EM Forster, born in London to a bourgeois family, was an English humanist and writer famous for his literary works which called attention to hypocrisy (present in the time in which he lived ). In his novel A Passage To India, Forster explores the relationship between and within Anglo-Indian and Native-Indian communities under British imperialism and exposes the sins its members commit against humanistic values of sympathy and understanding. Furthermore, in A Passage to India Forster reflects the phases of relationship that occur between his characters through the use of the three main divisions: Mosque, Caves and Temple. The First Division Mosque, a Muslim place of worship, is set in the fictional city of Chandrapore and carries out the first phase of human confrontation --Introduction. One of the first introductions Forster makes to the reader is the division between Indian and British cultures. He does so by describing the Indian Chandrapore as a place where "the streets are mean, the temples ineffectual, and, though some fine houses exist, they are hidden in gardens or alleys whose filth discourages all but the invited guest." (Forster 3) while describing British Chandrapore “as a totally different place. It is a city of gardens. It is not a city, but a forest dotted with huts. It is a tropical pleasure washed by a noble river” (Forster 4). The idea of 'presentations' is further explored in Dr. Aziz's visit to the mosque which lets "his imagination loose...where his body and his thoughts have found their home" (Forster 16), where the "many little sounds [of] the English…amateur orchestra…Hindu drums…owls” (Forster 17), all different in nature, echoed through a similar space…the center of the paper…aside; the earth did not want it, raising rocks through which the riders had to pass in single file; the temples, the tanks, the prison, the place, the birds, the carrion, the guesthouse... they didn't want it, they said... 'no, not yet', and the sky said: 'No, not there' ” (Forster 362). Works Cited Forster, E. M. A Passage To India. Harcourt, Brace and, 1924. Print. “Mosque, Cave, and Some Comments on Time.” The structure of "A Passage to India" by EM Forster" Your knowledge has value. Network. April 11, 2012. "A Passage to India." SparkNote. SparkNote. Network. April 11. 2012..
tags