Summary of the novel a passage to India
Summary of the novel a passage to India
Q. Attempt a summary of the story of the novel 'A Passage to India'
Ans.
Chandrapore is a city which is situated on the banks of river Ganga. There is nothing extra ordinary in the city, except for the Marabar caves twenty miles away from the city. On a rise above the town stands the civil station and on the other side is situated. the civil hospital. Dr. Aziz is an assistant surgeon in that hospital under Major Collendee.
There are two British women who have come to India to understand ladia and the Indians. The two British women are Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore. Both the ladies are liberal, gentle and sympathetic and wanted to know real India. They find that local Britishers are contemptuous and regard themselves superiors to the Indians. Ronny Heaslop (city Magistrate) is also arrogant. He does not want to treat the Indians on equal footing. He does riot like Dr. Aziz. He says "I am out here to work mind to hold this wretched country by force......
He does not wish that either Adela or his mother should move among the Indians and be on friendly terms. In spite of her son's (Ronny Heaslop) warning about mixing to much with Indians, Mrs. Moore goes to a mosque and meets Aziz a young Muslim doctor.
Dr. Aziz feels miserable and sad as he has been insulted by the Britishers but he is soothed by (area ) the kindness of Mrs. Moore. She is also happy as she has got chance to develop friendship with Dr. Aziz an Indian. And now she will come to know about "the real India". The Collector of Chandrapore Mr. Turton arranges a party in honour of these two English Ladies and invites sone prominent Indians as well. The main object of this party was to bridge the gulf between east and west. But the party proves to be failure. The Britishers did not behave with Indians properly The only Englishman who paid heed to the indian . was Mr. Fielding the principal of the Govt. College, Chandrapore. Dr. Aziz did not attend the Bridge parity.
Dr. Aziz is again invited by Mr. Fielding at his house. Mrs. Moore, Miss Adela Quested and Prof. Godbole also come to Fielding's house. Here Dr. Aziz makes a reference to Marabar caves. Miss Adela Quested and the two other become ready to visit the caves.
Mrs. Moore feels terror in the first cave. She hears horrible echo, which produces the sound of boom out boom, she does not visit the other cave. But Adela goes along with Dr. Aziz to the other caves. She asks Dr. Aziz. "Have you one wife or more?" Aziz moves with rapid steps leaving Adela behind When Adela tries to follow him, she loses her way and gets into another cave. There the strap of her field glasses is pulled by someone. She becomes nervous and rushes down from the caves accusing Dr. Aziz of trying and rape her. Aziz is arrested. This incident throws the whole city into a fever of racial feeling. Only Fielding pleads on behalf of Dr. Aziz and tries to convince that he is innocent.
The day of trial comes. The proceedings of the case begins Miss . Quested feels mentally disturbed since that happening in the cave. There is still terrible echo in her ears. She believes that only Mrs. Moore can cure her of this echo. But Mrs. Moore dies. But as soon as she hears the shouting of Moore's name she becomes normal and now she can see everything clearly She withdraws the case saying- "Dr. Aziz never followed me." Dr. Aziz is set free. At this her engagement with Ronny is broken. She joins Fielding and goes to England. Fielding also follows her .
The story should have ended here but the novel goes on commenting on the relationship between Dr. Aziz and Fielding who represent East and West respectively. Fielding returns to India after marriage and meets Dr. Aziz. They want to develop relationship (friendship) but the circumstances do not allow them. They find barriers of race, culture and national character. Hence they are not joined and the gulf between them remained as wide as ever. Dr. Aziz and Fielding meet together once again to part for ever. Represented by Ronny who think that the English are not here to show their pleasant behaviour. Take for example "We are not pleasant in India and we do not intend to be pleasant. We have something more important to do." What does "something more important" he mean? To hold this wretched country by force. They think that they have come to india with a definite purpose of ruling over the country That is why, they adopted the policy of Divide and Rule .
The only good English man in the novel is Mr. Fielding who believes that the world is a globe of men and all men are creation of one and same God But Mr. Fielding's creed is ill suited to Chandrapore. He has no racial feeling. He develops intimacy which Dr. Aziz. Hence he is disliked by the local Anglo-Indians.
A Passage to India gives a vivid description of Indians aspiring any struggling for freedom as well. It shows the Indians were gathering under the hanner of nationalism. Dr. Aziz represents the then out look of every Indian feeling.
We may hate one another, but we hate you most. If I do not make you go Ahmed will, Karim will, if it is fifty or five hundreds years we shall get rid of you, yes we shall drive every blasted Englishman into the sea." The word passage' is highly significant, with which the writer attempts to connect the link between Indian and Anglo-Indian. Dr. Aziz and Mr. Fielding make desperate attempts and form a lasting friendship but their efforts proves to be meanigless. In the last chapter of the novel Fielding says Dr. Aziz- "You and I shall be friends.
" But soon he realised that the horses do not want it, the earth did not want it and the sky did not want it. He therefore, fails to disprove Rudyard Kiplings famous statement. "East is east, west is west and never the two shall meet."
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