Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Marabar Caves
The Marabar Caves represent all that is alien about nature.
The caves are older than anything else on the earth and embody nothingness
and emptiness—a literal void in the earth. They defy both English
and Indians to act as guides to them, and their strange beauty and
menace unsettles visitors. The caves’ alien quality also has the
power to make visitors such as Mrs. Moore and Adela confront parts
of themselves or the universe that they have not previously recognized.
The all-reducing echo of the caves causes Mrs. Moore to see the
darker side of her spirituality—a waning commitment to the world
of relationships and a growing ambivalence about God. Adela confronts
the shame and embarrassment of her realization that she and Ronny
are not actually attracted to each other, and that she might be
attracted to no one. In this sense, the caves both destroy meaning,
in reducing all utterances to the same sound, and expose or narrate
the unspeakable, the aspects of the universe that the caves’ visitors
have not yet considered.
The Green Bird
Just after Adela and Ronny agree for the first time, in
Chapter VII, to break off their engagement, they notice a green
bird sitting in the tree above them. Neither of them can positively
identify the bird. For Adela, the bird symbolizes the unidentifiable
quality of all of India: just when she thinks she can understand
any aspect of India, that aspect changes or disappears. In this
sense, the green bird symbolizes the muddle of India. In another
capacity, the bird points to a different tension between the English
and Indians. The English are obsessed with knowledge, literalness,
and naming, and they use these tools as a means of gaining and maintaining
power. The Indians, in contrast, are more attentive to nuance, undertone,
and the emotions behind words. While the English insist on labeling
things, the Indians recognize that labels can blind one to important
details and differences. The unidentifiable green bird suggests
the incompatibility of the English obsession with classification
and order with the shifting quality of India itself—the land is,
in fact, a “hundred Indias” that defy labeling and understanding.
The Wasp
The wasp appears several times in A Passage to
India, usually in conjunction with the Hindu vision of
the oneness of all living things. The wasp is usually depicted as
the lowest creature the Hindus incorporate into their vision of
universal unity. Mrs. Moore is closely associated with the wasp,
as she finds one in her room and is gently appreciative of it. Her
peaceful regard for the wasp signifies her own openness to the Hindu
idea of collectivity, and to the mysticism and indefinable quality
of India in general. However, as the wasp is the lowest creature
that the Hindus visualize, it also represents the limits of the
Hindu vision. The vision is not a panacea, but merely a possibility
for unity and understanding in India.
