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In Chapters 3 & 4, Adela seeks the "real India," sparking tension among English and Indian characters. Mrs. Moore forms connections, while Ronny remains skeptical. The narrative explores culture, prejudice, and individual perspectives in colonial India.
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NOVEL IILecture 24 A PASSAGE TO INDIA
SYNOPSIS • Summary continues… • Detailed discussion from chapter 1-26
Chapter 3 & 4 • When Mrs. Moore arrives, the club is wrapping up its production of Cousin Kate. • Adela Quested, who may or may not be engaged to Ronny, Mrs. Moore's son, is in the process of telling everyone at the club that she wants to see the "real India" (1.3.14). • The others think Adela is ridiculous. The Englishwomen are condescending and frankly racist about the "natives." ("Why the kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die," says one character [1.3.26].)
The Englishmen don't seem quite as racist, but still remain cynical. • Mr. Turton, who, as Collector, is the chief colonial administrator in the town, announces that he will throw a Bridge Party so that Adela can meet Indians. • On the way home, Mrs. Moore tells Ronny and Adela that she has met Aziz. Adela is delighted, but Ronny is angered by what he views as Aziz's impertinence.
Ronny warns his mother to be careful with educated Indians such as Aziz, who may harbor rebellious sentiments. • Mrs. Moore dismisses Ronny, and grows even more annoyed at the way that Ronny sounds increasingly like any bureaucrat. • Mrs. Moore withdraws to go to bed. She goes to hang up her cloak, but she finds a wasp lying on her clothes peg. She decides to leave it alone.
Mr. Turton sends out invitations to a Bridge Party to the prominent members of the Indian community. • A few Indians discuss Turton's invitation. Some, like Mahmoud Ali, believe that the Bridge Party is a political move on the part of Turton. • Others, like the NawabBahadur, see the invitation as a simple gesture of good will and decide to attend. • Because of the NawabBahadur's prominence, the others decide to follow his lead.
The scene abruptly shifts as the narrator considers all those who were not invited by Turton, people who are so poor that they don't even have a class to describe them. • The scene abruptly shifts yet again to two missionaries, Mr. Graysford and Mr. Sorley, who work with the kind of people who were not invited by Turton. • The missionaries profess that all are invited to God's house.
The narrator hypothetically asks them whether this invite includes non-human creatures, like monkeys. • Mr. Sorley can accept monkeys, because, as he says, who wouldn't want a heaven with monkeys? But he draws the line at oranges and bacteria.
Chapter 5 & 6 • There's very little bridging between cultures going on at the Turtons' Bridge Party. • The Indians and the English are grouped on opposite sides of the lawn. • Adela feels disappointed. Ronny lectures Adela about why Indians don't matter. Adela notices that Ronny is getting annoyingly conventional about things. • Mrs. Turton introduces Adela and Mrs. Moore over to the Indian women. She speaks some Urdu to the Indian women, who reply in English. This is an unpleasant surprise to her because it makes it less easy for her to act superior.
The two English-speaking Indian women, Mrs. Bhattacharya and Mrs. Das, have a polite conversation with Adela and Mrs. Moore. • As they leave, Mrs. Moore asks whether it would be all right for Adela and herself to call on the Indian women. After some confusing banter between Mr. and Mrs. Bhattacharya, they agree to a visit on Thursday.
Adela then meets Mr. Fielding, the principal of the local government college. • After some friendly chitchat, Mr. Fielding invites her and Mrs. Moore over to tea. On hearing that Mrs. Moore has met Aziz, he agrees to invite Aziz over as well. • Adela, Ronny, and Mrs. Moore all head home from the party. • The McBrydes and Miss Derek join them for dinner. Miss Derek views the Bridge Party, and her overall experience in India, as pure comedy.
After their dinner guests leave, Ronny is alone with his mother. His mother chides him for his attitude toward Indians, but Ronny retorts that he is in India to govern, not to "behave pleasantly" (1.5.86). • Mrs. Moore disagrees and argues that they are in India to behave pleasantly. When she invokes religion – "God…is…love" (1.5.97), Ronny gets uncomfortable and decides to leave his mother alone.
The story shifts to Aziz who, after his meeting with Mrs. Moore, goes back to his rounds at the hospital. • Major Callendar chews Aziz out for not coming soon enough when he called him, and refuses to hear Aziz's explanation. Aziz is amused at Callendar's refusal to understand. • Aziz hears about the Bridge Party, and decides to go. But on the day of the party, he decides he can't. • The party happens to fall on the anniversary of his wife's death. Even though he agreed to hitch a ride with Dr. PannaLal, he neglects to let Lal know that he doesn't need the ride after all.
Aziz heads out to mail a telegram to his children. When he returns, he finds that Lal showed up, waited, and left. • Aziz pulls out a picture of his wife. He thinks some melancholy thoughts about death. Then he notices some hospital casework, and his mood improves. • Aziz checks in on Hamidullah after tea, but Hamidullah is also out at the Bridge Party. He borrows Hamidullah's pony, and goes for a ride on the maidan. • He plays polo with a British soldier. For a brief while, they forget their differences and are just two guys batting a ball around. They leave on friendly terms.
As Aziz leaves the maidan, he sees a few Muslims praying. A Brahminy bull, a sacred animal to the Hindus, saunters by, and Aziz gives it a tap with his polo stick. • He hears a voice from the road – it's Lal, his erstwhile ride to the Bridge Party. After Lal chastises him for not going to the party, Aziz heads home. He's pleased to find an invitation to a tea party from Mr. Fielding.
Chapter 7 & 8 • The story shifts to the day of Mr. Fielding's tea party at his home on the college grounds. • Aziz arrives early as Mr. Fielding is getting dressed. Mr. Fielding notices that he's missing a collar stud, and Aziz generously offers him his own. • Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested arrive, and the tea party begins. Aziz remembers Mrs. Moore, and thinks Adela unattractive. • Adela and Mrs. Moore mention that they had called on the Bhattacharyas as they had promised they would at the Bridge Party. But when they arrived at the Bhattacharyas, the Bhattacharyas were not in.
Aziz impulsively invites them to visit his home. To his dismay, they accept. He doesn't want them to see his rather humble circumstances. • So he tries to change the subject by pointing out the architectural details in Fielding's home. Adela is enchanted and impressed. • Professor Godbole shows up. He quietly munches away as everyone talks. • Aziz asks Adela to consider staying in India. Adela replies that she can't.
Half an hour passes before she realizes that she's made a significant remark. • Not staying in India would mean that she didn't intend to marry Ronny. • Mr. Fielding offers to take Mrs. Moore on a tour around the grounds. Adela stays behind with Aziz and Godbole. • Adela reminds Aziz that he's invited them over, and Aziz quickly suggests that they go to the Marabar Caves instead. She asks Aziz to describe the caves, but he can't because he's never been there. They ask Godbole to describe the caves, but he's curiously evasive. • Just then, Ronny shows up. Aziz sasses Ronny, but Ronny ignores Aziz.
Ronny's quite miffed that Adela's all alone with these Indian guys. Ronny says he's taking Adela and Mrs. Moore to a polo match. • Fielding returns with Mrs. Moore, and Ronny pushes everyone to say their good-byes. Adela expresses her regret that she never got a chance to hear Godbole sing. • Godbole sings a song. No one really understands the song because no one speaks Hindu. The servants, however, do understand the song. • Godbole explains that it's the song of a milkmaid who asks the Hindu god Krishna to "come," but the god neglects to come (1.7.168). A moment of silence follows as everyone listens to Ronny's footsteps fade away.
On the car ride to the polo match, Adela thinks about her comment to Aziz that she didn't plan to stay in India, which basically meant that she didn't intend to marry Ronny. • She considers how uncool Ronny has become. He's become an annoying, unloveablebureaucrat.Ronny asks his mother about the Marabar Caves, and Adela informs Mrs. Moore that Aziz has invited them to a picnic at the Marabar Caves. • Ronny is dismissive, and he and Adela quarrel. Mrs. Moore chides them both for quarreling and insists on getting dropped off at home. Ronny and Adela, chastised, are silent.After dropping Mrs. Moore off at Ronny's place, Ronny and Adela continue on to the polo match.
At the polo match, Adela and Ronny walk off by themselves. • Adela tells Ronny that she doesn't want to marry him. Ronny is miserable, but takes it well. They're relieved to have the conversation over with and agree to remain friends, although Adela wishes there had been more drama.They are interrupted by the NawabBahadur, who offers to take them for a ride in his new car. • Adela and Ronny take a seat in the back while the Nawab dozes in front next to his chauffeur. • As the car speeds along, Adela and Ronny's hands accidentally touch, and they both feel a thrill.
All of a sudden, the car jolts to a stop against a tree. The Nawab wakes up, terrified. • The chauffeur says he hit an animal. Ronny and Adela go back to investigate, and come to the conclusion that they hit a hyena. • Miss Derek drives by and offers to give them a lift. They don't have enough room for the chauffeur, so they have to leave him behind. • They drop the NawabBahadur in town.As they pull up to the bungalow, Adela and Ronny touch hands again, only this time Adela presses his hand, and Ronny returns the pressure. • Before they walk in, Adela takes back her refusal of marriage to Ronny and they are engaged once again.
Ronny and Adela walk into the bungalow and announce their engagement to Mrs. Moore, who is happy for them. • They tell Mrs. Moore about their accident, and Mrs. Moore exclaims, "A ghost!" (1.8.133).Ronny goes to work in his office, while Adela and Mrs. Moore play cards.
Adela wonders whether she's been "good" and "honest" on the trip. Mrs. Moore tells her not to worry, and blames Adela's confusion on the newness of the surroundings. Adela asks Mrs. Moore why she thought the animal they hit was a ghost. • Mrs. Moore doesn't remember calling it a ghost.The novel shifts gears and follows the NawabBahadur, who's telling a captive audience in Chandrapore about the accident. • The Nawab believes it to be the ghost of a man he'd killed with his very first car. Aziz, who is in the audience, murmurs to the Nawab's grandson that Indians have to get rid of their superstitions. • The novel switches back to Adela and Mrs. Moore's game. They go to bed as outside, the heat approaches.
Chapter 9 & 10 • After Fielding's tea party, Aziz feels slightly ill. • He pretends that he's ill for three days and doesn't go to work. He lies in bed, thinking of how nice it would be to take a vacation. • A vacation that involves brothel-hopping in Calcutta. • Of course his boss, Callendar, would never understand. But Fielding, on the other hand …Aziz tells his servant to figure out a way to get rid of all the flies in his room.
Just then, Hamidullah, Syed Mohammed, Mr. Haq, and Mohammed's nephew Rafi show up to see how Aziz is. • Rafi, a student at Fielding's college, says that Godbole is also ill. They all consider the possibility of Godbole having cholera. • This sets off a discussion out how unhygienic Hindus are (somewhat ironic given the filthy condition of Aziz's rooms).Bashing Hindus puts Aziz in the mood for Arabic poetry. They all appreciate his recitations. • Aziz's guests wish him well. They're on their way to a committee of Indians of different religions who are committed to an independent India (including those Indians they were just bashing).
Before they leave, Dr. PannaLal, a Hindu, shows up with Ram Chand. Dr. Lal has been sent on Callendar's orders to make sure that Aziz isn't faking. But aware that he might need Aziz to cover for him one day, Lal decides to play along with Aziz. • Lal explains that Godbole has hemorrhoids, not cholera. (Still, just a little too much info, right?)They all demand Rafi apologize for spreading rumors. • But Ram Chand is a little too hard on Rafi, and Syed Mohammed and Ram Chand get into an argument over whose kid is worse.Just then, Fielding shows up to see how Aziz is doing.
While most are generally pleased to see an Englishman pay such attention to a fellow Indian, Fielding makes some offhand comments about atheism that sparks their curiosity. • The fact that Fielding doesn't pretend to any moral superiority, or any moral standard throws them for a loop.Fielding gamely responds that the British may just have to be chucked out. • But Hamidullah protests that the Indians are not the kind of people to just chuck another race out. Chand and Haq contend that it's because they're a spiritual people, but Hamidullah says it's more a problem of getting their act together. • They all take their leave of Aziz and wait outside for their rides to pull up. Fielding's a little disappointed with his visit because he didn't get as much face time with Aziz as he'd hoped.
This chapter is short, with very little action. • It describes the mood of the men outside Aziz's house, who feel the "bad weather," or the heat, coming (1.10.1). The heat, which begins in April, is so horrible that it puts everybody in a foul mood.
Review Lecture 24 • Summary continues… • Detailed discussion from chapter 1-26 • Visual Comprehension
