Day Two Hundred and Twenty Three
A Passage to India Page: 336Â Finished
Reading Forster’s novel has me thinking about love and the difference it makes. Certainly the colonial issues presented in the novel are worth discussing and the racial issues, likewise. But I think the deeper issue is the characters’ inability to love. Mrs. Moore loves her children and works for their good but aside from her efforts none of them spend any time seeking the good of their fellow man. (Right now I feel like I’m drafting a term paper!) I wouldn’t like to be accused of over-simplifying but still the enormous despondency of the novel seems to rest in the complete lack of steady, disinterested Charity. Miss Quested neither loves her fiance or “the Indians” she is only concerned about what kind of a figure she cuts socially. She has chosen to be non-conformist on racial matters but really is looking to make herself more interesting. Aziz is desperately concerned with his reputation and relations but these concerns stem not from love of his fellows or of the English but from a combination of ambition and cultural hospitality. Love is difficult enough with it but without Divine Grace impossible and it is funny that Forster only allows the atheist to exercise it for any length of time.