E. M. Forster, A Passage to India (1924)
Against what events in India are the events of this novel set? When would India finally gain independence from Britain?
What are some ways in which the novel reflects Forster’s own experiences? To whom is A Passage to India dedicated, and how may he be related to the novel? (possibly character of Aziz contains some of his traits?)
Would you describe aspects of this novel as “orientalist”? In what ways does it depart from or criticism the kind of orientalist text deplored by Edward Said?
What does the organization into of the novel into three sub-titled parts lead the reader to expect?
What are some traits of the narrative voice? To what extent does it control and shape the reader's responses? Are there instances when it is hard to separate free indirect discourse from the third person narrator? What kinds of meditations and descriptions characterize the passages entirely in the narrator's voice?
What do you make of the characters’ language use throughout? To what extent is it used to give an Indian ambiance? Does it convey a sense of what colloquial expressions Anglo-English persons might have used in the 1920s?
Chapter 1:
What tone is created by the opening chapter? How does it channel the reader’s attitude toward the people of India, its history, its geographical space, and its future? How does it affect the reader’s expectations for the outcome of the book?
In what part of India is this story set? (northeast, near Tibet) What expectations are set up by the final sentence? (“These fists and fingers are the Marabar Hills, containing the extraordinary caves.”)
Chapter 2:
From whose point of view do we first enter the story? What anticipatory topic are the friends discussing? (whether it is possible to be friends with an Englishman) What answers to they give, and how do these variations reflect their personalities and experiences? What do they report of the “red-nosed boy” (and who will we later realize this is?)
What do they predict of the future? (Fielding will also change toward them—will this happen?) What is their view of Englishwomen in India? (even worse)
With what form of graft are the English charged? (taking bribes) Which English persons do they exempt from their mistrust? (two persons who had hosted Hamidullah when the latter was in England, and Queen Victoria) What do you make of the lingering respect for the British monarch (Empress of India)?
What do we see as the role of women in Indian family life? (behind the purdah; Aziz finds his aunt rude and annoying) What view of women’s destiny is expressed by Hamidullah?
What kind of poetry is recited at dinner? (Persian poetry on Islam and love)
What do we learn about the English colony in India from their own words and behavior? What relationship do they have with the people they govern, and how do they differ among themselves in their attitude toward the native Indians and the forms of courtesy and friendliness appropriate for Anglo-Indian relations?
How does Aziz respond to the summons from the British head doctor, Mr. Callendar? What act of hygiene do the natives all consider necessary for a public appearance? (cleaning teeth) What problems does he encounter in making the trip? (flat tire on bicycle, worries about proper etiquette for his entry)
How does Aziz interpret the fact that the servant tells him that no message has been left for him? (has failed to tip the servant on a previous occasion) What is Forester’s gloss on the issue of tips? (“indeed the tip that buys the exact truth has not yet been minted”)
What rude acts do the exiting Englishwomen perform? (fail to acknowledge Aziz, take his carriage) What is his revenge? (notes that they are unattractive)
What comfort does he find in the temple and its decorations (Islamic religion fits his attitude toward life)?
Who enters the temple, and why does he at first accuse her of irreverence? What is her response? (God is everywhere)
About what do they converse, and on what basis do they feel solidarity? (she sympathizes with his complaints, or at least is neutral) What admission on her part evokes his trust? (she hadn’t especially liked Mrs. Callendar)
What makes the experience important to each of them? (he can seldom be honest with anyone British; she wants to make friends with Indian people)
What play is being performed at the British clubhouse, and what significance does this have? (Cousin Kate a superficial current drama performed in England and the US) What does it say about Mrs. Moore that she would rather not see it again?
In response to her apology for not being able to invite him into the clubhouse, what information does he impart? (Indians aren’t permitted to enter.)
What do we infer about Aziz’s temperament from this chapter? (emotional, rhapsodic, resentful, mercuric)
Chapter 3:
What do we learn about Adela, her relationship with Mrs. Moore, and Adela’s hopes for her stay in India? Will these be fulfilled?
Who is managing the play for the evening, and on what basis has he been chosen? (dignified manner)
What attitudes toward his expectations of his fellow Britons are revealed in Mr. Turton’s remarks? (“The long and short of it is Heaslop’s a sahib; he’s the type we want, he’s one of us. . . .”)
What are the first statements we hear from Fielding, how are his attitudes contrasted with Ronnie’s, and are these significant? (If you want to see the “real India,” “try seeing Indians.”)
What are some opinions regarding the natives expressed by other members of the club? Regarding their fellow British people? (Mrs. Turton disapproves of Fielding and Adela Quested.)
How does Adela respond to all this? (advocates more inclusion)
What happens when Mrs. Moore describes her encounter with Aziz to her son? (has to ask him not to repeat a harmful negative comment to English official) How does he interpret her encounter with Aziz?
Does Mrs. Moore defend Aziz, and does she criticize her son? How would you describe her attitude toward experiences and people? (not especially ideological)
What do we learn about Ronny’s attitudes toward his job and the native people?
What seems characteristic about Mrs. Moore’s response to a wasp on the peg on which she intends to hand her coat? (calls it “pretty dear”) What does the narrator find important in the final scene? (to natives intrusion of nature is “a normal growth of eternal jungle”)
Chapter 4:
How do the Indian friends and other Indians respond to the invitation to a party with the British at the club? How does the wealthiest landowner respond? (happy to attend)
What doctrine of inclusion do the missionaries preach? Will the animals be invited into heaven? What exception is made to their charity? ("the wasps") With whose attitudes is this contrasted? (Mrs. Moore had admired the wasp.)
Chapter 5:
What prior conditions and behaviors undermine the "Bridge Party"? (British mostly refuse to socialize with the Indians) What attitudes are expressed by Ronnie and Mrs. Turton?
What does the narrator note is the prevailing attitude of the colonizers toward the arts? What term does he use for their pride is disdaining high culture? (the Public School attitude)
When Mrs. Turton dutifully speaks a few words of Urdu, of what social aspects of the language is she unaware? (can only speak in imperative tense, ignorant of the "politer forms of the verbs") What surprises the Englishwomen who assume the Indians speak no English? (some of them have traveled to England and know the language)
What final social arrangement is made? (Mrs. Moore and Adela will visit an Indian family.) Does this visit materialize, and if not, how do you account for this lapse?
How have these initial stages of her visit affected Adela's vision of her future? (would be trapped in social round with Anglo-Indians she disliked) What does the narrator tell us will be the fate of her attempt to understand India? ("She would see India always as a frieze, never as a spirit.")
Who invites the women for tea? What is his role in the colony? (schoolmaster)
When Ronny and his mother discuss his possible marriage, what irritates him in the thought of his prospective bride? What does he claim is the purpose of the British presence in India? ("to do justice and keep the peace") Does he seem to be doing this? What behaviors does he specifically adjure? (being pleasant) What is Britain's role, according to him? (to keep India by force)
How does his mother undercut him? (he wants to behave like a god) What does she hear in his tone of voice? (arrogance, no regret)
What does he claim he doesn't want to be? ("a missionary or a Labour member or a vague sentimental sympathetic literary man") Would any of these labels have applied to the novel's author?
What testimony of faith does she give? (we must be pleasant to others on the earth because God is love) Are there grounds on which one might object to positing pleasantness as the sum of ethical behavior? (she seems to mean it in a broad sense)
What is Ronny's attitude toward religion? (acceptable as long as it limited itself to endorsing the National Anthem)
What does the narrator tell us about Mrs. Moore's attitude toward God while in India? (as she thought of him more, he satisfied her less)
Chapter 6:
On what grounds do Major Callendar and Aziz quarrel? (the Major assumes he is lying.)
What is unusual about the plan that Aziz should arrive with Dr. Panna Lai, and why does this plan fail? (Dr. Lai a Hindu, Aziz dislikes his employer and the Anglo-Indians in general, claims to be commemorating his wife's death) How is the reader expected to respond to his rudeness to Dr. Lai?
What emotions does Aziz experience in remembering his wife, and do these last? (feels happy to think of his unhappiness)
What incident does he experience while playing polo? (plays in friendly fashion with an Englishman)
What do you make of Aziz's reaction when he lies to Dr. Lai about his reasons for not going to the party? (thinks it is ill breeding for Dr. Lai not to understand that evasion is normal, dismisses him as a person of no importance) How had Dr. Lai responded to the events at the party? (embarrassed that his horse had misbehaved) Are some of these tensions seen as the result of cultural differences between a Hindu and a Muslim?
How does Aziz respond to the invitation from Fielding he receives on his return? (feels something empty in his life about to be filled)
How does the narrator describe his temperament? (he "led a steady life underneath his mutability")
Chapter 7:
At what stage of life is Mr. Fielding, and what have been some of his prior experiences? (had lived in Italy, lost innocence of youth, had experienced a broken engagement) How had he obtained his present position? (through influence of friends)
How do his fellow Anglo-Indians respond to him, and why? (they distrust intellect) What do they sense he believes? ("ideas are fatal to caste, and he used ideas by that most potent method--interchange"; favors "goodwill plus culture and intelligence")
What remark had he made at the club that offended others? (observed that white people are not white)
On what grounds do Fielding and Aziz become familiar? (don't like putting on collars; enjoy informality)
What role do servants play in the novel? (all characters have servants)
Who else joins them at tea? What is Aziz's response to Adela? (very homely) What characterizes Aziz's conversation and his fancies? (imagines giving to poor suppliants) How does Adela respond to his effusions? (sees him as representative of India)
What invitation is extended? What causes Aziz to invite them to meet with him in the Marabar Caves? (is ashamed of his house)
What does Adela mention about her future plans? (can't stay in India) Does this seem a form of foreshadowing?
What seems ominous about the fact that neither Aziz nor Professor Godbole is able to describe the nature of the caves?
Why is Ronny irritated by this gathering? Of what does he accuse Fielding? (leaving Adela unprotected) Will this anticipate later incidents in the novel? How do the two men respond to one another?
What is the nature of the song sung by Professor Godbole? What is its meaning, and what enlightenment may this shed on the plot? (Krishna does not come, though he is desired)
Who has left the scene, and is this significant? (Ronny quickly leaves)
Chapter 8:
What annoys Ronny about the arrangement for Adela and Mrs. Moore to visit the Marabar caves? How does does Mrs. Moore respond to Adela and Ronny's disagreements? (doesn't want quarreling--avoids actual issue)
What is latent in the narrator's claim that "Thunderstorms seldom clear the air"?
Why has Ronny not reacted when told by Aziz that Adela intended to leave India?
Do Ronny and Adela seem likely to be a compatible couple? Does their mutual attachment seem plausible?
How does she tell him that she doesn't wish to marry him, and what is his response? What does she sense is lacking in his reaction? Do you think she is right that their breakup should be thoroughly discussed?
Is the narrator consistent in claiming that it was "experience, not character" which divided them, and that they differed strongly from those around them? (seems contrary to the representations of their characters, which are radically different)
Is it significant that neither of them know the name of the Indian bird they see? (narrator notes that "nothing in India is identifiable")
What are some circumstances which lead up to the automobile accident? Are there symbolic overtones in the incident?
What role do automobiles seem to play in 1920s India? (difficult to manage, privilege of the upper classes of India)
Is Adela's identification of the strange animal as a hyena based on much evidence? What may this tell us about her response in mysterious situations?
Who rescues the stranded travelers, and who is permitted to ride in the motorcar? What attitudes toward her prestigious employers are expressed by Miss Derek?
What events and emotions cause Adela and Ronny to draw together emotionally and to become engaged? How does each respond? What would Adela have wished to be added to the scene? (Ronny doesn't express love or deep emotion.) Do you think theirs is likely to be a happy marriage?
What seems significant about Mrs. Moore's reference to a "ghost" as the cause of the accident?
How does Nawab Bahadur respond to the accident? (believes spirit of man he had killed had been waiting for him) How does Aziz respond to this reaction? (tells grandson that Indians must not believe in the Evil Spirit) From the point of view of the novel, which response is more accurate? What are these differences intended to signify?
What does the narrator tell us about Aziz's view of European attitudes towards sexuality? (artificial) In what fantasies of sexual activities does he indulge? (visiting prostitutes in larger, sophisticated city)
How does Mrs. Moore respond to the news of the engagement of Adela and Ronny? (assumes they will be happy because her marriages were happy)
How does Ronny interpret the incidents of the day and the motorcar accident? (proved that the British were necessary to rule India) What dismissive statement does he make about native character, and what does this reveal about him? ("they all forget their back collar studs sooner or later")
Is he correct that no white man would have intruded upon Miss Derek or deserted his chauffeur? (he had just done these things!)
Chapter 9:
Who comes to visit Aziz as he lies ill, and what conversations ensue? (symbolic gathering-place around his bed) What are some differences in character observable among his friends? Who tries to keep the peace? (Hamidullah)
What rumor is spread and then later disproved? Who is blamed for spreading it? (little boy, but they had immediately believed it)
How are rumor and gossip employed throughout the novel? What effect do they have? (people believe the worst of one another's actions and motives)
What serious conversation ensues about the legitimacy of English rule in India? On what grounds does Fielding rationalize his occupation, and how does Aziz counter? Does Fielding claim that British rule in England is beneficial? (refrains from rationalizing British rule, but has no opinion on independence--like Mrs. Moore, not ideological)
What differences do Fielding and the Indians express over the topic of religion? Would it have been unusual for a major character in the British novel of the time to openly proclaim his atheism?
Do you think Fielding is accurate in characterizing British views of religion at the time? Is he stating the views of particular class or group of persons? Why does he so readily believe that a decline in religion is accompanied by a decline in morality? (morality narrowly defined as acceptance of conventions)
Could there have been a better response?
Why does Fielding not fear losing his job? Is this respect how is his situation contrasted with that of Aziz?
What effect do his statements have on Aziz's view of his character and social sense? (feels Fielding is a nice person but also foolhardy and needing of protection) How does he himself respond to the visit? (had been disappointed, had wished to talk with Aziz alone) What does he reflect would have been the attitude of his fellow Anglo-Indians toward his visit? What does it mean to say that he had "made himself cheap"?
What effect is created by the movement back and forth between the scenes with Indian groupings and those with the Anglo community? Is it important that the Indian scenes virtually exclude women?
Chapter 10:
What purpose is served by this meditation on the natural environment of India? What is the significance of the repeated theme of longing for that which is not realized? ("the eternal promise, the never-withdrawn suggestion that haunts our consciousness")
What is the effect of the narrator's evocation of a timeless and post-human world?
What purpose is served by placing this chapter between two others in which Aziz interacts with his countrymen and with Fielding?
Chapter 11:
What do we later learn is the reason Fielding has been unable to regain his horse and exit from the courtyard of Aziz's home?
What intimate topics do the men discuss? What is the significance of the fact that Aziz wants Fielding to view the photograph of his wife, then remarks that she had been neither educated nor handsome?
What do you make of the fact that Aziz states that he would have permitted Fielding to view his wife, were she alive? How has he dealt with the institution of the purdah? (calls his friends brothers)
What seems the significance of the fact that Aziz asks Fielding about his past marital/sexual life, and then realizes that he could not have asked him to visit another city for shared sexual purposes?
What response does Aziz believe Indians need from the British? (kindness and more kindness) What approaches to comity does he belief have failed? (political reforms, reconciliation committees) Does Fielding agree? What does he think may be needed in addition? ("an occasional intoxication of the blood") Does this seem more like a political solution or an erotic/romantic response?
To what realization about himself does Fielding come? ("I shall not really be intimate with this fellow. . . nor with anyone.") Does this recognition distress him? To what does the narrator attribute this detached view? ("clarity prevented him from experiencing something else") By this view would deep human attachments be impossible?
What views on women, and in particular Englishwomen, do the men share? What do they agree on regarding Englishwomen in India? ("There's something that doesn't suit them out here.") Might there be other interpretations of the problems faced by the wives of Anglo-Indian officials? Is this judgement a form of foreshadowing?
What views does Fielding express regarding the advantages of children? (they would weep around his death bed) Do these descriptions seem reductive? How does Aziz differ? (seems to find children more important than wife)
What opinion does he express of Adela? (she is a prig) Does this judgement seem consistent with their many shared attitudes and friendly relations? Does Aziz differ? (no, simply glad he can escape trip to caves)
What reason does the narrator give for Fielding's intense response? ("any suggestion that he should marry always does produce overstatements on the part of the bachelor")
Of what does Aziz warn Fielding, and what is the latter's response? (not concerned about judgments of others) What does Fielding say are reasons why a man may not "travel light"? ("Any man can travel light until he has a wife or children.") How does Aziz contrast himself with Fielding? (more rooted in his culture) Is Fielding also equally rooted in his culture, but one that permits foreign travel?--
What does Fielding claim are his ideals? (believes in Education, "teaching people to be individuals, and to understand other individuals") Does this view seem compatible with Forster's intentions in writing this novel, and with modernist aesthetic principles more generally?
Can these views be identified as those of the Bloomsbury group, and in particular, of the ethical philosophy of George Moore?
What is Aziz's assessment of Fielding? (not wise) What are Aziz's final memories of the visit? (associated with happy aspects of his life--including "the ninety-nine attributes of God.")
Chapter 12:
What do we learn of the vastness of the Ganges and the environs of Marabar? (exists in Darwinian, evolving time) What changes has time made in the plains? (outcroppings of caves--"To call them "uncanny" suggests ghosts, and they are older than all spirit.")
Since neither Professor Godbole nor Aziz were able to describe the caves, is it significant that the narrator is able to describe them? What effects on visitors does he ascribe to them? ("the visitor returns to Chandrapore uncertain whether has had an interesting experience or a dull one or any experience at all"). Will this be borne out by the reactions of the novel's characters to a visit to the cave?
What moral qualities does the narrator ascribe to the cave? (amoral, beyond usefulness, add nothing to the sum of good and evil) What qualities does the cave symbolize? (a vast emptiness) What do you make of the statement, "If the boulder falls and smashes, the cave will smash too--empty as an Easter egg? (Easter egg a parody of resurrection?)
Chapter 13:
With what emotions do the various participants anticipate the journey to the caves? ("no one was enthusiastic, yet it took place")
What are some practical problems which concern Aziz as he plans for the journey? What is notable about his preparations? What kinds of food does he feel it necessary to provide? Is he sincere in telling his guests, "This is the happiest moment of all my life."
What are some problems that beset the railroad journey? (the borrowed servants quarrel, the train starts before Fielding and Professor Godbole can board the train) What had caused Godbole's delay? (had been praying)
How does Mrs. Moore reassure him that the expedition will be all right? ("We shall be all Moslems together now") What attitude does Adela express? (they will be fine) Is Mohammed Latif able to provide information about the caves?
Chapter 14:
What is the two women's mental state as they begin the journey? (had felt nothing acutely since hearing Professor Godbole's song) Why does this trouble Adela? How does the narrator describe her character? (sincere)
What do the women discuss in their separate purdah carriage? (servants, practical arrangements for the future, the coming hot weather, children)
How have Mrs. Moore's emotions altered since arriving in India? (human relations less important, too much fuss has been made over marriage, "carnal embracement") Does this seem consistent with her character as previously presented?
What are Adela's thoughts as she views the hills? (too absorbed in present, misses its message) What do you make of the fact that the narrator tells us that India calls "Come" through her hundred mouths, but her appeal is not a promise?
How is the rising sun described? (an angry orange) Is it significant that she prefers the sunrises in the Lake Country (Grasmere)?
Is it significant that Mrs. Moore's health is declining, and she is thinking of her other children Stella and Ralph?
What has prompted the appearance of the elephant? What does Mohammed do to entertain the ladies? (pretends to fall from elephant)
What does Adela at first think when she sees a palm? (that it's a snake) Do the others humor her?
What is the visitors' first impression of the area of the caves? (unattractive) What characterizes the meal Aziz serves them when they encamp? Are there symbolic elements to the meal?
Is there a certain stereotyping to the narrator's claim, "Like most Orientals, Aziz overrated hospitality. . . "? What happy memory do Aziz and Mrs. Moore share? What ancestor does he evoke? (Emperor Babur, known for hospitality) For what form of loyalty was Babur remembered? (had never betrayed a friend)
How do they differ on the subject of religion? (she admires Akbar for wishing a religion to embrace the whole of India; he says this is impossible) Why does she find this important? (need for barriers to be broken down)
What personal problem does she mention? (uncertain how she can avoid becoming snobbish like other Anglo-Indians) Why does he not respond more fully? (dislikes allusion to her marriage) What remark disrupts their civilized converse? (she tells him that she has been told that all Anglo-Indians become rude after a year in India, and he believes this to be true)
What characterizes the first cave they enter? (seems to enter pre-human time, the "the hole belched and humanity returned") What has Mrs. Moore experienced? (lost track of friends, chamber had smelled, hadn't known who or what touched her in the dark--"a vile naked thing," hears terrifying echo, noise of "boum")
How does the narrator interpret the meaning of "boum"? (metaphor of snake composed of small snakes--dull and monotonous)
How does Mrs. Moore react to the experience? (faints, finds it unpleasant) Does she place a label on the fact that her experience has been unpleasant? (no, realizes that all have intended to be helpful, chooses trust)
What consequence will the fact that she chooses not to enter a second cave have? What does she urge Adela to do, against her preference? (to enter second cave) What fatal advice does she give? (suggests that fewer should enter the cave)
What effect does the cave's echo have on her mind? (depresses her, unravels her sense of the value of life, noise expresses entire obliviousness and lack of concern--"it robbed infinity and eternity of their vastness, the only quality that accommodates them to mankind.")
What action is she unable to perform? (writing her children) How does her experience affect her view of Christinaity and religion? (of no account) What happens to her sense of communication, and what effect does this have on her? (wishes to commune with noone; sits rigid with terror)
Chapter 15:
What are some of Adela’s thoughts as they walk to the Marabar caves? What are her thoughts as she contemplates married life in India? What does she see as her and Ronny’s respective traits? (he has common sense, she feels peevishness)
What thoughts accompany her perceptions of the landscape, and why are these mundane physical details introduced?
To what conclusion does she come? (she and Ronny don’t love one another) Does she decide not to marry him? (no, love isn’t necessary for marriage)
What question does she ask Aziz, and what does he answer? (is his married, does he have children; fails to mention that his wife is dead)
What does she think of Aziz’s appearance? (handsome, and might attract those of his own race)
Are she and Ronny handsome by outer standards? (not especially)
What question does she ask that offends him, and what is the result? (asks if he has more than one wife, he is offended and enters cave)
Is it clear whether they enter the same or different caves?
Chapter 16:
What does the guide tell Aziz about Adela’s whereabouts? (doesn’t know)
What causes Aziz anxiety? (doesn’t know which cave he has been in) What causes the guide to leave? (Aziz strikes him) Would he have been useful later as a witness?
Who now arrives? (Fielding, brought by Miss Derek) What significant toast do Aziz and Fielding share? (“Here’s luck, and here’s to England”).
What unexpected action have Miss Derek and Adela taken? (left suddenly in motor car) Why does Fielding consider this strange? (Miss Derek had told him she was looking forward to the picnic)
Why do Mrs. Moore and Fielding feel awkward in alluding to Aziz? (they “felt rather awkward at being drawn together by an Indian”)
How does Aziz interpret their departure (friends wished to be with friends) and how do Mrs. Moore and Fielding get along? (not well—she feels cynical and he thinks that women have made trouble)
How do the visitors respond to this tourist attraction? (none especially like the caves; Mrs. Moore and Adela dislike them, Fielding “wasn’t impressed”)
On what topic does Fielding press Aziz? (exactly what has happened to Adela) What does he feel about the women’s departure? (they have been impolite)
What remarks arise from the fact that Aziz’s relative has cheated him? (Fielding says, “You will never kick us out. . . until you cease employing M. L.’s and such.”)
Does Aziz express dissatisfaction with English rule? (“if they’ll let me go on with my profession and not be too rude to me officially, I really don’t ask for more”) Does this seem consistent with his earlier expressions of resentment?
What shocking event happens on their way home? (Aziz arrested on train) Why doesn’t Fielding accompany Aziz to prison? (called off by Mr. Turton, who considers this a favor)
Chapter 17
What is Fielding's response when told by the Collector that Adela had charged Aziz with assault? Is he actually accused of rape?
What does Mr. Turtton believe is the result of the mingling of English and Indian people? (disaster, "Intimacy--never, never.") What does Fielding wish to know in response? (the whereabouts of Adela)
What actions does Mr. Turton stop? (looting by Mohammed Latif of items from the picnic)
What attitudes of the Collector cause him to wish vengeance? (sees all Indians as one)
Chapter 18:
What are Mr. McBryde's attitudes toward native criminality? What do you make of the narrator's statements that he had arrived at a complete philosophy of life "owing to a somewhat unhappy marriage"? What seems the general view of marriage throughout this book?
What does McBryde view as the root cause of Indian behavior? (climate)
What questions does Fielding ask of him, and are these important? (where was guide, why would Aziz have picked up her field glasses, wants to talk with Adela)
Might things have turned out differently if Fielding had been able to talk with Adela earlier?
What do we learn about Aziz, McBryde and Fielding's relationship to brothels in Calcutta and elsewhere?
What does the police superintendent predict will be the tone of events in Chandrapore during the next few weeks? What response does this indicate toward Indian anger and unrest? (no desire to deal with causes)
Chapter 19:
Whom does Fielding next visit? (Hamidullah) What is the latter's official position? (chief barrister of Chandrapore) What generalizations does Fielding draw from his responses? (Indians always do something disappointing) What is the limitation of this response? (generalizes about an entire population)
What decision suggested by Hamidullah does Fielding deprecate? (doesn't want an anti-British barrister) Are his reservations ultimately borne out? (no, Amritrao does a good job)
How does he respond when asked if he was on the side of the natives in this instance? (dislikes taking sides)
What suggestion is made by Godbole about his future? (migh establish a high school that Fielding could run) What does this indicate about his view of the outcome of the trial? (Fielding will lose his job) Does Fielding seem to grasp his point?
What do you make of Godbole's statements about the nature of good and evil as communal qualities?
On what aspects of the visit to Marabar does he question Fielding? (whether he has seen the antiquities there)
In what mental state is Aziz when Fielding is able to visit him? (depressed, feels Fielding deserted him)
Chapter 20:
How do her fellow Britons respond to Adela's situation? (outpouring of emotion) How do they feel toward India? ("they looked out at the palisade of cactuses stabbing the purple throat of the sky; they realized that they were thousands of miles from any scenery that they understood")
Does the scene at the club with Turton, Callendar, Ronny, the subaltern, Fielding and the others strike one as realistic?
On what grounds is the Collector reluctant to bring in the military to swash unrest? How does he characterize those who would limit or monitor vengeance? ("the caucus of cranks and cravens, the British parliament"; finds it hard to accept that in the eyes of law Aziz not yet guilty)
What are some of the extreme views expressed by those at the club? (Indians ought to give hostages, they should carry guns, etc.)
What does the subaltern suggest? (a body of native troops to control population; he dislikes educated natives)
What emotions do they feel toward Ronny? ("he was bearing the sahib's cross") How does he himself view this incident? (an insult had been offered him--thinks of self not Adela)
What interpretations are made of some of the reported events of the journey? (believe accidents of trip caused by bribery--natives had paid Godbole to make Fielding late; there had been an attempt to suffocate Mrs. Moore)
Why does Fielding refuse to stand when Ronny enters room? (would seem to suggest that Aziz was guilty) What are the consequences?
What statement does he make before leaving, and what does he promise? (will leave India if Aziz judged to be guilty) What does this imply? (respect for the courts? condemnation of system? lack of concern for his future?)
What does the Collector (Mr. Turton) demand? (that he apologize) What difficulties does he encounter on attempting to leave the room?
What role does rumor play in this scenario?
What scene does he witness as he leaves the club? (beauty of Marabar Hills) Why cannot he feel its beauty? (it passes "the Englishman with averted face and on swift wings") How does he judge his own life? (he ought to have been working at something else he had missed--"he didn't know at what, never would know, never could know, that that was why he felt sad.") How would you characterize this set of emotions?
Chapter 21:
Whom does Fielding now visit? What annoyances and frustrations does he find there? Are these characteristic or symbolic in some way?
Chapter 22:
What physical effects of Adela's adventure need care for some time afterwards? (little cactus spines need removal) Is it ironic that her physical problems result from her flight down from the caves rather than anything that happened in the cave?
What is her mental state?
As she describes the event to herself, what does she remember? (a shadow was bottling her up and she hit at him with her tourist's glasses; he pulled her by the strap and she escaped) What seems omitted from this account? (no sense of who "he" was--or even the certainty that the entity pulling her was human)
What does she remind herself? (no harm had actually been done) What sense of guilt does she feel? (general sense that she was leaving the world a worse place; unworthiness)
How do the others vent their anger against her alleged attacker? (demand "holocausts of natives")
What has happened during her illness? (a procession/mob has tried to enter civil station, has cut telephone line, police had silenced them)
What circumstances make it necessary for her to be examined by an Indian lawyer and judge? (Ronny's assistant has taken his place for the event))
On what grounds does this cause anger among the British? (Indian judge of English woman) What do they some of them do in response? (send telegram of protest to wife of the Lieutenant Governor)
What practices of the past does the police chief regret? (in past she would not have had to appear but could send in a deposition) M
When a letter arrives from Fielding, what report does McBryde give of his relationship with the natives? (he consorts with people who "all chew betel nut and smear one another's hands with scent. It is not easy to enter into the mind of such a man.")
How does Adela interpret the fact that Fielding believes Aziz is innocent? (feels this view is insulting to Ronny; wants to start from the beginning with human relationships)
How does she feel about her new-found closeness with Mrs. Turton, Miss Derek, and the other Anglo-Indian women? (repelled; fears she has been punished for rebelling)
What occurs on Ronny and Adela's visit to Mrs. Moore? How has Mrs. Moore changed? (doesn't seem glad to see them) May she be in declining health? (close to her death)
What does she want Mrs. Moore to help her with, and how does the latter respond? (she wants to be relieved of the constant echo; Mrs. Moore can't explain it and states that it may never go away) What does Mrs. Moore resent? (doesn't want to be asked questions)
What is her stance toward the trial and law courts? (will have nothing to do with them) What observations does she make about love, marriage, sex, and recent events? ("rubbish about love, love in a church, love in a cave, as if there is the least difference")
What is Ronny's opinion of his mother at this moment? (not the dear old lady others fancied her)
What symbolism inheres in the fact that she wishes her patience cards?
To what conclusion does Adela now come? (Aziz is innocent) What physical improvement does she note? (inner echo has improved)
What is Ronny's reaction to her statement that perhaps there should be no trial? ("A shiver like impending death passed over Ronny.")
Is Adela correct that Mrs. Moor has declared that Aziz is innocent? (no, but she does so directly afterwards when asked--"I will not help you to torture him for what he never did.")
How does Ronny characterize the natives' attitude toward the English? ("They all hate us")
What does Adela say she would do if she were wrong? (would commit suicide) What does Ronny decide he should help his mother to do? (to leave as rapidly as possible) Will her early departure affect the outcome of the case at all? Will it help precipitate her death? (should have taken her to a hospital rather than put her on a ship)
Chapter 23:
What mental state/understanding does Mrs. Moore come to on boat? ("the horror of the universe and its smallness are both visible at the same time--the twilight of the double vision in which so many elderly people are involved")
What is this double vision? (when the world is to our taste, practical endeavor assumes that that world is all; in the twilight world of the double vision, "we can neither ignore nor respect infinity")
What are her last thoughts of India? (she hadn't been able to see it fully; what she had seen was not fully India) Does she regret what she can't see? (has sense of all the places she would never visit)
Chapter 24:
Under what weather conditions does the trial occur? (swelteringly hot) What does the narrator think such unvarying heat may portend? (the destiny of the English may resemble that of others who tried to remake India but failed)
What ironic remark does the narrator make regarding Adela's prayer for a favorable verdict? ("God who saves the King will surely support the police.")
Why is Ronny not able to understand what passes in her mind? ("where there is officialism every human relationship suffers")
Is it significant that Adela's sense of an echo reappears right before the trial?
What does the Collector Mr. Turton believe will be the outcome of this case? (will be appealed) Why does he state that he doesn't hate the Indians, whatever their response to him? (would have had to condemn his career as a bad investment) What does he feel about the Anglo-Indian women? (they make things more difficult)
What groups have gathered or organized to support Aziz? (Muslim women had gone on a hunger strike; streetsweepers had struck)
What remarks do the English make about the role of Das, the Indian judge? (if he adquits Aziz he will be fired)
What are Major Callendar's views on this case? (good in making it possible to be harsher, to "make them squeal") In whose misfortune does he take pleasure ( Nureddin, grandson of wealthy Indian, looks terrible after a car accident) What word is used for an Indian? (n-word) How does Mrs. Turton react? (the men have been week; should have treated Indians more harshly)
How much attention to they pay to Adela herself? (very little)
What symbolism does Forster center on the figure of the man whose job it is to fan the others in the heat? What comments are made on his appearance?
What comments does the police superintendent make as he outlines his case? (darker races attracted to the fairer, but not vice-versa)
What incident occurs when a special elevated chair is desired for Miss Quested? (all the English are given same privilege, then forced to dismount by judge) What protest is registered by the Indian barrister from Calcutta? His tone? (impeccable correctness plus sarcasm)
Whom does Adela observe in the courtroom? (all the Indians, all the Anglo-Indians she had met, Fielding) How does Fielding respond when she looks at him? (looks away)
On what basis does the police superintendent try to destroy Aziz's character? (accuses him of crushing Mrs. Moore into a cave in order to free him for his crime) What is the response of Mahmoud Ali? (the English have smuggled her out of the country so that she couldn't testify) What may be Forster's point in juxtaposing these two paranoid charges?
What finally ends Mahmoud Ali's time in court? (shouts that "we are both of us slaves" and leaves court) How does the Calcutta barrister recuperate the situation? (explains what evidence Mahmoud Ali believes to have been repressed)
What happens to the name Mrs. Moore when reported outside the court? (the Indians take up the chant, "Esmiss Esmoor") What is the general effect? (she becomes a spiritual presence--and indeed, she may have just died)
What expectations attend Adela's appearance to give evidence? (the British expect that native attention will quickly be diverted)
What has made her desire to tell the truth difficult for Adela? (recalled that she had been thinking of love in the context of Ronny, and had asked Aziz what marriage was like--this wasn't true, since she had asked him if he had a second wife; also she wasn't sure she could recall the event)
What is her mental state as she recounts the episode to the court, as prompted by the police superintendent? (feels she is reliving it, as by hypnosis) At what point does the reliving cease? (when asked if Aziz followed her into the cave)
How does the chief of police respond to her uncertainty? (suggests to her that Aziz followed her) Who first realizes the consequences of her denial? (Fielding sees "that she was going to have a nervous breakdown, and that his friend was saved.")
On what basis do the English attempt to have the proceedings stopped after Adela states that Dr. Aziz had not done what was claimed? (wish to read her deposition; wish the case suspended on medical grounds)
What kinds of restraint on the situation are exercised by the judge? (limits statements according to rules; forced police superintendent to cease recriminations) What ridiculous actions does Mrs. Turton perform? (hits Ronny, screams at Adela)
What is the response of the judge? (nearly dead with strain) Of Aziz? (faints in friend's arms) Why do you think Forster ends the chapter with the punkah's empty gaze (he has presumably not understood anything--this doesn't seem plausible)
Chapter 25:
What is Adela's situation after the trial? What train of events cause Fielding to drive away with her instead of rejoining Aziz and his friends to celebrate the latter's freedom?
How does Fielding respond to the students who wish to honor him for his pro-Aziz stance? (rejects jasmine) Is he polite?
What actions are briefly contemplated by the crowd of Indians, and who/what turns back their purposes? Are the rumors they hear/spread accurate?
With what remarks does the narrator conclude this chapter? What are the implications of his claim that dreams are thought "by some pessimists" to be a premonition of eternity?
Chapter 26:
What do Adela and Fielding discuss on their return to the College? (what actually happened in the caves)
What does Fielding consider inherent in Aziz's view of female handsomeness? (related to the possessiveness that harms all life) Are the English free of this trait?
What is Hamidullah's attitude toward Adela? Does the narrator consider this just? What hard truths does he tell her?
Why does Fielding invite her to remain at the College? (unsafe elsewhere)
What does the narrator say Adela would have needed to do to gain Hamidullah's sympathy? (made a public show of emotion) What is she credited with instead? (motivated by "justice and humanity")
What news do Fielding and Adela convey to Hamidullah? (Mrs. Moore has died) Why do you think the reader learns this news indirectly? How are the various characters affected by her death? (Adela mourns, Ronny represses any sense of guilt)
Who first mentions the issue of reparations and what sum is suggested? (20,000 rupees) Do you think any form of reparations would have been suitable? What is Fielding's response to this issue? What philosophical notion does the narrator associate with the caves of Marabar? (we exist not in ourselves, but in terms of each others's minds)
Chapter 27:
When Fielding visits Aziz after the trial, what does Aziz suggest should be their relationship? (Fielding should live off of him) Is this consistent with the claim that he needs money to education his children?
Is this a tenable plan? What does Aziz claim is now his attitude toward the British? About what do the two quarrel? (apology from Adela; reparations) From whom does Aziz claim he will seek advice? (Mrs. Moore)
Of what do the two accuse one another? (disproportionate emotions, unfairness; materialism) Does this resemble a lovers' quarrel?
What sense of death does Fielding associate with Mrs. Moore, as the chapter ends? (their spirits die slowly, not dead until acknowledged as such)
Chapter 28:
What does the fact that a cult of Mrs. Moore arises indicate about the nature of Indian religion? All religion?
How will Ronny and his half-siblings remember his mother? (tablet in Northamptonshire) What are his current thoughts on Adela, and why can't he marry her? (would hurt his career; she belongs to past academic stage of his life)
Chapter 29:
How does the Lt.-Governor of the province respond to these recent events? (commends Fielding, wishes peace with Indian population) Does the narrator think well of him? (finds him bureaucratic)
What difficulties arise when Adela attempts to write a letter of apology? (letter not moving) How does the narrator contrast the responses of the English and Indians to victory? (English sanctimonious, Indians aggressive) Is this contrast borne out by the behaviors of the members of these respective groups in the novel?
How does Fielding attempt to soften Aziz's desire for reparations? (mentions Mrs. Moore)
What views on marriage and his position in India does Fielding express to Adela? (finds marriage absurd, content in India) What is the emotional effect of their disillusioned views? (life could be a mystery, or a middle, they cannot tell)
What does Adela do on her return to England? (seeks out Ralph and Stella, then seeks employment)
Chapter 30:
What effect does the trial have on Hindu-Muslim relationships, as seen in Mr. Das's conversation with Aziz? (solicits poem) Do the two men harbor continued prejudices toward one another's groups? (Aziz associates Hindus with cow dung; Das finds Muslims violent)
What does Aziz tell his friend Hamidullah are his views of his future in British India? What are his immediate intentions regarding his future? (wishes to move to Hindu India)
What rumor does Hamidullah repeat about the relationship between Fielding and Adela? Does Aziz believe him? (yes) Of what does he accuse his own children? (they too are traitors) Have they been individuated thus far in the novel?
On what does Hamidullah blame the continued existence of the institution of purdah? (on Indian women) Does his interpretation ignore any other factors? (lack of education granted women)
Chapter 31:
What changes have occurred in the colonial administration? (head surgeon has left, chief of policed fired for adultery)
How does Fielding respond when told of the rumors about his relationship with Adela? (dismisses them as rumors)
What disagreements occur when Fielding proposes that the two men should eat dinner together? (Fielding demands that Aziz join him for dinner--could have chosen another time?) How does Aziz respond to the news that Fielding will be spending time in England? (suspicious of his relationship with Adela!)
Does this conversation resemble a lovers' quarrel and breakup?
What views does Fielding express on the topic of religion? (something in it that "may not be true, but has not yet been sung") Is this Forster's view?
What subject does Fielding address in his letter to Aziz? (his own sexuality) Does this seem relevant? What does Aziz accuse him of? (intending to marry Adela for her money) Is this likely?
Chapter 32:
What are some of Fielding's/the narrator's reflections on Mediterranean culture? What does it mean to say that "The Mediterranean is the human norm"?
What does Fielding believe his Indian friends will be unable to understand about Mediterranean culture? Why would this be the case?
Chapter 33: The Temple
What seems the purpose of shifting to the description of a Hindu religious ceremony? Why is this one especially appropriate?
What are some features of the narrator's tone and choice of detail? (e. g. "the God to be born was largely a silver image the size of a teaspoon")
Who conducts the singing, and what remote person does he recall? ("an old woman he had met in Chandrapore days")
How is the birth of the god described? How do the devotees respond? (with joy and games) What does the narrator praise in this response? (addition of merriment, something he feels Christianity has lacked)
What emotions does Professor Godbole feel he should express? (love toward everything that comes into his memory, including Mrs. Moore) What animal does he consider more than he himself, and why is this important? (he thinks of one Englishwoman and one little wasp)
Chapter 34:
Who does Aziz learn has come to visit the Guest House, and on what mission? What is his position in the Hindu state? (chief medical man to the court) What does the narrator tell us is the internal condition of Hinduism? (riven into sects)
How is he received in this different culture? (with a minimum of prejudice)
What news from Cyril angers him, and how does he respond to the letter that brings it? (refuses to read letter, assumes the woman Fielding has married is Adela) What change has occurred in his own private life? (had a new "wife" but had not married her)
What is the topic of his new poetry? (the purdah must go) Does this seem a likely topic for Aziz? What is the theme of the poem most appreciated by Godbole? (internationalism)
To what had Aziz owed his appointment as court doctor over the objections of the local English agent, Colonel Maggs? (English now have less authority in local affairs)
What angers Aziz about Fielding's note? (asks for information on local sights) Is his anger rational? (the educational examiner would naturally want to see a local religious procession)
Chapter 35:
What Mohammedan saint had lived in the area, and what were his deeds and fate? (died after releasing prisoners) How do Aziz's children respond to the holy site? (they enjoy site) What seems Aziz's relationship with his children?
What group of persons do they encounter, and what ceremony do they anticipate? (one of the prisoners will be freed)
What important fact does Aziz conceal during the ceremony, and why? (rajah is dead, does not wish to disturb ceremony)
What incident occurs just as Aziz encounters Fielding and his party? Who seems most bothered by the bee stings? (Ralph, a boy)
How does Fielding greet Aziz, and what does he ask? ("Why have you not answered my letters?") What tone do the two men use in addressing each other?
Why has no one greeted them at the Guest House? What has happened to the oars for the rowboats? Is Aziz's explanation an accurate one? Are his other responses all truthful? (says he would never watch the Indian ceremony himself, yet we know he has just done so)
What error does Aziz make as he helps Ralph Moore into the carriage? Of what does Fielding accuse Aziz? (he has sent a letter written by Mahmoud Ali) How does Aziz respond? (deflects irritably) What angry speech does he make in front of his children? (wishes no English person to be his friend)
Whom does he remember as he returns to the house, and with what emotions? (his fondness for Mrs. Moore, and his promise to be kind to her children) Had he in fact expected to meet them?
Chapter 36:
How does the narrator describe the ending of the ceremony? ("Hope existed despite fulfillment, as it will be in heaven.") What emotions does it prompt? (generosity and love)
What has Godbole known that he failed to mention to Aziz? (that Fielding had married Mrs. Moore's daughter) How does he respond when accused of withholding information? (peacefully, "I am, as far as my limitations permit, your true friend")
How does Aziz interpret the desire of English visitors to see something of the country? (it was only a form of ruling India)
What does Aziz find when he enters the Guest House? What does he learn from the letters, and what does he do with them? (Ronny still unmarried, wishes to make peace with Fielding and Adela, Fielding and his wife are expecting a child, feels his brother Ralph incompetent, is filled with prejudice against Jews and others; Aziz steals letters)
How does Aziz interpret the tone of the letters? (those who had formerly disagreed were closing their ranks against the alien)
How does he respond when Ralph appears? (pretends he can't speak English, treats him roughly as he examines him for bee stings) Of what does Ralph complain? (cruelty) Why won't he leave the bee salve with Ralph? (demands to give treatment) What protest does Ralph make? ("You should not treat us like this")
What incident of the religious ceremony occurs at this time? (prisoner is released, guns go off) What effect does this have on Aziz, and how do the two make peace? (shakes his hand, calls him an Oriental)
How does Ralph respond to Aziz's statement that the two nations cannot be friends? (he agrees, "Not yet") What does Ralph relate of his mother's relationship with Aziz? (had loved him) How does Aziz respond? ("She was my best friend in all the world.") Is this surprising?
As he takes Mrs. Moore's son on the water, what startling object do they witness? (image of dead king) Who has guided him to this site? (Ralph) What memories do the attendant chants bring back to him? (had heard these during his trial) What part of the ceremony do they then witness? (singers, god thrown into storm, image of village drowned)
With what does their boat collide? (the English boat) What causes their boat to capsize? (Stella flings herself against Aziz, letters float away)
What is the narrator's final comment on the meaning of the ceremony? (a cycle, "no man could say where was the emotional centre of it, any more than he could locate the heart of a cloud.")
What purpose may the author have in juxtaposing the reunion of friends with the conclusion of the Hare Krishna ceremony and the death of a monarch? (end of an era in parodic dysfunction)
Is it significant that Aziz is able to make his peace with Mrs. Moore's son but not his daughter Stella?
Chapter 37
What is the significance of Aziz's and Fielding's ride through the Mau jungles? (their last time together)
What does the narrator claim is now Fielding's motive for a concern with education? (his income and family's comfort depended on it) Does this seem reductive, and would these aims have been his in the earlier sections of the novel?
What has happened to the school Fielding has been sent to examine? (hasn't opened)
What letter does Aziz plan to send Adela? (thanks her) What does Fielding relate about his wife's view of the Marabar caves? (has ideas and goals he doesn't share--these are not elucidated; she is described as "restless")
How does Aziz interpret this? (in sexual terms--asks if his wife is unfaithful) What does Fielding counsel? (he should talk with Ralph; the implication is that perhaps he is less a mystic than she, but shares some of her sensibility)
How does Fielding remember his past actions in trying to help Aziz in need? (surprised at his own past heroism) What has been the effect of India on his wife? (good, has calmed her restlessness)
Why does Aziz refuse to discuss the spiritual meanings of Hinduism with Fielding? What view of Hinduism does Fielding express? (had never liked or understood them--both men are intentionally narrow)
Why does Aziz not wish to discuss this matter with Ralph and Stella? What prompts him to add a final sentence to his letter to Adela, associating her with the memory of Mrs. Moore?
How does the narrator characterize the sequence of Aziz's reflections? (shifting, affectionate, in contrast to his abrupt words)
What different political views do the two men express? What does Aziz predict? (India will throw off British rule in the next European war) Did this happen? (yes, shortly after WWII India gained independence)
Does Aziz also have reservations about pan-Indian unity? (his Afghan ancestors seem too distant) What is Fielding's response? (he mocks him) Under what circumstances does Aziz predict they can be friends again? (after the English have left)
What is the response to Fielding's question, "Why can't we be friends now?" What symbolism adheres in the separation of horses? What is the novel's concluding message ascribed to the earth and sky? "No, not yet," and "No, not there.") Do these dicta leave any room for hope?
Is this book more or less optimistic about the possibility of satisfying human relationships than Forster's earlier novels such as Howard's End? How is the message altered by portraying characters from three ethnic groups?
Final:
What are some organizing features of the novel, including the divisions into sections, the use of symbols and returning images, the concluding reflections which bind the chapters to one another? What view of life, values, or knowledge does this novel promote?
Who is the novel's protagonist, or is there no single protagonist? Does your answer to this question affect your interpretation of the novel's themes and emphasis?
What role does nature play in this novel, both in the narrator's summaries and meditations, in the descriptions, and in the plot? Is it important that the narrator at times evokes and prophecies an extra- or post-human world?
What message does the novel convey about the possibility of deep and satisfying human connections? Do you feel that the themes of attempted human friendship and erotic ties, aborted spiritual longings, and a decaying empire are successfully fused? Do they complement one another?
Do aspects of the characters' experiences evoke the sublime? Would you say the sense of eclectic spirituality evoked in the novel is unqualifiedly affirmative? (desacralized and degenerated sublime)
Historians have pointed out that British intrusion into other countries brought a greater knowledge of non-Christian religions, and an interest in eclecticism, spiritualism, mysticism, and other non-orthodox forms of heightened religious experience. Does A Passage to India exemplify this pattern?
According to Edward Said's definition of "orientalism," are there aspects of Forster's novel which are orientalist? anti-orientalist?
If you have read Howard's End and Maurice, can you discover common patterns in these novels with A Passage to India? For example, at some points does the relationship between Fielding and Aziz suggest that of Maurice and his upper-class lover? Do we have oddly matched couples who then continue to argue their contrasting views? Are there parallels between the respect accorded Mrs. Moore and Margaret's interest in the first Mrs. Wilcox in Howard's End?
What role is served throughout by Mrs. Moore and her ethical system? Are there ways in which her presence/absence in certain scenes usefully enables the plot to continue on without her direct participation and critique? With what qualities and perceptions is her memory allied, and how central are they to the ethos of the book?