A passage to India

Two englishwomen, the young Miss Adela Quested and the elderly Mrs. Moore, travel to India. Adela expects to become engaged to Mrs. Moores son, Ronny, a ritish magistrate in the Indian city o! "handrapore. Adela and Mrs. Moore each hope to see the real India during their visit, rather than cultural institutions imported by the ritish. At the same time, A#i#, a young Muslim doctor in India, is increasingly !rustrated by the poor treatment he receives at the hands o! the $nglish. A#i# is especially annoyed with Ma%or "allendar, the civil surgeon, who has a tendency to summon A#i# !or !rivolous reasons in the middle o! dinner. A#i# and two o! his educated !riends, &amidullah and Mahmoud Ali, hold a lively conversation about whether or not an Indian can be !riends with an $nglishman in India. That night, Mrs. Moore and A#i# happen to run into each other while exploring a local mos'ue, and the two become !riendly. A#i# is moved and surprised that an $nglish person would treat him li(e a !riend. Mr. Turton, the collector who governs "handrapore, hosts a party so that Adela and Mrs. Moore may have the opportunity to meet some o! the more prominent and wealthy Indians in the city. At the event, which proves to be rather aw(ward, Adela meets "yril )ielding, the principal o! the government college in "handrapore. )ielding, impressed with Adelas open !riendliness to the Indians, invites her and Mrs. Moore to tea with him and the &indu pro!essor *odbole. At Adelas re'uest, )ielding invites A#i# to tea as well. At the tea, A#i# and )ielding immediately become !riendly, and the a!ternoon is overwhelmingly pleasant until Ronny &easlop arrives and rudely interrupts the party. +ater that evening, Adela tells Ronny that she has decided not to marry him. ut that night, the two are in a car accident together, and the excitement o! the event causes Adela to change her mind about the marriage. ,ot long a!terward, A#i# organi#es an expedition to the nearby Marabar "aves !or those who attended )ieldings tea. )ielding and -ro!essor *odbole miss the train to Marabar, so A#i# continues on alone with the two ladies, Adela and Mrs. Moore. Inside one o! the caves, Mrs. Moore is unnerved by the enclosed space, which is crowded with A#i#s retinue, and by the uncanny echo that seems to translate every sound she ma(es into the noise .boum./

A#i#, Adela, and a guide go on to the higher caves while Mrs. Moore waits below. Adela, suddenly reali#ing that she does not love Ronny, as(s A#i# whether he has more than one wi!e0a 'uestion he considers o!!ensive. A#i# storms o!! into a cave, and when he returns, Adela is gone. A#i# scolds the guide !or losing Adela, and the guide runs away. A#i# !inds Adelas bro(en !ield1glasses and heads down the hill. ac( at the picnic site, A#i# !inds )ielding waiting !or him. A#i# is unconcerned to learn that Adela has hastily ta(en a car bac( to "handrapore, as he is over%oyed to see )ielding. ac( in "handrapore, however, A#i# is unexpectedly arrested. &e is charged with attempting to rape Adela Quested while she was in the caves, a charge based on a claim Adela hersel! has made.

)ielding, believing A#i# to be innocent, angers all o! ritish India by %oining the Indians in A#i#s de!ense. In the wee(s be!ore the trial, the racial tensions between the Indians and the $nglish !lare up considerably. Mrs. Moore is distracted and miserable because o! her memory o! the echo in the cave and because o! her impatience with the upcoming trial. Adela is emotional and ill2 she too seems to su!!er !rom an echo in her mind. Ronny is !ed up with Mrs. Moores lac( o! support !or Adela, and it is agreed that Mrs. Moore will return to $ngland earlier than planned. Mrs. Moore dies on the voyage bac( to $ngland, but not be!ore she reali#es that there is no .real India/0but rather a complex multitude o! di!!erent Indias. At A#i#s trial, Adela, under oath, is 'uestioned about what happened in the caves. 3hoc(ingly, she declares that she has made a mista(e4 A#i# is not the person or thing that attac(ed her in the cave. A#i# is set !ree, and )ielding escorts Adela to the *overnment "ollege, where she spends the next several wee(s. )ielding begins to respect Adela,

recogni#ing her bravery in standing against her peers to pronounce A#i# innocent. Ronny brea(s o!! his engagement to Adela, and she returns to $ngland. A#i#, however, is angry that )ielding would be!riend Adela a!ter she nearly ruined A#i#s li!e, and the !riendship between the two men su!!ers as a conse'uence. Then )ielding sails !or a visit to $ngland. A#i# declares that he is done with the $nglish and that he intends to move to a place where he will not have to encounter them. Two years later, A#i# has become the chie! doctor to the Ra%ah o! Mau, a &indu region several hundred miles !rom "handrapore. &e has heard that )ielding married Adela shortly a!ter returning to $ngland. A#i# now virulently hates all $nglish people. 5ne day, wal(ing through an old temple with his three children, he encounters )ielding and his brother1in1law. A#i# is surprised to learn that the brother1in1laws name is Ralph Moore2 it turns out that )ielding married not Adela Quested, but 3tella Moore, Mrs. Moores daughter !rom her second marriage. A#i# be!riends Ralph. A!ter he accidentally runs his rowboat into )ieldings, A#i# renews his !riendship with )ielding as well. The two men go !or a !inal ride together be!ore )ielding leaves, during which A#i# tells )ielding that once the $nglish are out o! India, the two will be able to be !riends. )ielding as(s why they cannot be !riends now, when they both want to be, but the s(y and the earth seem to say .,o, not yet. . . . ,o, not there./