The famous English writer as well as literary critic Edward Morgan Forster opened his eyes in the house of an architect on 1st January 1879. His father left this world when E.M Forster was a little lad and soon after his father's death, he fell under the care of his mother and paternal aunts. He received his early education from Tonbridge School- a private learning institution-system. For higher education, he went to Cambridge where he had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy liberation. After completing his education at Cambridge he began to abide by his intellectual inclination which led him to devote his life to literary writings. He wrote essays, novels and also made his name as a social and literary critic. In addition to this, he won fame in the field of novel. He penned down some famous novels such as Howards End and A Passage to India. In most of his writings, he represented the values of truthfulness and kindness. Apart from that main theme of his writings is class distinction like A Passage to India is a bright example of such class distinction.
E.M Forster has chosen Chandrapore India to set
the first two parts of his famous novel A Passage to India while another famous
fictional city Mau to open the third part of the novel. Furthermore, the novel
has been written in the early decades of twenty century when India was ruled by
the English Empire. India was a colony and the British Empire was the
colonizer. British came to India back in the early 16th century with the aim of
business but gradually made the Indian continent her colony. The turning point
which presented the British Empire with the opportunity to become the colonizer
was the mutiny-known as the war of independence in Indian history-of 1857.
After the mutiny not only certain important events took place but also the
decades following mutiny witnessed the growing sense of nationalism among
Indians and Muslim revival along with their appreciation for the Mugul Empire
and desire for independence. In addition to that, certain important political
events took place in India soon after the end of the first World War such as
the infamous Jallianwallah Bagh incident was followed by civil unrest. Along
with that, the Non-Cooperation movement was launched. This movement along with other
events created a political division between British colonizers and the Indian
Colony, also social and political division between the two major Indian
nationalities, Muslims and Hindus.
Further to this, the British Colonizers ruled
India with a sense of superiority. The novel a passage to India depicts all the
above-mentioned Indian political as well as social features. For example, the
fictional city of Chandrapore represents the areas that were under the direct
rule of British Colonizers where the city Mau carries the character of princely
states which were enjoying a degree of autonomy under British rule. Similarly,
in this novel the deep political and social divisions between the two major
communities of India, Muslims, and Hindus, have been depicted through the
strained relationship between Muslim and Hindu characters. In addition, the
strikes after Aziz's arrest and during his trial in the novel represent the
demonstrations and strikes of the non-cooperation movement and the events
followed that in Indian history. In a nutshell, the novel, A passage
to India, revolves around the events which took place in India particularly in
the third and fourth decade of the twentieth century and generally from the
mutiny of 1857 to till the fifth decade of the twentieth century.
E.M Forster's A Passage to India is a wonderful
description of the everyday life of Indian communities under British colonial
rule. The British colonial rule in the subcontinent began in 1857 and continued
till the independence and partition of the subcontinent in 1947. The chief
slogan, motive, theme, or the prevailing mindset behind colonialism was the
famous phrase "white man's burden" coined by Rudyard Kipling. The
phrase was meant that it was the ethical responsibility of the civilized and
well literate Europeans to "civilize" other uncivilized nations. Thus
the British were of the view that their colonial rule over Indian land was for
the good of Indian people because under their colonial rule the Indians would
be civilized. Forster, himself being a British citizen, cannot digest the idea
of colonialism and the tyrannical rule of the colonizers in his novel A Passage
to India. On the other hand, He also does not advocate outright Indian
rebellion against the colonial rule; however, he shows utmost empathy to the
colonial rule, its tyranny, and flawed system. Forster in his novel A Passage
to India portrays most of the English men working in India under the colonial
rule as unoriginal, racist, and harmful figures. This is showed to the reader
most explicitly in the character of Ronny. He portrays the British women, apart
from Mrs. Moore and Adela, as less sympathetic than the English men, to the
extreme point that even Mr. Turtan blames their presence for the tensions with
the Indians. The British women don't have the everyday business and
interactions with Indian people than that the English men do, however, E.M
Forster portrays them usually more racially hateful and harmful. It's because
possibly the White Women are normally so isolated from authentic Indian society
and are not well aware of the social character so they are unable to properly
understand the Indian psyche.
Forster also shows how the colonial machine
makes the Indians hate and once in a while condescend to the British. The colonialists
are with the aid of necessity in the role of "oppressor," no depend
on how personally kind or open-minded they might be. This is first-class proven
in the adjustments to Aziz's character for the duration of the novel, as he
goes from laughing at and befriending the English to actively hating them.
Although Forster ultimately gives no concrete choice to British colonialism,
his universal message is that colonialism in India is a dangerous machine for
each of the British and the Indians. Friendships like that between Aziz and
Fielding are a rare exception, no longer the rule, and even such friendships
are all but destroyed or thwarted by using the issues and tensions of
colonialism.
In a nutshell; E.M Forster's novel A Passage to
India is, though in many ways a highly symbolic and of a mystical nature, text,
realistic documentation of the harsh attitudes of the English colonizers
towards the simple Indian people. Forster consumes a large part of his novel to
characterize different typical attitudes the British officials which they hold
toward the Indians whom they rule. Forster's satire is most harsh toward
British women, whom he considers and depicts overwhelmingly racist, hateful, and
viciously condescending to the native Indians. Some of the British male
characters in the novel are as nasty and racist as the women are, but Forster
more often identifies British men as men who, though condescending and unable
to relate to Indians on an individual level, are largely well-meaning and
invested in their day to day business. All Forster's criticism of the English
manner of ruling India as their colony does not appear to question the right of
the English Empire to govern India against the will of Indians. He, rather than
questioning the English rule over Indians, suggests that the British would be a
good master if it serves by becoming kinder, passionate, and more sympathetic
to the Indian people with whom they live. He does not dare to advise the
English men to abandon India.
Conclusion
As chapter 2nd, 5th and 24th are vivid
descriptions of colonialism in India. Colonizers misbehaving and using of
derogatory words can be seen in the novel. The sentences uttered by Mrs.
Moore, "We are not here to behave pleasantly!" and 'India is not a
drawing-room.' India is presented by mud and peoples are like monkeys shows the
turpitude mind of Goras (Englishmen). Class distinction is the main theme of
Forster's writings, and here in 'A Passage to India' he divides it into three
classes. Besides these In A Passage to India Ronny's attitude towards the
Indians is the projection of such imperial vision. This novel was written after
World War1 and highlights the life, culture, and beliefs of Indian people, but
on the other hand, it depicts the colonizer's attitude, and how much is it
difficult to be friends with the upper class, the Goras.