Theme of A Passage to India
A Passage to India, the novel, is the masterpiece of twentieth century,
written by the great novelist of the age, E. M. Forster. This novel reveals the
heart of a nation; the heart of the inhabitants of a nation; and the heart of
the outsiders dwelling inside a nation. Forster presents his ideas and views
about the countrymen and the British in a very well manner. He has visited
India many times; this is the record of his first visit to India which he made in
the year 1914. This novel records various events, important religious believes,
relationship between English and Indians.
Political Themes:
Thematically the story
begins over dinner in Hamidullah’s house where Dr Aziz and another friend
Mehmoud Ali discuss ‘whether or not it is possible to be friends with an
English man’. Mehmoud Ali argues that it is not. Hamidullah disagrees. He
contends that it is possible in England. He had been to that country long ago,
and received a cordial welcome at Cambridge. In India, any English man (Torton
or Burton) changes his attitude in two years and any English women in six
months. Leaving aside exceptions, English men become distrustful and feel
superior, English women appear haughty and venal. When the English arrive in India,
they intend to be gentleman but are told by their country men it will not do.
So they change. Turton was a gentle man once, now he is not. Mr fielding is
gentleman today, tomorrow he may not be.
Culture Clash
At the heart of A
Passage to India −and in the background−Is a clash between two
fundamentally different
cultures, those of East and West. The British poet Rudyard
Kipling, who was born in
India and lived there for several years as an adult, wrote:
"East is East and
West is West, and never the twain shall meet."_ Without quoting or
acknowledging Kipling,
Forster adopts this premise as a central theme of A Passage to
India.
The West is represented by
the Anglo−Indians (the British administrators and their
families in India) in
Chandrapore. They form a relatively small but close−knit
community. They live at
the civil station, apart from the Indians. Their social life
centers around the
Chandrapore Club, where they attempt to recreate the
entertainments that would
be found in England. Although these Westerners wish to
maintain good relations
with the Easterners whom they govern, they have no desire to
"understand"
India or the Indians. Early in the book Ronny Heaslop remarks that "No
one can even begin to
think of knowing this country until he has been in it twenty
years."' When Adela
Quested rebukes him for his attitudes, he replies that "India isn't
home"−that is, it is
not England.
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.
(Taken from a book)
