A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: Discuss the lack of a hero or heroine

Essay by servantsimonHigh School, 11th gradeA+, May 2004

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A Passage to India:

Final Essay

Simon Rennings

There are several characters in 'A Passage to India' which E.M. Forster causes the reader to love. All meet the same fate, though, when Forster reveals the characters' weaknesses; and as the author tells us, "dilillusionment cannot be beautiful."(p.234)

At different points in the book I thought that Aziz, Mrs. Moore, or Fielding would be the hero or heroine. However, we found that Aziz hated, Mrs. Moore was apathetic, and Fielding selfishly left India.

"A Mosque by winning his approval let loose his imagination. The temple of another creed, Hindu, Christian, or Greek, would have bored him and failed to awaken his sense of beauty. Here was Islam, his own country, more than a Faith, more than a battle cry, more, much more...Islam an attitude towards life both exquisite and durable, where his body and his thoughts found their home."(p.16)

The first character that readers are introduced to in 'A Passage to India' is Dr. Aziz. He is innocent, fair-minded, and generous. He shows sensitivity when we learn of his wife, and demonstrates trust by befriending Fielding and calling this Englishman "brother." From the beginning, Forster tries to portray Aziz as a beautiful character, imaginative and patriotic, it seems that he will champion our story through race-relations; proving the English wrong by hosting two English ladies alone. In the end, though, Aziz is not our hero. After an unfortunate misunderstanding, Ms. Quested accuses him of something horrible. Aziz becomes embittered and hates the English, and even after Adela drops her charges, leaves Chandrapore to fight against the English from a safe distance.

Mrs. Moore is the most sympathetic character in Forster's book. She has the opportunity and characteristics to be a heroine, but instead she drowns in...