A Passage To India Essay Research Paper

A Passage To India Essay, Research Paper

Cultural Misunderstanding in Forster? s A Passage to India In his novel A Passage to India, Forster uses a series of perennial misinterpretations between civilizations, which become hardened into societal stereotypes, to warrant the inutility of efforts to bridge cultural gulfs. In many cases, the manner in which linguistic communication is used dramas a great function in the miscommunication between the English and the Indians, every bit good as among people of the same civilization. This is exemplified in the manner in which people use the same words, but do non hear the same significance. It is besides displayed through the British characters Aziz meets and befriends, through a series of invitations and through clip and true errors. Upon Meeting the British: Two important cases of miscommunication occur when Aziz meets the British characters in the novel that will stop up being really near, yet controversial friends. Upon his meeting Mrs. Moore at the Mosque, he sees a British adult female and right off develops a series of misconceptions about her. He believes that she is like all other British adult females ( conveying up conversation on adult females being similar ) : ? Madam, this is a mosque, you have no right here at all ; you should hold taken off your places ; this is a holy topographic point for Moslems. ? ? I have taken them off. ? ? You have? ? ? I left them at the entrance. ? ? Then I ask your forgiveness. I am genuinely regretful for speaking. ? ? Yes, I was right, was I non? If I remove my places, I am allowed? ? ? Of class, but so few ladies take the problem, particularly if believing no 1 is at that place to see? ( 18 ) . What Aziz finds is the unexpected fact that she is similar Aziz in many ways, or as he describes her, ? Oriental? ( 21 ) . Yet, when seeing this side of the British adult female, he once more interrupt his connexion with her when she speaks of her boy: ? And why of all time do you come to Chandrapore? ? ? To see my boy. He is the City Magistrate here. ? ? Oh no, pardon me, that is rather impossible. Our City Magistrate? s name is Mr. Heaslop. I know him intimately. ? ? He? s my boy all the same, ? she said smile, ( 19 ) . It does non happen to Aziz that Mrs. Moore? s boy may be portion of the Indian race. It is something that is non apprehensible at first. Another British character that Aziz makes a connexion with is Mr. Fielding. When Aziz arrives at Fielding? s place to run into him for the first clip, he has the same type of miscommunication that he does with Mrs. Moore, yet is is displayed in an opposite mode: ? Raising up his voice, he shouted from the sleeping room, ? Please do yourself at home. ? The comment was unpremeditated, like most of his actions ; it was what he felt inclined to state. To Aziz it had a really different significance? ( 66 ) . Aziz understands Fielding? s comment as a warm invitation, whereas Fielding has a modus operandi of doing the comment. Peoples Stating One Thing and intending another, normally merely to be polite: A. Invitations The affair of invitations in the novel creates a cultural misinterpretation between the Indians and the British in the sense that the Indians make invitations merely to be polite, which the British return literally. This causes discourtesy in some instances to the British involved, whereas the Indians see it as a normal portion of their society. This is first apparent at the Bridge Party, where Adela and Mrs. Moore are introduced to Mrs. Bhattacharya: When they took their leave, Mrs. Moore had an impulse, and said to Mrs. Bhattacharya, whose face she liked, ? I wonder whether you would let us to name on you some day. ? ? When? ? she replied, tending charmingly. ? Whenever is convenient. ? ? All yearss are convenient. ? ? Thursday? ? ? Most certainly. ? ? ? What about the clip? ? ? All hours. ? ? Tell us which you would prefer. ? Mrs. Bhattacharya seemed non to cognize either. Her gesture implied that she had known, since Thursdays began, that English ladies would come to see her on one of them, and so ever stayed in. Everything pleased her, nil surprised. She added, ? We leave for Calcutta today. ? ? Oh make you? ? said Adela, non at first seeing the deduction. Then she cried, ? Oh, but if you do, we shall happen you gone. ? Mrs. Bhattacharya did non challenge it. ( 44 ) . Mrs. Bhattacharya doesn? t think of the invitation in the same manner Adela does. The same is for Az

iz when inviting the two women to the Marabar caves. ?He thought again of his bungalow in horror. Good heavens, the stupid girl had taken him at his word! What was he to do? ?Yes, all that is settled,? he cried. ?I invited you all to see me in the Marabar Caves.?? (79) Misunderstanding of time: Misunderstanding of time occurs not only between the two cultures, but is also apparent amongst the Indian society. The difference between the different races of Indians is displayed here. The first example of misunderstanding time is given at the beginning of the novel, when Dr. Lal sends for Aziz. Another case in which there is a misunderstanding of time occurs at the Bridge Party. The guests, Inidian and British, have different ideas of time, which is displayed in the way the guests arrive. The narration states that ?the Bridge Party was not a success ? at least it was not what Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested were accustomed to consider a successful party. They arrived early? but most of the Indian guests had arrived even earlier, and stood massed at the farther side of the tennis lawns, doing nothing,? (38). Communication on the same level: There are several instances where the British and Indian cultures are communicating on the same level. The first time this is demonstrated is among the Indian culture, when Aziz dines at Mahmoud Ali?s house. The servants are asked if the dinner is ready and they reply that it is, when in fact, it is not. Aziz and his friends, however, understand the meaning in what the servants say. ?They [the servants] meant that they wished it was ready, and were so understood,? (8). Ronny Heaslop, having lived in India, and understanding a slight bit of the Indian culture, does realize the true meaning of the invitation. B. Other Fielding, having lived among the Indian culture for some time, is on the same level of communication that Heaslop is, as far as undertanding the invitation goes. Another invitation that is given to the two True mistakes and gossip: Some of the misunderstandings in the book take place due to flat out mistakes, which at times involve gossip. This occurs first when Aziz offers his collar stud to Fielding in an ‘effusive’ act of friendship, Heaslop later misinterprets Aziz’s missing stud as an oversight and extends it as a general example: “…there you have the Indian all over: inattention to detail; the fundamental slackness that reveals the race” (82). We later see Aziz?s biggest mistake of all, becoming the turning point of his relationship with Fielding. ?Jump in, Mr. Quested, and Mr. Fielding.? ?Who on earth is Mr. Quested?? ?Do I mispronounce that well-known name? Is he not your wife?s brother?? ?Who on earth do you suppose I?ve married?? ?I?m only Ralph Moore,? said the boy, blushing, and at that moment there fell another pailful of the rain, and made a mist round their feet. Aziz tried to withdraw, but it was too late?. ?However did you make such a mistake?? said Fielding,? (338). The end of the novel displays a circular pattern that has developed throughout, in the sense that the cultures are no better in their understanding of one another than they are in the beginning. If the British were to really try to understand the Indian, the cultural barriers might weaken and the British might begin to see their equal humanity and this of course would make the British role as conquering ruler more difficult. One of the major themes of E. M. Forster’s novel A Passage to India is cultural misunderstanding. Differing cultural ideas and expectations regarding hospitality, social proprieties, and the role of religion in daily life are responsible for misunderstandings between the English and the Muslim Indians, the English and the Hindu Indians, and between the Muslims and Hindus. This is why Mrs. Moore is so revered by Aziz and the other Indians. She is too new a visitor to have become hardened, not having been there the six months Aziz and his friends agree are required for English ladies, and she still treats the Indians as people. She never advocates British withdrawal but she doesn’t understand why they can’t be more ‘pleasant’ to the natives. Perhaps there is a clue to answering this question in the experience Mrs. Moore has at the Caves.