A Passage to India: Loyalists vs. Revolutionaries Under British Rule

Introduction: The Question of British-Indian Friendship

The British occupation of India was the showcase of modern imperialism and the conflicts that result when two such different cultures clash. In E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India, we can develop a much more holistic picture of how Muslims and Indians lived under British rule. The book begins and ends with a simple question: can the English and Indian peoples become friends despite the dominant relationship between the two? The answer Forster provides is "no, not yet"—a prophetic reflection on the history of the Indian-British conflict and its eventual revolutionary conclusion.

The problem inherent within relationships involving colonialism is the development of a "master-servant" complex. By their own cultural standards, the British considered themselves far superior and more civilized than the Indians. As a result, the spread of imperialism throughout the country also created a sense of fealty on the part of Indians. It is this complex that ultimately produces the extreme polarization visible among Muslims and Indians under British occupation. In analyzing A Passage to India, we begin to understand the context of British occupation not as a complete evil or a purely destructive force, but as an event that creates extremes within the Indian population. Muslims and Indians lived a life of servitude under British colonial rule, in which they either chose to become extremist loyalists or passionate revolutionaries.

Aziz and the Revolutionary Spirit

For those who feel themselves enslaved by British rule, the constant desire to be treated as equals fans the flames of revolution. This is especially evident in analyzing the character of Aziz. Aziz presents an interesting figure within A Passage to India: he is a culturally aware and intelligent individual who has not been completely demoralized by British occupation. However, he has grown weary of the inequality in status between the British and Indians. Although he apparently accepts and understands that such a barrier exists, he chafes at the edges of this dilemma. Aziz is clearly scornful of the English, choosing either to regard them comically or to ignore them outright. Yet in his interactions with Mrs. Moore, he shows a renewed interest in the English when he is treated with kindness and as an equal.

It is evident that for Aziz, the master-servant complex is at the root of his disdain for the British—even as he desperately wishes to be accepted by them at the same time. For Muslims and Indians who felt the pressure of subjugation during British occupation, the impulse toward revolution often began much as Aziz's did. Resentment toward British colonialism was intense during this era, as evidenced by several historical factors. Muslims and Indians had engaged in revolutionary activity well before the formation of the Indian National Congress and Gandhi. Underground and unilateral efforts to resist the British failed largely because they lacked united effort.

For Aziz, the need for revolution remained little more than a seed until later in the novel, when he "sees proof of their wickedness." Throughout the early stages of the book, Aziz presents himself as a positive model of liberal humanism. He believes that British rule of India could be a tolerable outcome of life, provided the English and Indians treated each other as equals and as worthy individuals capable of genuine connection. It is through the trial, and the controversies it unleashed, that Aziz is finally turned away from such feelings.

Colonialism, Identity, and Internal Conflict

The truth of colonialism within this era is that it forced individuals to choose sides—either with the English or with the native population. Such polarization arose because the British never treated colonials as equals, rooted in their belief in their own cultural and military infallibility. As a result, Muslims and Indians were consistently subjected to a powerful inferiority complex. This is ultimately what leads some, such as Aziz, to a state of complete disgust with and rejection of the colonial government.

Aziz ultimately moves far from city life in India to become the personal physician of a raja. In doing so, he forsakes not only the British but also his friendship with Fielding and the broader community of occupied Indians. The complex that most Indians developed under British rule involved not only disassociation from the British, but also disassociation from those Indians who remained British loyalists. The conflict within Indians living under imperialism was therefore not only an external one but also a persistent internal struggle over self and identity. It is the combination of both these dimensions that fosters the deepest problems associated with colonialism.

Conclusion: A Divided Population Under Colonial Rule

The reaction of Muslims and Indians under British colonialism is twofold. It either fostered a strong dependence upon the British—and thus a complete acceptance of their supposed superiority and a willing submission to the master-servant complex—or it produced a powerful disdain for the British government and a desire to rid themselves of both inequality and the foreign ways of life imposed upon them. This conflict became an internalized one that generated strife not only with the British but also within Indian society itself, as a subtle but persistent layer of civil dispute.