A Passage to India

E. M. Forster

full title A Passage to India

author E.M. Forster
type of work Novel
genre Modernist novel; psychological novel
language English
time and place written 19121924; India, England
date of first publication 1924
publisher Edward Arnold
narrator Forster uses an unnamed third-person narrator
point of view The third-person narrator is omniscient, attuned both to the physical world and the inner states of the
characters
tone Forsters tone is often poetic and sometimes ironic or philosophical
tense Immediate past
setting (time) 1910s or 1920s
setting (place) India, specifically the cities of Chandrapore and Mau
protagonist Dr. Aziz
major conflict Adela Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of attempting to sexually assault her in one of the Marabar Caves.
Aziz suspects Fielding has plotted against him with the English.
themes The difficulty of English-Indian friendship; the unity of all living things; the muddle of India; the
negligence of British colonial government
motifs The echo; Eastern and Western architecture; Godboles song
symbols The Marabar Caves; the green bird; the wasp
foreshadowing Adelas concern about breaking down during the trial; Fieldings interest in Hinduism at the end of
Part II