(3) Question: Comment on Forster’s art of characterization in A Passage to India.
Answer: Forster’s portrayal of character in his novels is highly successful. This is amply borne out by A Passage to India. This novel presents a veritable gallery of characters. All these characters are alive and convincing. They produce in us a feeling that we have actually met them. We here encounter a variety of characters- English, Indians (Hindu and Moslem), men, women, - and Forster shows the same facility in portraying them all. Actions and conversations are the means through which character is revealed to us, but Forster supplements these methods of character-revelation with his own comments.
So far as the delineation of the two races, the English and the Moslem, is concerned, Forster paints them collectively or in the group. Thus we learn through the conversation of the Moslem group that the Englishman in India is arrogant and a racial snob. The Moslem, on their part, are portrayed as being strongly anti-English, and nationalistic in their outlook. But they are also depicted as having a narrow and communal outlook in their attitude towards Hindus. The English officials, as is only to be expected, make extremely unfavorable commands on the Indians in general.
Within the two groups, the English and the Indian, the various individuals are clearly distinguished from one another. Among the Englishmen and women, the most outstanding are Ronny, Fielding, and the two English ladies who are visiting India. Among the Indians, the most outstanding are Aziz and God bole. Indeed, these six portraits fully illustrate the variety and life-likeness of Forster’s characterization. The portraits are not of one pattern. God bole, the Brahman, is as different from Aziz, the Mohammedan, as both are from Fielding, the liberal Englishman, and as he is from Ronny, the English City Magistrate.
The Portrayal of Ronny: The character of Ronny is revealed to us partly through Forster’s description of the man: “Everyday he worked hard in the court trying to decide which of two untrue accounts was the less untrue, trying to dispense justice fearlessly, to protect the weak against the less weak.”
The character of Fielding: Fielding’s character too is revealed to us partly through the author’s description of him, and partly through his conversation and his actions.
It is through his talk with the Moslems that we learn that Fielding is an atheist and rationalist. Forster gives us glimpses of the working of Fielding’s mind by recording his thoughts.
The delineation of Aziz:
Aziz is a brilliantly drawn figure, more living than any of the Englishmen. He represents an extraordinary tour de force in the portrayal of one race by another. He is restless, friendly, volatile, and vain. His pride in the glory of Islam is revealed to us through his meditations and through his poetry. His anti-English feeing is revealed in his conversation with his fellow-Moslems.
Mrs. Moore:
The portrayal of Mrs. Moore is also memorable. Forster’s technique in building up this portrait too is the same- description and comment, conversation and actions, and psychological analysis. Mrs. Moore’s mystical instincts are also clearly conveyed to us. Her personality is somewhat mysterious, and yet we feel that we have met this woman. ++ Adela: The character of Adela too has been presented to us both from outside and inside. She wants to see the real India, and she speaks to the Indians sincerely and with candour, though she does not get much response from them. She resents the haughtiness of the members of her community towards the Indians.
Professor Godbole:
Godbole is depicted as an enigmatic person. His complete indifference to Aziz’s arrest is, for instance, inexplicable. On this occasion he indulges in a philosophical discourse on the subject of good and evil. His missing the train is not to be ignored in assessing his character. However, he is to be respected as a representative of Hindu mysticism.
Minor Characters:
Even the minor characters have been individualized. Hamidullah, the Nawab Bahadur, and Miss Derek are all real persons. The Collector and his wife think themselves to be little gods and will “die exiled from glory.” The Superintendent of Police has ideas which rule out the possibility of Aziz being innocent. The Civil Surgeon is a sadist, taking pleasure in describing the agony of an Indian youth. Forster has infused life into each of these persons.
Only Ralph and Stella seem to lack substance and appear to be shadowy characters. Perhaps Forster did not have space enough to portray these two character adequately or perhaps they entered the story too late to receive much attention from him. As a critic says, there are certain aspects of character which Forster does not fully understand.