Novel A Passage To India English Literature Essay

A Passage to India. The Novel a passage to India by E.M.Forster explores the difficulties both men and women faced to understand each other and the universe in India when British was the government at that time. The author E.M.Forster not just explores the difficulties people faced or understanding India but man’s quest for ultimate truth. A passage to India describes the life Indian had under British rules and how they wanted a change. It is not just a novel based on Indian vs. British but also describes the relationship between Indians and Muslims. The literary device that describes this novel a passage to India by E.M.Forster is realism. The main three things that happen in the novel are friendship, culture clash and religion.

Firstly, Friendship in A passage to India can be described asrealism. The friendship between the Indians and British was not up to mark back in days which can be known as realism because the friendship between Indians and British is still the same. Dr.Aziz who is Indian Muslim men meets a British lady Mrs. Moore. They both meet at a Muslim temple in Chandarpore in India; Where Mrs. Moore visited the temple. The two soon find that they have much in common and they immediately become friends. Dr.Aziz and Mrs. Moore feels at comfort with one another and exposes their souls while their commonalities may bring them together but their race and background only split them apart, this is also good example of why friendship is realism because in today’s society the Indians and British friendship is still split due to background. “You understand me, you know what other feel. Oh, if others resembled you!” Rather surprised, she replied: “I don’t think I understand people very well. I only know whether I like or dislike them”. “Then you are an Oriental.”(Pg. 121, Forster). in this Quotation Dr.Aziz tells Mrs. Moore that she is “Oriental” because she bases her friendship on sensitivity rather than knowledge. Dr.Aziz not only hasa British friend Mrs. Moore but also have a very close and personal relationship with Cyril Fielding who is more important character and more important to Dr. Aziz in the novel. Fielding treats Indians as a group of people Individuals who can connect through mutual respects, courtesy and intelligence, another example of why friendship could be described as realism because back in days the British did respect Indians as we see how Fielding treated them and this can be realism because there are still some British that respects the Indian in today’s society. Both Dr. Aziz and Fielding treat each other as worthy individuals who connect through, Honesty, intelligence and good will. Aziz friendship is proved when he shows Fielding his wife picture, with this act he ensures his trust and confidence in Fielding. “I believe in the purdach, but I should have told her you are my brother, and she would have seen you, all men are my brothers and when one behaves as such he may see my wife” said my Dr. Aziz. (Pg., 128) This quote explains how Aziz and Fielding’s friendship is sealed by Aziz sharing off his wife picture. The author ties the trust and friendship between Aziz and Fielding to realism because some Indians and British have trust and good friendship between them till now.

Secondly, in the novel a passage to India, Culture Clash can be described as realism due to the fact that today Hindus and Muslims don’t respect each other cultures. Culture clash is also very important subject in the novel a passage to India. The author ties culture clash to realism theme because till now the Hindus and Muslims don’t respect one another religion. The clash is between two different cultures east and west. “East is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet” said by Rudyard Kipling, who was born in India. With this quote it clearly explains how the two cultures didn’t like one other. The west is represented by Anglo-Indians in Chandarpore. Anglo-Indians are the British supervisors while the easts are the Indians. The west culture goes hard at the east because they have no desire to understand the Indians but are only good to those Indians who servant the east culture. The culture clash is not just between the east and west clash but also between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus are stronger at the Muslim cultures as there are more Hindus in India. The Hindus culture doesn’t patch up with both British culture and Muslim culture and wants both to leave India. Dr. Aziz who is a proud Muslim considers Hindus as unfamiliar. The author ties this paragraph to realism because a culture effect is still a problem in India which is between Hindus and Muslims.

Thirdly, religion in a passage to India is also realism. For example, fights took place between Hindus and Muslims due to the different religion both culture have, which can be known as realism theme because religion is still a problem and both the Hindus and Muslim don’t respect one another religion. However in the novel a passage to India religion clash is not just between Hindus and Muslims but also between Hindus and Christians. The three parts of the book “Mosque”, “Temple” and “Cave” corresponds to these religions; Where Mosque is for Muslims, Temple for Hindus and Cave for Christians. The author ties this paragraph to realism theme because Mosque, Temple and Cave still exits and is in reality.Dr. Aziz who is Muslim loves his religion a lot and feels special every time he goes to Mosque. For example in chapter 2 when Dr. Aziz goes to mosque there he feels renewed. His body and soul are united in Mosque and he is trustier to Islam then to his country India. This paragraph also ties the realism because Muslims in India are more loyal to Islam then to their country India.”A mosque by winning his approval let loose his imagination, Islam an attitude towards life both exquisite and durable, where his body and his thoughts fin their home” said by Dr. Aziz(pg.165,Forster) this clearly shows Aziz’s personal relationship with Islam. The Anglo-Indians are the Christians, who in the book follow their religion not that much but Mrs. Moore is very religious women. As a Christian she feels that god loves everyone. There are some Christians that follow their religion and feels that god loves everyone and Christian is a peaceful religion and that relates to realism theme because some British have the same taste in Christian as how Mrs. Moore had. For example, in chapter 5 she tells Ronny about how bad British treat the Hindu’s as they should not because Christian don’t do that and also tells him that “god loves everyone and since India is part of earth, god loves them too.” This clearly explains that she not only loves her religion but also loves the Indian religion as well. “India is part of the earth, and god has put us on the earth to be pleasant to each other, God is love. God has put us on earth to love our neighbours and to show it, and god is universal, even in India to see how we are succeeding”. Said by Mr. Moore (pg. 302, Forster) this quote clearly explains that Mrs. Moore is Christian and that god loves all things. The author fits this paragraph to theme of realism because those British who are religious as Mrs. Moore is, has respect for Indian the country and their religion.

In conclusion, a passage to India by E.M.Forster fits into the theme of realism due to friendship between the Indians and British, culture clash and religion between the Hindus and Muslims. The author E.M.Forster does well to describe the relationship, culture and religion between the Indians, British and Muslim in India.