Aziz In A Passage To India

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In E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India the serious mistakes the British make when interacting with the Indians reveals the negative the British had on Indian society during their occupation of India. The novel presents various scenarios of British and Indians interacting and then gives the most logical outcome of that scenario.
Before delving into the novel’s representation of what was happening to India at this time it is best to first take a quick look at what was occurring in the real India. A real interaction can be found in an article by Forester depicting two different interactions an Indian man had on a train. The first time the Indian man comes across a British man some words are exchanged between them, but on the second encounter …show more content…

Fielding’s character almost sits between the two groups because he is slightly distrusted by his fellow companions because of how close he is with the Indians, but the British still accept him none the less. On the other hand, no matter how close he might try to get to the Indians, he can never truly understand them or be a part of their group. This is highlighted when Aziz arrives at Fielding’s house to find him dressing when Fielding breaks his collar-stud so Aziz offers him his. This simple act of kindness later results in Roony making a remark about Aziz’s attire saying, “Aziz was exquisitely dressed…but he had forgotten his back collar-stud, and there you have the Indian all over: inattention to detail; the fundamental slackness that reveals the race” (97). Even with good intentions, Fielding will never be able to understand the Indians because the Indians they can never be seen as equals by the British. They either recognize how they are seen by the British or they see everything as an insult such as Aziz’s reaction to a statement made by Fielding during their conversation, “The remark suggested that he, an obscure Indian, had no right to have heard of Post-Impressionism – a privilege reserved for the Ruling Race, that” (84). Even

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