History Literature / APassageToIndia

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the novel, Adela Quested is repeatedly described as plain, even homely. In the film, she's portrayed by an attractive young Creator/JudyDavis.

* TheMeanBrit: Ronny Heslop. He insults Aziz behind his back without ever having spoken with the man, initially flatly forbids Adela from accepting Aziz' invitation to the Caves, then later refuses him bail and sends his mother, an important witness to the events at the caves, arbitrarily back to England to prevent her from testifying on Aziz' behalf. Also applies to Inspector Macbride.

* PositiveDiscrimination: Subverted. While the native Indian characters are generally presented in a more sympathetic light than the Anglo-Indians, they are not immune to bigotry themselves, particularly on religious grounds. Dr Godbole feels the need to wash his hands after touching a non-Hindu, and several of the Muslim characters express the view that Hindus are barbarians who need to be civilised by their influence - essentially parroting the views of the British. The inferior status of women is also touched upon.

* SpotOfTea: It's exasperating to Adela how the vast majority British Community in Chandrapore has recreated a microcosm of English life and Culture without making any effort to associate or learn about their Indian subjects. When she's taken to the Club for the first time she's served Tea and cucumber sandwiches.

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* SimSimSalabim: India is portrayed like this to a T, right down to the attack monkeys.

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook screen adaptation]] was made in 1984. The last film directed by Creator/DavidLean, it stars Creator/JudyDavis as Adela, Creator/PeggyAshcroft as Mrs. Moore, Victor Banerjee as Aziz, James Fox as Fielding, and Creator/AlecGuinness as Godbole. Contrary to what a lot of people might think based on the quality actors and the setting, it is ''not'' a Creator/MerchantIvory film.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Comes with the territory. Besides the day-to-day bigotry and discrimination, several English characters use racial slurs to describe the Indians as tensions heat up (Fielding knows things have gotten bad when he learns that other Englishmen in Chandrapore started [[NWordPrivileges calling Indians "niggers"]]). Several characters express casual antisemitism as well, including Ronny who at one point blames the protests on Jewish agitators. Of course, the Indian characters aren't above expressing their own religious and caste prejudices.

* PunchClockVillain: [=McBryde=] expresses the same racism as his peers, but he generally respects Indians and regrets the furor building up around Aziz's trial. He also remains friendly with Fielding when other British characters turn their back on him.

* AdaptationalVillainy: [=McBryde=]. The sympathetic qualities Forster gives him are pretty much excised in the movie, making him a straightforward villain.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Comes with the territory. Besides the day-to-day bigotry and discrimination, several English characters use racial slurs to describe the Indians as tensions heat up (Fielding knows things have gotten bad when he learns that other Englishmen in Chandrapore started calling Indians "niggers"). Several characters express casual antisemitism as well, including Ronny who at one point blames the protests on Jewish agitators. Of course, the Indian characters aren't above expressing their own religious and caste prejudices.

* LighterAndSofter

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook screen adaptation]] was made in 1984. The last film directed by Creator/DavidLean, it stars Judy Davis as Adela, Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore, Victor Banerjee as Aziz, James Fox as Fielding, and Creator/AlecGuinness as Godbole. Contrary to what a lot of people might think based on the quality actors and the setting, it is ''not'' a Creator/MerchantIvory film.

* MeanBrit: Ronny Heslop. He insults Aziz behind his back without ever having spoken with the man, initially flatly forbids Adela from accepting Aziz' invitation to the Caves, then later refuses him bail and sends his mother, an important witness to the events at the caves, arbitrarily back to England to prevent her from testifying on Aziz' behalf. Also applies to Inspector Macbride.

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook screen adaptation]] was made in 1984. The last film directed by Creator/DavidLean, it stars Judy Davis as Adela, Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore, Victor Banerjee as Aziz, James Fox as Fielding, and Creator/AlecGuinness as Godbole.

* UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire

''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by E. M. Forster, about relationships between Britain and India in the last days of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British Raj]] and the struggle for Indian independence.

''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by E.M. Forster, about relationships between Britain and India in the last days of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British Raj]] and the struggle for Indian independence.

* AmbiguousSituation: No one will ever know what ''really'' happened in the Marabar caves, and [[ShrugOfGod Forster refused to say]] insisting that it wasn't as important as the chain of events it set in motion.

The novel opens with Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore arriving at India. Adela is to marry Ronny Heaslop, Mrs. Moore's son and the city magistrate. While visiting a mosque one night, Mrs. Moore meets Dr. Aziz, an Indian physician. The two become close friends. At a later visit, Dr. Aziz agrees to take Mrs. Moore, Adela, Cyril Fielding (a pro-Indian teacher at a local school) and Narayan Godbole (a Hindu-Brahmin professor) to a visit to the Marabar Caves.

Something happens when Adela enters a cave by herself--the book is never clear on just what it is. She leaves the cave bloody and disheveled, and accuses Dr. Aziz of attempting to rape her. The man is arrested, which leads to the Indian community and Fielding springing to Aziz's defense. Fielding is ostracized from the English community. Mrs. Moore is criticized by Ronnie for her belief that Aziz is innocent and her unwillingness to testify at the trial.

''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by E.M. Forster about relationships between Britain and India in the last days of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British Raj]] and the struggle for Indian independence.

!!The book provides examples of:

''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by E.M. Forster about relationships between Britain and India in the last days of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British Raj]] and the struggle for Indian independence. The novel opens with Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore arriving at India. Adela is to marry Ronny Heaslop, Mrs. Moore's son and the city magistrate. While visiting a mosque one night, Mrs. Moore meets Dr. Aziz, an Indian physician. The two become close friends. At a later visit, Dr. Aziz agrees to take Mrs. Moore, Adela, Cyril Fielding (a pro-Indian teacher at a local school) and Narayan Godbole (a Hindu-Brahmin professor) to a visit to the Marabar Caves.

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook screen adaptation]] was made in 1984, as the last film directed by Creator/DavidLean. It stars Judy Davis as Adela, Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore, Victor Banerjee as Aziz, James Fox as Fielding, and Creator/AlecGuinness as Godbole.

* StiffUpperLip Except for Adela the ''entire'' British Community in Chandrapore is nonplussed by the angry protests surrounding the arrest and trial of Dr. Aziz.

A film of the book was made in 1984, directed by Creator/DavidLean. It stars Judy Davis as Adela, Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore, Victor Banerjee as Aziz, James Fox as Fielding, and Creator/AlecGuinness as Godbole.

A film of the book was made in 1984, directed by Creator/DavidLean.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/passage_to_india.jpg]]
'''''A Passage to India''''' is a 1924 novel by E.M. Forster about relationships between Britain and India in the last days of the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British Raj]] and the struggle for Indian independence. The novel opens with Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore arriving at India. Adela is to marry Ronny Heaslop, Mrs. Moore's son and the city magistrate. While visiting a mosque one night, Mrs. Moore meets Dr. Aziz, an Indian physician. The two become close friends. At a later visit, Dr. Aziz agrees to take Mrs. Moore, Adela, Cyril Fielding (a pro-Indian teacher at a local school) and Narayan Godbole (a Hindu-Brahmin professor) to a visit to the Marabar Caves.