British author E.M. Forster’s novel, A Passage to India (1924) is based on the author’s impressions of India. He started writing the novel soon after his first visit to the country. The story, set in the 1920s, plays out against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement. The title of the novel is inspired by American icon Walt Whitman’s 1870 poem, A Passage to India.
The novel revolves around four main characters—Dr. Aziz, his British friend Mr. Cyril Fielding, Mrs. Moore, and Miss Adela Quested. During a day trip to Marabar Caves, Adela mistakenly believes Dr. Aziz is trying to assault her. Dr. Aziz’s ordeal after being falsely accused, the run-up to his trial, and its consequences highlight the underlying tensions between Indians and the British rulers of India of the time.
Though Foster managed to shine a light on race relations and power imbalances in India during the British Raj, he did not directly condemn colonialism and imperialism in A Passage to India.