it. Forster indicates that the desire for each of these groups to be polite and sensitive to one another creates a stifling atmosphere between them; those who wish to interact socially have such a fear of offending one another that they create barriers to their own interaction. This also illustrates a prevalent motif in A Passage to India, the insufficiency of good intentions.
Mrs. Moore serves as the moral center in A Passage to India, a woman of exemplary behavior and intentions toward others. She behaves with a direct simplicity, reminding her son of Christian teachings. Mrs. Moore does bear a certain burden because of this uncomplicated goodness; her unwavering, righteous mindset will make her a victim of others' less stringent moral systems, while her belief in the tenets of Christian morality will be tested in the non-Christian landscape of India. Forster mentions that Mrs. Moore finds it more difficult to avoid mentioning God as she ages; this shows that Mrs. Moore has a great concern for her own morality and that she has a preoccupation with death.
Part One, Chapters 6-11
Chapter Six:
Aziz did not go to the Bridge Party, but instead he dealt with several surgical cases. It was the anniversary of his wife's death; they married before they had met and he did not love her at first, but that changed after the birth of their first child. He feels that he will never get over the death of his first wife. Dr. Panna Lal returns from the Bridge Party to see Aziz and offers a paltry excuse for why he did not attend. Aziz worries that he offended the Collector by absenting himself from the party. When Aziz returns home he finds an invitation from Mr. Fielding to tea, which revives his spirits.
Analysis:
Forster uses this chapter to give more biographical information about Dr. Aziz that illustrates the differences between western European and Indian culture. This chapter serves as a reminder that the differences between east and west are a constant preoccupation for Dr. Aziz, who adopts some western traditions while eschewing others. Forster also demonstrates Aziz's concern that he has offended his English superiors by not attending the Bridge Party, showing once again how Aziz wishes to please the ruling Anglo-Indians.
Forster portrays Dr. Aziz as a person who is prone to bouts of depression and anxiety. His mood can shift suddenly and violently from morose to elated based on external circumstances. One detail that Forster mentions in this chapter will be significant later: the photograph of Dr. Aziz's wife will be an important object in the novel in terms of the plot at two different points in the story.
Chapter Seven:
Mr. Fielding arrived in India late in his life, when he had already passed forty, and was by that time a hard-bitten, good-tempered fellow with a great enthusiasm for education. He has no racial feelings, because he had matured in a different atmosphere where the herd instinct did not flourish. The wives of the English officers dislike Fielding for his liberal racial views, and Fielding discovers that it is possible to keep company with both Indians and Englishmen, but to keep company with English women he must drop Indians. Aziz arrives at Fielding's house for tea as Fielding is dressing after a bath; since Fielding cannot see him, Aziz makes Fielding guess what he looks like. Aziz offers Fielding his collar stud, for he has lost his. When Fielding asks why people wear collars at all, Aziz responds that he wears them to pass the Police, who take little notice of Indians in English dress. Fielding tells Aziz that they will meet with Mrs. Moore and Adela, as well as Professor Narayan Godbole, the Deccani Brahman. Mrs. Moore tells Mr. Fielding that Mrs. Bhattacharya was to send a carriage for her this morning, but did not, and worries that she offended her. Fielding, Aziz, Mrs. Moore and Adela discuss mysteries. Mrs. Moore claims she likes mysteries but hates muddles, but Mr. Fielding claims that a mystery is a muddle, and that India itself is a muddle. Godbole arrives, a polite and enigmatic yet eloquent man, elderly and wizened. His whole appearance suggests harmony, as if he has reconciled the products of East and West, mental as well as physical. They discuss how one can get mangoes in England now, and Fielding remarks that India can be made in England just as England is now made in India. They discuss the Marabar Caves, and Fielding takes Mrs. Moore to see the college. Ronny arrives, annoyed to see Adela with Aziz and Godbole. Ronny tells Fielding that he doesn't like to see an English girl left smoking with two Indians, but he reminds him that Adela made the decision herself.
Analysis:
Mr. Fielding is in many respects the key character in A Passage to India, for it is he who can bridge the gap between the English and the Indians. He is the one character that has some sense of social autonomy, yet this autonomy comes at a price; he is in some ways an outsider among the English, particularly among the women. Forster again reminds the reader that it is the Englishwomen who are most likely to shun him for his association with Indians. This also reinforces the theme that belonging to a racial category in India comes at a price. For Fielding to have the ability to move among the races in India, he must sacrifice certain privileges that are normally afforded the English. Fielding does not symbolize any particular race or social group in India, thus will come to stand for different ideas of liberalism and justice.
Forster examines both the state of India and of Anglo-Indian relations in this chapter. For all of the characters, India is in some sense a muddle, for it uneasily combines eastern and western traditions without fully integrating them. As Aziz shows with his mention of police harassment of Indians in traditional dress, the combination of eastern and western can be imposed on India unwillingly rather than chosen independently. When they discuss how India can be made in England as England has been made in India, Fielding's remark reveals the true intention of the colonial regime: they intend to replicate England on Indian soil, unaware that all traditions will not transfer. However, Professor Godbole demonstrates that an integration of eastern and western society may occur successfully. Forster claims that he has reconciled the products of East and West, yet this conciliation of the two traditions is primarily an internal phenomena. Professor Godbole symbolizes the harmony that may occur in India.
Chapter Eight:
For Adela, Ronny's self-complacency and lack of subtlety grow more vivid in India than in England. Adela tells Ronny that Fielding, Aziz and Godbole are planning a picnic at the Marabar Caves for her and Mrs. Moore. Ronny mocks Aziz for missing his collar stud, claiming that it is typical of the Indian inattention to detail. Adela decides that she will not marry Ronny, who is hurt by the news but tells her that they were never bound to marry in the first place. She feels ashamed at his decency, and they decide that they shall remain friends. Ronny suggests a car trip to see Chandrapore, and the Nawab Bahadur offers to take them. There is a slight accident, as the car swerves into a tree near an embankment. Adela thinks that they ran into an animal, perhaps a hyena or a buffalo. When Miss Derek finds them, she offers to drive all of them back into town except for Mr. Harris, the Eurasian chauffeur. The Nawab Bahadur scolds Miss Derek for her behavior. Adela tells Ronny that she takes back what she told him about marriage. Ronny apologizes to his mother for his behavior at Mr. Fielding's house. Mrs. Moore is now tired of India and wishes only for her passage back to England. Ronny reminds her that she has dealt with three sets of Indians today, and all three have let her down, but Mrs. Moore claims that she likes Aziz. The Nawab Bahadur thinks that the accident was caused by a ghost, for several years before he was in a car accident in which he killed a drunken man.
Analysis:
Forster sets Ronny Heaslop as symbolic of the detrimental effects of English colonialism on India. He is not subtle about his contempt for the Indians whom he considers inferior, even when that supposed inferiority has no actual basis. His criticism of Aziz is an important point; he mocks him for missing the collar stud, when in fact it was Fielding who was missing the stud and Aziz who kindly lent him his own. This is the most prominent example of irony that Forster employs. Ronny criticizes Aziz for inattention to detail while he himself is inattentive to the fact that Aziz is missing his collar stud because Fielding, an Englishman, was missing his own. Forster creates several scenes that complement this in which Ronny misinterprets the actions of the Indians, assuming the worst when there are important mitigating factors. Although Ronny can presumably claim that three different groups of Indians disappointed Mrs. Moore that day, none of these are clear-cut cases.
Adela Quested's rejection of Ronny can be seen partially as a rejection of his racial values. She even notes that his character flaws are more apparent now than when they met in England, indicating that India has contributed to Ronny's colonialist arrogance and sense of superiority. However, although her decision is sensible, Adela is neither decisive nor altogether clearheaded. She rejects Ronny, then later revokes what she said with little motivation for either event. Forster indicates that Adela is in some ways unformed, with few unwavering characteristics. It is this malleable quality that allows her to open up to Indian society, yet it will also subject her to an impending sense of indecision and confusion.
The car accident involving the Nawab Bahadur is yet another example of how the British officials and their wives mistreat Indians, yet it is significant for yet another reason. The actual events of the accident are unclear, and explanations for it range from the mundane to the supernatural. This foreshadows later events in the novel in which different characters approach an ambiguous event from different perspectives, and evokes what is perhaps the most important theme in A Passage to India: the difficulty of interpretation. In some cases, such as Ronny's critique of Aziz for missing the collar stud, a character fully misinterprets a situation, but the car wreck is an altogether different case, for a lack of information means that even the reader cannot accurately determine what actually occurred.
Chapter Nine:
Aziz falls ill with fever, and Hamidullah discusses his illness with Syed Mohammed, the assistant engineer, and Mr. Haq, a police inspector. Rafi, the engineer's nephew, suggests that something suspicious occurred, for Godbole also fell sick after Fielding's party, but Hamidullah dismisses the idea. Mr. Fielding visits Aziz. They discuss Indian education, and Aziz asks if it is fair that an Englishman holds a teaching position when qualified Indians are available. Fielding cannot answer "England holds India for her own good," the only answer to a conversation of this type. Fielding instead says that he is delighted to be in India, and that is his only excuse for working there. He suggests chucking out any Englishman who does not appreciate being in India.
Analysis:
Since Mr. Fielding is the one character who can interact easily with both the English and the Indians, he occupies a distinct moral place in the novel. He is the character who can best articulate what must be done for India and voice Forster's own sentiments on the state of India. Mr. Fielding is receptive to Indian culture and to fair treatment of Indian citizens, but he is not an unequivocal patriot for immediate Indian liberation. He does not share the suspicions and cynicism that mark his Indian friends, who harbor a great distrust for any Englishman in India. Likewise, he will admit to himself that "England holds India for her own good," but is certainly no colonial apologist. Fielding instead ignores the broad issues surrounding English occupation of India to focus on personal experience and events. He suggests that at its base rulership of India requires the rulers to appreciate and adapt to Indian culture.
The discussion of possible conspiracies involving Aziz's invitation to Fielding's home illustrates how Indians are as susceptible to misinterpretation as the English. Their discussion provides an interesting juxtaposition with those of the English, for both groups speak of different cultures with suspicion and paranoia. This indicates that the Indians are prone to making the same mistakes as the English, even if they do not have the social and political power to enforce their particular errors.
Chapter Ten:
Opposite Aziz's bungalow stands a large unfinished house belonging to two brothers. A squirrel hangs on it, seeming to be the only occupant of the house. More noises come from nearby animals. These animals make up the majority of the living creatures of India, yet do not care how India is governed.
Analysis:
Forster uses this chapter as a reminder of the atmosphere of India and its differences from Great Britain, yet also places the events of the novel in a larger perspective. Forster's contemporary India is much closer to nature than the industrialized England. His comments about the various animals who are the majority of India deflates the events of the novel, reminding the reader that so much remains unchanged whether England rules India or India has an independent government.
Chapter Eleven:
Aziz shows Fielding a picture of his wife, a custom uncommon in Islamic tradition. Aziz tells him that he believes in the purdah, but would have told his wife that Fielding is his brother and thus she would have seen him, just as Hamidullah and a small number of others had. Fielding wonders what kindness he offered to Aziz to have such kindness offered back to him. Aziz asks Fielding if he has any children, which he does not, and asks why he does not marry Miss Quested. He claims that she is a prig, a pathetic product of Western education who prattles on as if she were at a lecture. He tells him that Adela is engaged to the City Magistrate. Aziz then makes a derogatory comment about Miss Quested's small breasts. Aziz discovers that Fielding was warm-hearted and unconventional, but not wise, yet they are friends and brothers.
Analysis:
The friendship between Dr. Aziz and Mr. Fielding develops in the chapter, as Aziz confides in Mr. Fielding just as he would a close relative. When he shows Fielding the photograph of his wife, this is a significant development, for it means that Aziz considers Fielding to be like a brother. In Islamic tradition, only one very close to Aziz and his wife would be able to view her, and in all other circumstances she must remain covered. That Aziz shows Fielding the photograph shows the high regard in which he holds Fielding; this object is a symbol of their intimate friendship.
Forster uses this chapter to illustrate the insufficiencies of three of the novel's major characters. Fielding gives another view of Miss Quested, whom he considers a prig and a dilettante with only academic knowledge, while Aziz realizes Fielding's own intellectual limitations. Forster also shows one of Aziz's major character flaws. He is sexually condescending, disparaging Adela for her small breasts and unattractive appearance. Forster juxtaposes Aziz's criticism with Fielding's: the former dislikes her for her appearance, while the latter dislikes her because of her intellect. Forster thus demonstrates the limitations and insufficiencies of these three major characters that will prove significant throughout the novel, determining the course of action that each character takes.
Part Two, Chapters 12-22
Part Two: Caves
Chapter Twelve:
This chapter is devoted solely to a description of the Marabar Caves. Each of the caves include a tunnel about eight feet long, five feet high, three feet wide that leads to a circular chamber about twenty feet in diameter. Having seen one cave, one has essentially seen all of them. A visitor who sees them returns to Chandrapore uncertain whether he has had an interesting experience, a dull one, or even an experience at all. In one of the caves there is rumored to be a boulder that swings on the summit of the highest of the hills; this boulder sits on a pedestal known as the Kawa Dol.
Analysis:
Forster describes the Marabar Caves as a center of ambiguity in the chapter. Visitors to the cave cannot fully interpret the significance of the caves or even whether or not they are an interesting experience or a dull one. This relates to the theme of difficulty of interpretation prevalent in A Passage to India. The caves will thus serve as a physical manifestation of the events surrounding them. Forster foreshadows future events that will occur in the cave which will be impossible to definitively determine. Forster also creates a sense of irony surrounding the trip to the caves. The characters have treated the Marabar Caves as perhaps the most fascinating site in Chandrapore, but Forster describes the caves as perhaps unexceptional and even dull.
Chapter Thirteen:
Adela Quested mentions the trip to the Marabar Caves to Miss Derek, but she mentions that she is unsure whether the trip will occur because Indians seem forgetful. A servant overhears them, and passes on the information to Mahmoud Ali. Aziz therefore decides to push the matter through, securing Fielding and Godbole for the trip and asking Fielding to approach Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore. Aziz considers all aspects of the trip, including food and alcohol, and worries about the cultural differences. Mrs. Moore and Adela travel to the caves in a purdah carriage. Aziz finds that Antony, the servant that the women are bringing, is not to be trusted, so he suggests that he is unnecessary, but Antony insists that Ronny wants him to go. Mohammed Latif bribes Antony not to go on the trip with them. Ten minutes before the train is to leave, Fielding and Godbole are not yet at the station. The train starts just as Fielding and Godbole arrive; Godbole had miscalculated the length of his morning prayer. When the two men miss the train, Aziz blames himself. Aziz feels that this trip is a chance for him to demonstrate that Indians are capable of responsibility.
Analysis:
Tensions are high among all involved in the trip to the Marabar Caves, particularly Aziz, who strains to impress Mrs. Moore and the other English visitors. He greatly fears offending the women through cultural insensitivity; he wishes to adapt the trip to English values to the greatest extent possible. This shows the difficulty of the social interaction between the English and the Indians. Even when both groups have the best of intentions, the differences between the two groups and the tension between them make it difficult for the groups to interact casually. This can be seen through the mistake which causes Fielding and Godbole to miss the train.
Aziz's character flaws become more explicit in this chapter, as he feels the strain of trying to impress Adela and Mrs. Moore. Although Aziz has good intentions, he is tense and controlling. Aziz also shows himself to be prone to melodrama, blaming himself for a foolish mistake by Godbole and thinking that the whole trip is ruined because of it. Aziz begins to distrust those around him, sending away Antony, who he believes to be a spy for Ronny Heaslop. The bribery of Antony is a disturbing action for Aziz and Mohammed Latif. They use devious means to ensure that Ronny's servant not attend the trip, and their actions are thus susceptible to great misinterpretation. Furthermore, the absence of Fielding from the trip will leave Aziz without an intermediary between him and the English women that will contribute to the troubles that will soon occur.
Chapter Fourteen:
For the past two weeks in which they had been in India, Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested had felt nothing, living inside cocoons; Mrs. Moore accepts her apathy, but Adela resents hers. It is Adela's faith that the whole stream of events is important and interesting, and if she grows bored she blames herself severely. This is her only major insincerity. Mrs. Moore feels increasingly that people are important, but relationships between them are not and that in particular too much fuss has been made over marriage. The train reaches its destination and they ride elephants to reach the caves. None of the guests particularly want to see the caves. Aziz overrates hospitality, mistaking it for intimacy and not seeing that it is tainted with a sense of possession. It is only when Mrs. Moore and Fielding are near that he knows that it is more blessed to receive than to give. Miss Quested admits that it is inevitable that she will become an Anglo-Indian, but Aziz protests. She hopes that she will not become like Mrs. Turton and Mrs. Callendar, but admits that she does not have a special force of character to stop that tendency. In one of the caves there is a distinct echo, which alarms Mrs. Moore, who decides she must leave the cave. Aziz appreciates the frankness with which Mrs. Moore treats him. Mrs. Moore begins to write a letter to her son and daughter, but cannot because she remains disturbed and frightened by the echo in the cave. She is terrified because the universe no longer offers repose to her soul. She has lost all interest, even in Aziz, and the affectionate and sincere words that she had spoken seem foreign to her.
Analysis:
Forster establishes more of Mrs. Moore's and Adela Quested's traits in this chapter, describing Mrs. Moore as a woman facing a spiritual crisis as she ages. She does not have the need for drama that Adela has, a quality that will cause Miss Quested great pain, but Mrs. Moore does not have the sense of confidence in any ultimate spiritual truth for comfort. The saintly Mrs. Moore thus becomes concurrently more fragile and more hardened to the outside world. The experience in the caves in which she hears the mysterious echo serves as a turning point for Mrs. Moore, reminding her of the emptiness and horror that seems to surround her, yet she demonstrates this great terror by becoming solitary and unconcerned with those around her. The sincerity and graciousness that she had demonstrated becomes foreign to her, and she collapses into a depressive solipsism.
Forster portrays Adela Quested as a woman who is sincere and forthright, but nevertheless a person of weak and shallow character. She admits that she is susceptible to outside influences and that she does not have the strength of character to resist becoming the typical Anglo-Indian with the corresponding narrow-minded view of Indians. This will be an equally important characteristic in terms of impending plot developments; Adela will be unable to stop events that she herself sets in motion. However, whatever Adela's weakness, she is honest and realizes these insufficiencies. This quality of self-awareness, if not completely negating these undesirable traits, permits Adela to admit her mistakes and errors.
The visit to the Marabar Caves becomes more absurd as the novel continues. Forster portrays the entire expedition with a sense of irony. None of the guests truly wish to see the caves, and each of the guests is tense and unable to appreciate the visit. Aziz works too hard to please; if Adela is a person who becomes overwhelmed by events around her, Aziz is a person who throws himself wholeheartedly into events to a loss of any sense of perspective. The trip to the Marabar Caves demonstrates this loss of perspective as it becomes a diversion of gaudy excess that nobody truly wishes to occur.
Chapter Fifteen:
Adela and Aziz and a guide continue along the tedious expedition. They encounter several isolated caves which the guide persuades them to visit, but there is really nothing for them to see. Aziz has little to say to Miss Quested, for he likes her less than he does Mrs. Moore and greatly dislikes that she is marrying a British official, while Adela has little to say to Aziz. Adela realizes that she does not love Ronny, but is not sure whether that is reason enough to break off her engagement. She asks Aziz if he is married, and he tells her that he is, feeling that it is more artistic to have his wife alive for a moment. She asks him if he has one wife or more than one, a question which shocks him very much, but Adela is unaware that she had said the wrong thing.
Analysis:
Mrs. Moore's newly developing disillusionment as well as the absence of Fielding and Godbole leaves Adela and Aziz together, an event fraught with peril, for the two have little regard for one another and interaction between the two takes on a more lurid dimension than the obvious innocent social interaction between the elderly Mrs. Moore and Aziz. This situation is precisely what Ronny fears, for an undercurrent of sexual impropriety pervades this chapter, as shown by Adela's realization that she does not love Ronny and her question for Aziz about whether he has more than one wife. However, whatever the subtext of the conversation, the interaction between the two characters is entirely innocent: there remains no sexual attraction between Aziz and Adela. Forster indicates that part of Adela's rationale for not wanting to marry Ronny is due to a similar lack of sexual attraction, but she must consider the comforts that the stable Ronny can provide.
سعد الدهيمي- عضو مميز
- عدد المساهمات : 262
تاريخ التسجيل : 07/12/2010
الموقع : منتديات الأدب واللغة الانجليزية
مواضيع مماثلة
» A Passage to India Part 2
» ملخص الرواية في السينما A passage to India
» فيلم A Passage to India
» A Passage to India Quiz
» اسئلة مقالية عن A Passage To India
» ملخص الرواية في السينما A passage to India
» فيلم A Passage to India
» A Passage to India Quiz
» اسئلة مقالية عن A Passage To India
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