Character List: A Passage to India E.M. Forster with Syed Ross Masood (1911) |
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Dr.
Aziz: A
Moslem doctor living in Chandrapore at the beginning of the novel. He is
a widower with three children who meets Mrs Moore, an elderly English
widow, who has three children herself, and becomes friends with her.
Although he is generous and loving toward his English friends, including
Mrs Moore and Cyril Fielding, after Adela Quested accuses him of assoult
he becomes bitter, vindictive and notoriously anti-British. A primary
concern of A Passage to India is
the shift in Dr. Aziz’s views of the British from accommodating and
even a bit submissive to an aggressively anti-colonial stance. Cyril Fielding:
The schoolmaster of Government College, Fielding stands alone among the
British officials in India, for he is one of the few to treat the
Indians with a sense of decency and respect. Fielding is an
individualist who has no great allegiance to any particular group but
rather to his core set of liberal values and sense of justice. This
quality allows Fielding to break with the English who support Adela
Quested’s charges against Aziz and side with the Indians in support of
him. However, the events surrounding Aziz’s trial cause Fielding to
become disenchanted with India, despite his affection for the nation,
and motivate him to leave India and return to return to resume a
different post. Adela Quested: Adela
Quested arrives in India, with the intention of marrying Ronny Heaslop, but
changes her mind several times and eventually realises that she does not
love him and cannot marry him. She is a woman of conflicting character
traits: although an intellectual, she is short-sighted. Although she
foolishly accuses Dr. Aziz of assaulting her in the Marabar caves, she
finds the courage to withdraw the charge. She also suffers from
hallucinations that are symptomatic her somewhat unstable personality.
However, Forster finally reveals her to be a woman of character and
decency who accepts the difficulties she suffers. Mrs Moore:
An elderly woman with three children, Mrs Moore visits India with Adela
Quested to see her son, Ronny Heaslop. Mrs Moore the paragon of
Christian decency and kindness, but she suffers from anxiety concerning
her own mortality. During the expedition to the Marabar Caves her
confidence in the order of the universe is shaken by an echo that she
hears in one of the caves. Afterwards, Mrs Moore becomes sullen and
depressed. When Ronny suspects that she will aid Aziz in his defence, he
arranges for Mrs Moore to leave India. On the journey home, she dies
from heat exhaustion. Professor Narayan Godbole: A
Deccani Brahmin who is a professor at the college in Chandrapore,
Godbole represents Hindi philosophies in A Passage to India
He is a man of calm character and utter repose, showing no worry for the
events around him, no matter how significant. He leaves Chandrapore to
start a high school in Central India after the trial of Aziz, who later
joins him there. Ronny
Heaslop:
The son of Mrs Moore from her first marriage, Ronny typifies the
“sun-dried bureaucrat” and Anglo-Indian. He is condescending and
cruel toward the Indians, believing that he is not in India to be kind,
but rather rule over the nation. He becomes a martyr during the trial
because of the ill treatment of Adela, but shows himself to be
manipulative and callous when he pushes to have his mother leave India
when he fears she may hurt the prosecution’s case. Mahmoud
Ali: This
friend of Aziz serves as one of the lawyers for his defence, and takes a
defiant anti-British stance. His behaviour during the trial is
dangerously aggressive, however, and he threatens to provoke a riot
after Aziz’s acquittal. Later he refuses to clear up the
misunderstanding concerning Fielding’s marriage to Stella Moore. Antony:
One of Adela’s servants; he has to accompany Adela and Mrs Moore to
the Marabar Caves, but since he was a spy for Ronny Heaslop Mohammed
Latif bribes him not to go. Later he follows Adela as she leaves India
and attempts to blackmail her. Armitrao:
Aziz hires this Hindu attorney as his defence lawyer. Since Armitrao is
known for his anti-British attitudes, this move highlights the racial
and political overtones of Aziz’s trial. Nawab
Bahadur: A
distinguished local resident in Chandrapore, he is well-respected and
admired among the Indians. However, Miss Derek snubs him when his car
crashes into a tree while he takes Adela and Ronny on a tour of
Chandrapore. Mrs
Bhattacharya: An
Indian woman whom Mrs Moore meets during the Bridge Party. Mrs
Bhattacharya postpones a trip to Calcutta to have tea with Mrs Moore,
but abruptly cancels at the last minute. Major
Callendar: Major
Callendar is the civil surgeon in Chandrapore and Dr. Aziz’s boss. He
also takes part in the trial against Aziz, attempting to stop Adela’s
confession on medical grounds. Mrs
Callendar: Major
Callendar’s wife. She typifies the Anglo-Indian mindset, openly
dismissing the Indians as uncultured inferiors. Ram
Chand: He
is one of Aziz’s friends with whom he discusses the consequences of
attending the Bridge Party. Mr
Das: Mrs
Bhattacharya’s brother and Ronny’s assistant. He is the judge who
presides over the Aziz’s trial. After the trial, he approaches Aziz to
ask him to write for his journal, which is primarily for Hindus. Miss
Derek: A
younger Englishwoman, she assists Ronny and Adela after the Nawab
Bahadur’s car crashes, but she snubs the Nawab Bahadur. Later she
takes Fielding to the Marabar Caves after he had missed the train. Sir
Gilbert: The
Lieutenant-Governor of the province. He visits Chandrapore after the
trial to deal with the problems of racial discord precipitated by the
charges against Aziz. Mr
Graysford: He
is one of the local missionaries in Chandrapore. Hamidullah:
This
friend of Aziz, educated at Cambridge, tells Aziz that one can only be
friends with an English person outside of India. Hamidullah
Begum: Hamidullah’s
wife; she is a distant aunt of Aziz. Mr
Haq: He
is the police inspector who arrests Aziz. Mr
Harris: He
is the Eurasian driver for the Nawab Bahadur who crashes the car into a
tree. Panna
Lal: One
of Aziz’s friends who was to testify for the prosecution at his trial.
He makes a public apology to Aziz and secures the release of Nureddin
after rumours circulate that he was being tortured by the English
officials. Mohammed
Latif: One
of Aziz’s friends. He bribes Antony not to attend the expedition to
Chandrapore. Mrs
Lesley:
This friend of Mrs Callendar takes Aziz’s tonga when he arrives at the
Calklendar’s house upon the Major’s request. Colonel
Maggs: The
Political Agent in Mau. He is the new adversary of Aziz, who keeps him
under suspicion because of the events in Chandrapore. Lady
Mellanby: The
wife of the Lieutenant-Governor. She aids Mrs Moore in her attempt to
leave India by offering her own cabin on a ship travelling to England. Mr
McBryde: The
District Superintendent of Police in Chandrapore. He is the most
reflective and educated of the Chandrapore officials, but like the rest
of them, he has stern prejudices against Indians. He conducts the
prosecution of Aziz. Syed
Mohammed: He
is the assistant engineer in Chandrapore and a confidant of Aziz. Ralph
Moore: The
youngest son of Mrs Moore. He accompanies his sister and Fielding on
their travels around India. Aziz behaves rudely towards him, but soon
relents and takes Ralph on the nearby river for a tour of Mau. Stella
Moore: Mrs
Moore’s daughter. She marries Fielding. Aziz thinks that Fielding has
married Adela Quested. Nureddin:
This
Indian is said to have been held and tortured by the police during
Aziz’s trial, but he is released unharmed. Rafi:
Syed
Mohammed’s nephew. He proposes that something suspicious occurred
during Fielding’s party, because both Aziz and Godbole fell ill
afterward. Mr
Sorley: He
is one of the local missionaries in Chandrapore. Mr Turton: He is the local Collector who proposes a Bridge Party for the Indians, and other than Fielding is the only British official who treats the Indian guests well during that event. |