E. M. Forster's A Passage to India

1. A PASSAGE TO INDIA- E. M FORSTER

2. A PASSAGE TO INDIA
In the novel, Forster uses his experiences in India to
examine the racial misunderstandings and cultural
hypocrisies that characterize the complex interactions
between Indians and the English toward the end of the
British occupation of India.

3. Themes in the novel

Among other interesting themes like
human endeavor and the universe,
human intervention and destiny, the
novel deals, to a large extent, with the
significant theme of nothingness.

4. Nothingness

Nothing- a void, stasis, non-presence
When used in the novel it subverts
fixed orders of meaning and
produces echoes and disturbances
of apparent meaning.

5. What does this mean?

Forster’s point is that unless
one has a concept of
everything, one cannot define
“nothing”, that is, nothing is the
absence of everything

6. Meaning???

The gist of the matter is that
language does not produce
fixed meanings, and that it,
rather, seems to pave way for
many possible meanings.

7. Do you?
Read on

8. Basically

 This makes us realise that language is the reason,
amongst others, for man’s sense of alienation and
disconnection from the rest of the world.
 Therefore, silence is closely linked to nothingness as
suggested by Forster in A Passage to India; the form
of silence experienced throughout the novel.