A PASSAGE TO 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.