Theme Aziz-Fielding relationship Plot structure
Race and Gender Colonialism
Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) an
intellectual and Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge ranked among the most
cosmopolitan men of his day. His novels are only five in number. After the
early Where Angels Fear to Tread, with its well drawn characters,
its comedy and the typical concern with the conflict between two different
cultures comes The Longest Journey – a less attractive work that
shows the same skill of characterization. A Room with a View like
his first novel is set in Italy containing delicately handled excellent comedy.
Next comes, his two masterpieces, Howards End and much later A
Passage to India. Both deal with the misunderstandings that arise in
relationships among individuals in one case and among races in the other.
A Passage to India is artistically the most accomplished
and philosophically the most mature novel that he has written. On the thematic
level, the issue that Forster raises are of enduring interest. As a study of
British rule in India, the novel mercilessly exposes the racial arrogance and
thoughtless snobbery displayed by the ruling Anglo-Indians towards Indians
which is shown to be solely responsible for the wide gulf separating the rulers
and the ruled. Even though he does not spare the Indians from his satire
either, Forster observes with sympathy and perception the degrading effect of
the British rule on the Indians whom centuries of subjection have made pathetic
and ludicrous. The book also deals with other human issues which are of equally
abiding interest and worth- the importance of personal relations and the creed
of holiness and affirmation.
Through his characters and incidents
Forster brings forth how imagination, sympathy and warmth succeed in connecting
man to his fellow person; and the failure to connect is caused by arid
rationalism. A critic points out,
Forster’s intent is to present not
only western civilization in collision with eastern, imperial with colonial,
the human heart in conflict with the machinery of the government, class and
race; but also a mystical highly symbolic view of life, death and human
relationship.
The novel’s real distinction lies in
the complexity of the vision it evokes- the vision of division between man and
man and between man and universe, a division which creates not only barriers in
understanding but also hostility, evil and chaos. Forster looks into the abyss
lying beneath man’s feet and discovers a vision of chaos in the human sphere,
also more fundamentally chaos lying beneath man’s civilization and culture. The
greatness of the novel consists in his unflinching confrontation with such a
vision of chaos and emptiness. The central incident of the novel the visit to
the Marabar Caves brings home to two British women the dreadful truth that,
Everything
exists, nothing has value.
The emptiness and desolation which
Mrs. Moore finds in the caves are part of human condition, the separation
between all mankind and earth. India is the great sign of contemporary
condition in which man finds himself to be a speck on the ageless earth. Next,
Forster balances the vision of a harmony that transcends such a perception. The
festival scene is one of the great ‘epiphanies’ in the novel. In it he achieves
an awareness that in spite of the fundamental chaos underlying all human
activity, man must not shrink into his self and society but must achieve an
inclusiveness which can accept even the chaos of the universe. This awareness
makes Godbole, the celebrant of the Hindu festival, the main redemptive
character in the novel.
Considering artistry, Forster’s A
Passage to India is also regarded for its artistic accomplishment. It
has many aspects-the symphonic structure, the varied yet compact plot, the
elaborate symbolism, the pervasive yet subtle use of rhythm etc. The symphonic
structure of the novel consists of division of story into three parts. Their
titles Mosque, Caves and Temple which speak of the three crucial encounters as
well as of three moods of the Indian season are suggestive of a meaning which
goes beyond the mere events, the characters of the story.
Forster has always been considered as
a good weaver of plot, and this novel is no exception. The plot here is very
subtle consisting of clues and suggestions which are picked up later in the
story. This gives an impression of cohesion and unity. Traditional devices like
death and marriage are unsparingly used to tie up the loose ends in the story.
Again we find confident use of art,
in characterisation. The Indians are portrayed with imagination and sympathy.
There are some shallow characters like Mrs. Turton, Mrs. Callendar, McBryde and
Ronny. Taking round characters, we have the most interesting, most human and
most believable of all, in the figure Aziz. Fielding is portrayed vividly and
sympathetically. However, we also find another aspect of characterisation- his
creation of redemptive characters like Mrs. Moore and Godbole. Both of them
have mysterious powers of bringing about good in the world around them. Mrs.
Moore exercises a benevolent influence which is more powerful than her
kindness. Godbole shows his all embracing love in the festival thereby, meeting
the challenge of negation and evil of the Caves. In fact, it is these two
characters that ultimately bridge A Passage to India through
their involvement in the three sections.
Then we have Forster’s use of
symbolism as the most intricate aspect of his art work. The expanding
significance of images, metaphors and expressions is what gives a symbolic
dimension to the story and warns of a larger meaning which goes beyond story,
people and setting. However, it is Forster’s use of pattern and rhythm that
marks the novel as one of the outstanding literary accomplishments. The pattern
of the novel has the rhythmic rise, fall, rise that serves as a medium to communicate
the moral and religious vision to the reader.
Therefore, thematically as well as
artistically Forster has succeeded in producing the effect of surprise,
freshness and hope
Meticulously justified the topic
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