What aspect of A Passage to India justifies the novel's superiority over Forster's other works? Perhaps it is the novel's display of Forster's excellent mastery of several literary elements that places it among the greatest novels of the twentieth century. Among these literary elements, Forster's comic irony stands out, and throughout the entire novel, the author satirizes the English, the Indians, and the Anglo-Indian relationship. Frederick P. W. McDowell confirms this sentiment when saying "Forster, in his description (of characters), is the witty satirist..." (100).
Most of the English officials are presented satirically. Turton, Burton, McBryde, and Major Callendar are all victims of Forster's scornful eye. Even the wives of these men cannot escape the light mockery of Forster. For example, the Turtons are introduced as unquestionably arrogant, although Mrs. Turton is far more haughty. Mrs. Turton automatically relegates all Indians to the servant class and is determined to prevent her culture from being "adulterated" by that of India. Mr. Turton and the other officials, more or less following Mrs. Turton's example, all accept to a degree the assumption of Indian inferiority. With only this in mind, it seems plausible to assume that Forster places the blame of the Anglo-Indian clash on the English.
However, the Indians do not escape Forster's irony, either. Forster chooses Aziz to represent and symbolize the Muslim religion, and Islam is depicted in a decadent state celebrating only in the past through Aziz's flamboyant poems. Aziz himself admits that he finds it difficult to maintain his faith. The participants of his religious festivals, which are utterly pointless, debate insignificant topics. Aziz simultaneously seems to be in states of perpetual sadness and contempt for Hindus because of the decline of the Muslim religion. The pathos of this entire scenario cannot be ignored. Hinduism, although presented in a much more positive light, also meets Forster's criticism. Within the the Hindu religion, there is hatred between Brahmins and those of lower castes.
These things taken together, the Anglo-Indian clash seems inevitable. The English characters are of a modern and calculated culture while also having no respect for the Indians. The Indians, whether Muslim or Hindu, are oppressed and are by religion traditional and emotional. The actual relationship between the English and the Indians can be seen during the Bridge Party given by Mr. Turton. The purpose of the party is to bridge the two cultures, yet it obviously fails in this purpose. At the party, Ronny Heaslop observes, "'The educated Indians will be no good to us..., it's simply not worthwhile conciliating them. That's why they don't matter. Most of the people you see are seditious at heart, and the rest 'ld run squealing'" (39).
When Mrs. Moore, who is sincerely sympathetic to the Indians, kindly asks to be introduced to the Indian women at the party, she is quickly told, "'You're superior to them, anyway. Don't forget that. You're superior to everyone in India except one or two of the Ranis, and they're on an equality'" (42).
The reader can hardly resist laughing at the contrast between the actual party and the pleasant party that it was meant to be. The message is clear: the English and Indians are not yet ready for friendship in any sense.
Although Forster's criticism in A Passage to India is focused upon the clashing cultures, he ends the novel with a glimmer of hope that perhaps Anglo-Indian cooperation is possible. Aziz and Fielding attempt during their horseback rides in the last scene of the novel to pledge eternal friendship and are prevented from doing so only by a narrowing path. Paths, obviously, can easily be widened.
