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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 1912–1924; 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 Forster’s 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.
rising action Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore’s arrival in India; the women’s befriending of Aziz; Adela’s reluctant engagement to Ronny Heaslop; Ronny and the other Englishmen’s disapproval of the women’s interaction with Indians; Aziz’s organization of an outing to the Marabar Caves for his English friends; Adela’s and Mrs. Moore’s harrowing experiences in the caves; Adela’s public insinuation that Aziz assaulted her in the caves; the inflammation of racial tensions between the Indians and English in Chandrapore
climax Aziz’s trial; Adela’s final admission that she is mistaken in her accusations and that Aziz is innocent; the courtroom’s eruption; Aziz’s release; the English community’s rejection of Adela
falling action Fielding’s conversations with Adela; Fielding and Aziz’s bickering over Aziz’s desire for reparations from Adela; Aziz’s assumption that Fielding has betrayed him and will marry Adela; Aziz’s increasingly anti-British sentiment; Fielding’s visit to Aziz with his new wife, Stella; Aziz’s befriending of Ralph and forgiveness of Fielding
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; Godbole’s song
Symbols The Marabar Caves; the green bird; the wasp
Foreshadowing Adela’s concern about breaking down during the trial; Fielding’s interest in Hinduism at the end of Part II
