Colonialism And the Novel "A passage to India"
Colonialism in simple words can be defined as the dominance and power of a strong nation over another weaker nation. Colonialism is basically taking control of the colonialist, by using force, or through trade of extra resources of raw material and manpower from the colonies. The colonialist, while committing such crimes against the natives and territories of the colonies, with the idea that what they are doing is helping the colonized people by educating them and turning them from savages to civilized people.
Colonialism theory in literature refers to the works written during the times of colonization about the colonized people from the perspective of the colonizers. This literature usually have the characteristics of racial discrimination, white supremacy, depiction of the colonized from the perspective of colonizers
A passage to India by E.M. Forester is a great example of colonialism literature. Set in the backdrop of British-ruled colonial India, this novel examines the many tensions between the British colonizers and the Colonized Indians who had to live under a foreign oppressor that saw itself as being there for the Indian’s own good.
The novel demonstrates how colonialism, or the control of one country over another, warps and hinders human relations and even deprives individuals of their full humanity. From the very chapter of the novel, the difference between the colonized and colonizers is made clear by the author in this fictional city of Chandrapore where a railway line separate the ruling class from the subject class. Forster description of the city through the inappropriate selection of words, he makes himself clear that he is also a colonialist and he clearly see and feel that India and the Indian people are inferior to Europeans..
“by the river ganges, .trails for a couple of miles along.....
Chandrapore was never large or beautiful”....
Lines from original text.
Going further, the views of native varied in regards to the Britishers, a few people thought them to be friends while the other consider them to be enemies. When asked about his views Hamidullah states that "They all Become exactly the same...I give any Englishman two years.”
As for the Britishers, they consider themselves to be superior to the natives and never treated them equally, let alone consider them friends. The treatment of the natives by the Britishers can seen in the scene between Mr Callender and Dr Aziz. Mr Callender ask Dr Aziz to come to his house but when he goes there he finds out that Mr Callender has left for the club without even leaving a note for him, which makes him feel quite insulted.
Another instance that highlight this point is when Mrs callender tells Mrs Moore that natives should be avoided at all costs and that “the kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die,” said Mrs. Callendar.
The colonizers thinking regarding the colonized that they are savages with no education is also an influencing element of colonial literature as this thinking is deeply rooted in the minds of the European and which lead to many of the actions of the novel by the European characters. For instance when Mrs Moore tells her son Ronny that she met a native who shouted at her, Ronny gets upset and said: ‘Oh, good gracious! Not a Mohammedan?Why ever did not you tell me you had been talking to a native?’
Another common trait of colonialism Is racial discrimination which in this novel is presented in many scene and one such scene with great prominence is the Bridge Party that Mr Turton hosts for the newly arrived Miss Adela and Mrs Moore who wishes to meet the natives and see the real India. As this party only serves to intensify the division of peoples. First the indians arrive to the party way before the party time and upon arrival they are completely lost as to how they are suppose to act like and thus they stood to one side as the Britishers mingle among themselves and even the host Mrs Turton meets indian ladies hesitantly and tell Mrs Moore that British ladies are superior and that they should not interact with the Indians too much.
When Adela shows her disappoint toward the way indians are treated, Ronny remarks that British has come to India to rule. Furthermore when Adela accuse Dr Aziz Fielding defends Aziz but Sp McBryde believes that all indians are criminal at heart. Later when Adela frees Dr Aziz of the accusation after she realizes her mistake, the whole community deserts her as she refuses to falsely accuse an innocent.
After this incident, Aziz become firm anti British and ended his friendship with Fielding after realizing that they cannot be friends untill British leave India.
“Drive every blasted Englishman to the sea then... You and I shall be friends.”
