There have been few English writers who have felt empathetic to global politics quite like E.M. Forster. Over his short career, he explored the different ways that cultures interact and nowhere is that more prevalent than in "A Passage to India." It's a story that goes back centuries but focuses on a moment where England and India struggle to offer each other freedoms. There's racial undertones at every turn, making the reader aware at the discomfort that each character faces. It's hard to believe that anyone will end the story on a happy note, but Forster finds something even more profound emerging along the way. There is a study of discomfort caused by stereotypes, but what also emerges are friendships that cause the reader to long for sympathy from their own lives. The book is ultimately a call for a better world without relying on bad tropes. Instead it mixes reason with emotion in such a way that the results create their own spiritual DNA. It's a powerful novel and one of the essential British novels of the early 20th century.
Early in the book, Forster makes sure to paint India as an inhospitable place. This may seem racist, but the ultimate goal is to slowly zoom in on two different cultures existing side by side, attempting to understand why they put up with each other. There's discussion of whether the cultures will ever get along and if they should expect compassion from anyone. The results may seem initially fraught, but it doesn't take long for characters to reveal more humane side to things. As white characters come to respect Indian culture, there's a reality that soon they'll be able to see them as human. The only issue is getting past the gossip at exclusionary events where the worst of the biases are likely to take root.
There's a lot that makes this book essential, and it's mostly how Forster manages to find characters who are flawed and maybe detestable but treat them with a realism that reflects the holes in their biases. Soon they begin to see that the world is much different than they believed. They are much more similar despite maybe different climates and food orders. What they want is to be respected, and there are some who feel willing to live with that sacrifice. There's a sense of Forster looking past the absurdity to find that loneliness emerging amid an irrationality that never made sense. Even then, he ends the story with a profound courtroom trial scene that is very much interpretive to the reader. Is the man guilty or is this all profiling gone amok? With his clever use of language, he manages to create an interactive text that slowly unveils individual biases from his reader sand encourages discussion. For those with sympathy, this is ultimately a sad story that should inspire change. The question is would it emerge as the final pages are explored.
More than anything, Forster's vision was a call to the future to be better than the present. As one of the great humanitarian novels of the 20th century, it conveys a lot of complicated feelings that exist within every character no matter how likable they may end up being. The quest for tolerance is not one that is simply achieved. There will be bumps along the way, and Forster is curious to see if the characters can see past the centuries of expectations and develop something greater. It may not happen by the end of the novel, but one could argue that by starting the discussion, he's at least pushing things forward significantly. It's among the best books written and one that encourages the reader to sit and think about what just happened. It's not because it's confusing, but that it forces readers to come to terms with their own flaws. Is it enough to hide from progress and embrace bigotry? That is what the ending means. The world will move on, but will you be willing to acknowledge how it shifts? Plain and simple, you'd be foolish not to.
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