Rating: 
Summary: Expected More
Review: This having been praised as one of the great works of literature, I thought I was in for something more enriching. I did enjoy some of the images Forster paints, as in the scene in the mosque where Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore first meet Aziz, and some moments of light humor, such as the scene where Aziz lends Fielding his shirt pin (or whatever it was) and Ronny later uses this against him and his culture.However, I just can't recommend it. I really tried to like it. Perhaps I've played too many video games, but it was just extremely plodding, and the dialogue was not interesting enough to justify its length. It's a shame because it's books like this that make me shy away from reading more "classic" literature, some of which I really love, but some disappoints me as Passage did. The good news is I tend to stay up a lot later that I should and this helped me get to sleep early on numerous occasions.
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Summary: Sahib's India
Review: "The Passage to India" is a classic novel on India written by a British author. The perspective is thoroughly that of a colony, while the distribution of sympathies is irrelevant for this statement. Snip: (...)
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Summary: Racism or Cultural Differences?
Review: Forster writes about the ruling British and their tentative relationship with India in the early part of the 20th Century. While Kipling wrote of an India of intrigue and adventure, Forster's India is one of mistrust and racism between the British and the natives. The main charcter is a Moslem Indian, Dr. Aziz,who is abused by his British superior and learns to mistrust all British. Aziz meets Mrs. Moore , a new arrival, by chance at a mosque. After first ridiculing her, Aziz develops a deep respect for Mrs. Moore who he believes possesses more Oriental qualities than European qualities. Through Mrs. Moore, Aziz develops a frienship with Fielding, an educator, very interested in discovering what India is all about. Mrs. Moore's is accompanied to India by her future daughter-in-law, Adela Quested. Although extremely naive, Adela has the same inquisitiveness as does Fielding. Aziz desperately wants to impress his new British friends and he invites Adela, Mrs. Moore, and Fielding to be his guest as he shows them the Marbar caves, a local landmark. On the fateful day all parties realize that the tour is not a good idea but each is reluctant to cancel the event. The mystery of what occurred within the caves and the aftermath is the crux of the story. The incident at the cave does irrevocable harm to each of the main characters but particularly Mrs. Moore whose spirit totally disintegrates and Adeala who is rediculed and villified by the British. Finally at the end, Aziz and Fielding repair their friendship as best they can, each realizing that Indians and Brits will enjoy a suspicious friendship at best.
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Summary: Thought-Provoking
Review: I have always been a fan of E.M. Forster. His ability to understand the way that society and humanity works has always managed to astonish me. This work is thought by many to be the greatest that he ever wrote. I tend to agree "Howards End", "A Room with a View", and "Where Angels Fear to Tread" were stepping stones to this novel. The story is simple. A man is accused of doing something his friends believe him to be innocent all others believe him to be guilty. Yet, the story is not at all simple. It explains how horribly off things in India were when Britain still maintained an empire there. That man accused is an Indian. The person accusing him is an English woman. In these two characters, Britain and India are made real. The reader sees how wrong the whole situation was . Be prepared to leave the book angry at the British for doing what they did in India. Read and learn this book!
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Summary: A Passage to India Review--Adrienne L.
Review: The book I chose was A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. The book was based off of the author's own experiences in India. Forster is able to tell the tale of an attempted friendship between a an Englishman and an Indian. The Englishman (Fielding) and the Indian (Aziz) are constantly stuck with having problems trusting one another making the friendship a very difficult one to have. The book shows us about the interactions between different cultures and it gives us a greater understanding of human feelings and emotions. Forster is able to tell the reader a lot about India through this book. The novel takes place primarily in Chandrapore. The main character of the novel is Aziz. He is a Muslim doctor and a widow. Aziz meets Mrs. Moore, (a British woman), at at a local Islamic temple. Mrs. Moore is visiting her son, who is the City Magistrate. They find that they have much in common. Aziz brings Mrs. Moore to find her friend Adela. Mrs. Moore and Adela go to a bridge party. For Adela and Mrs. Moore, the party is a failure because only a few of the English guests behave kindly towards the Indians. One of these guests is Fielding, who suggests that Adela meet Aziz. Mrs. Moore scolds her son because he is impolite to the Indians, but Ronny feels that he is not there to be kind because there are more important things to do. Mrs Moore is offended by this. Aziz has tea with Fielding, Adela, Mrs. Moore and Professor Narayan Godbole. During tea they discuss the Marabar Caves. Aziz plans a picnic at the Marabar Caves for Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore. Adela tells Ronny that she will not marry him, but he nevertheless suggests that they take a car trip to see Chandrapore. During the trip, Adela speaks to Ronny, and tells him that she was foolish to say that they should not be married. Both Aziz and Godbole fall sick after the party at Mr. Fielding's home, so Fielding visits Aziz and they discuss the state of politics in India. Aziz shows Fielding a picture of his wife, a significant event considering his Islamic background and an important demonstration of their friendship. Again, we see the friendship developing between Fielding and Aziz, despite the forces that are against them at the time. They are able to develop this friendship even though there are large differences in their cultures. Aziz plans an expedition to the Marabar Caves. During the day when they are to leave, a friend of Aziz's, bribes Adela's servant not to go on the expedition because he is a spy for Ronny. Although Aziz, Adela and Mrs. Moore arrive to the train station on time, Fielding and Godbole miss the train. Adela and Aziz discuss Adela's marriage, and she fears she will become narrow-minded. When they reach the caves, an echo in one of them frightens Mrs. Moore, who decides she must leave immediately. The echo terrifies her. Aziz and Adela continue to explore the caves, and Adela realizes that she does not love Ronny. However, she does not think that this is reason enough to break off her engagement. When the group returns to Chandrapore, Aziz is arrested for assaulting Adela. Fielding speaks about this charge, and says that Aziz is innocent. The Collector feels that this is true because disaster always happens when the English and Indians interact socially. Fielding requests that he see Adela, but he is denied this request. Aziz hires a Hindu as his lawyer who is notoriously anti-British. Godbole leaves Chandrapore to start a high school in Central India. The Anglo-Indians are on Adela's side and call a meeting to discuss the trial. Fielding attends, and makes the mistake of actually referring to her by name. The Collector advises all to behave cautiously. Adela wishes to see Mrs. Moore, who kept away. Ronny tells her that Fielding wrote her a letter to her pleading Aziz's case. Adela admits to Ronny that she has made a mistake and that Aziz is innocent. Mrs. Moore wishes to leave India, and Ronny agrees, for she is doing no one any good by remaining. Lady Mellanby, the wife of the Lieutenant-Governor, secures Mrs. Moore quick passage out of India. Adela admits that she made a mistake about Aziz. The judge releases Aziz. Adela is asked why she made this charge, but she cannot answer. Adela seems to believe that she had a hallucination because she thinks she hallucinated getting a marriage proposal when there was none. Fielding asks Aziz not to sue Adela, for it will show that he is a gentleman, but Aziz claims that he is fully anti-British now. Fielding reminds Aziz what a momentous sacrifice Adela. Adela decides to leave India and not marry Ronny. Fielding gains new respect for Adela. Adela leaves India. Aziz thinks that Fielding and Adela had an affair and the friendship between Aziz and Fielding hits a rough spot. Forster presents us with the setting of the town of Mau. Fielding visits Mau after he gets married. Aziz believes he married Adela. Fielding married Mrs. Moore's daughter. They resolve their dispute, but they realize that because of their different cultures they cannot remain friends and leave each other cordially. There is a question about what happened in the Marabar caves when Adela and Aziz are together. Forster shows that it is not really an issue because it outcomes of what did or didn't happen that are important. The trip to the caves made the emotions that the characters had even stronger. The proceding events following the trip to the cave are direct outcomes of this trip. This book deals with the relations between the English and the native population of India during the colonial period in which Britain ruled India. The idea of friendship between the English and Indians was radical at Forster's time. Forster is able to show just how radical this is by presenting the reader with the reactions of both the Indians and the English to the friendship between Fielding and Aziz. He does not pretend to understand India. He believes that it is a 'muddle', which is a theme here, just as it is in Forster's A Room with A View. With this book, however; Forster is able to bring some aspects of India to life to give us a greater understanding of the differences in culture.
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Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: This is an excellent book, but it is not the easiest of reads. If you do not understand Hindi, then you may have learn a few words, but there aren't too many. I do not think that the novel has a straight-forward moral that says, "The English are bad. Good bye." Instead, the novel shows the ambiguity of human life and the fact that there is no column in which you can put all of the good guys and another in which you put all of the bad guys. The characters in this novel are complex and show different weaknesses. The book offers excellent insight into the world of colonial India and the many different social strata that existed. This book is best read in long sections - don't read a few pages or one chapter at a time. I hope you enjoy it.
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Summary: Wondeful, start to finish.
Review: This was one of those books with which I could tell after a half hour that I would love it forever. It is hard not to sympathize with the characters. This is a story of humanity constrained by artificial barriers; of love, friendship, spirituality, truth, and the problems they face from hatred, jealousy, deception, and pride. Forster is clearly a close observer of numan nature and his words resonate with our own lives and thoughts. The caves made me think as much as anything I have encountered in literature. This book has all the elements of a captivating novel - plot, imagery, narrative, characters. Though there may appear to be some thin characters and a reductionist view of good and evil, it is all to an end. And there is a very strong message - evil there may be, but there are stronger bonds it cannot break. It is up to us to fight the forces acting to destroy those bonds, forces that are within us.
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Summary: A Passage to India
Review: A passage to India was a very good book. It is artfully portrayed. And the author has richly described the land. The author's idea of having the English being friends with the Indians is a concept that was revolutionary for his time. The book is highly contraversial and intelligent about the personalities of Europeans living in India and their attitude towards the Indians. The whole concept is enthralling.
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Summary: Can Indians Speak?
Review: A PASSAGE TO INDIA reminds me of an article by Gayatri Spivak, "Can Subaltern Speak?" If I am not mistaken, basically what Spivak says is that Subaltern cannot speak because the dominance will not listen whatever it says. Thus, subaltern's speech and voice lose their power as a method or medium to present themselves to a society governed by the dominance. Losing its voice, subaltern remains as a voiceless/ powerless existence. In this theory, certainly, subaltern is subject to the dominance, and the chain of subjectivity cannot be broken by subaltern. The English people in the novel seem to present as the dominance A PASSAGE, and Indians as the subaltern. The English people's conception/ conceptualization of Indians -- Indians are so uncivilized and uncultivated that they must retain as inferior to English -- are so firm and stubborn that it cannot change. Even Dr. Aziz who on some level is educated and civilized in the English measure, whom Forster seems to present as a protagonist to find an intersection between Indians and English and to tries to offer a certain possibility of reconciliation between subaltern and the dominant, is a mere Indian who cannot/ shall not "be a channel of communication between two English people" (83). Like many (post-)colonial writers, Forster seems to present power (economical and political) as a capability to define the others' identity, culture, and social role. Indians are simply defined as "savages" by English. No matter how educated they are or no matter how civilized (in the English/ European measure) they are, Indians are still savages who cannot be equally compared to any other English (the dominance). Dr. Aziz would be a good example of this case. The English also has the power to evaluate/ judge or even devalue subaltern's culture. The English conception of Indians, which Forster partially present throughout the book, is that Indians live in an unclean atmosphere, they smell bad, they are irresponsible so that they don't keep promise (ex. Indian ladies promise to invite Mrs. Moore and Adela to their place but do not keep the promise). Indians always remain as servant in the Colonial society. Regardless of their willingness, they are always subject to the English and their judgment. For example, Dr. Aziz dresses a shirt with collar when he rides a bicycle so that he wouldn¡¯t be stopped by an English policeman. What bothers me most in A PASSAGE was Indians' attitude toward the English colonization. Indians seem to me that they are pretty indoctrinated by the English colonial conceptualization/ ideology. Indians themselves often thinks in A PASSAGE like the English, such as these thoughts: they are incapable to do certain things, they are inferior to the English, or they should be happy as good servant to the English. They don't seem as challenging as many African American protagonists in African American (post) colonial writings. This bothersome brings me to think of Forster's intention of this novel as well. Does he insist a separation between two powers? Is he saying that subaltern and the dominance can never mingle together like oil and water? What does he want to say through this novel? What make this novel good literature? Is this because the novel accurately presents the inevitable reality?.... Over all, the book offers me an interesting experience about Indians who have been strangers to me. Although having a couple of Indian friends, I have not thought about their colonial history and culture at all. This book makes me think in different areas that I have never adventured.
Rating:
Summary: Forster's best novel
Review: Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore are good Brits in turn of the century India. They have the best intentions and want to meet real Indians and see the real India. When Dr. Aziz takes them to visit the Marabar Caves, they seem to be penetrating deep into the heart of India. However, Miss Quested is overwhelmed by the caves & accuses Aziz of attacking her & for all their good intentions, they are shown to be just as incapable of understanding Indians as the worst of their fellow Brits. This is certainly the best of Forster's novels. The clash of cultures makes for interesting reading. However, after a century of decolonization and independence, it's legitimate to ask whether places like India are better off today, as independent nations, than they were in 1900, as colonies. Forster makes the point that the English will never understand the Indians & can never be friends with them, but will Hindus ever understand Moslems & can they ever be friends? More importantly, even if the English never could befriend the Indians, wasn't their governance, at least, enlightened & constructive? Whereas, the Hindus who feel actual hatred towards the Moslems (& vice versa) have governed in a backward and destructive manner? Should ethnicity be the deciding factor in who governs a country or are governing principles (democracy, capitalism, religious tolerance) more important to the welfare of the population? It seems to me that Forster & his ilk bet on ethnicity & events have shown them to be catastrophically mistaken. GRADE: B
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