Landscape And Geography In “A Passage To India”

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destructible form of life” (p.3)
Then , the reader is introduced to the British section of the town which completely contrasts with the first one: it is neat and in order:
“On this second rise is laid out the little Civil Station, and viewed hence Chandrapore appears to be a totally different place. It is a city of gardens. It is no city, but a forest sparsely scattered with huts. It is a tropical pleasance washed by a noble river.” (p.3)
By contrasting the two different parts of the town, Forster uses the setting as a tool to emphasize the gap between the two cultural communities. It is therefore clear that the landscape is relevant from the first lines of the novels. However, what kind of India do the two British writers evoke and which values do the different settings stand for?

“A Passage to India” is built around three parts: “Mosque”, “Caves” and “Temple” which all are settings. Mosque reminds us of the major event of the first part: the encounter between Doctor Aziz and Mrs Moore. The second deals especially with the climax of the book: the trip to the Marabar Caves. Finally, “Temple” refers to the Hindu celebration which takes place at the end of the novel. Nevertheless, the names of the parts of the book do not only sum up the key moment of the period they deal with: they are also symbols of the three main Indian seasons. Indeed, “Mosque” represents the cool season of India. Miss Adela Quested and Mrs Moore, the newcomers are arriving but everything is still peaceful as they are introduced to people at this early stage. We can however notice a few references to the landscape and especially the Marabar Caves which imply that everything is going to mess up soon. For instance, Forster speaks about the Marabar Caves as a mysterious and imposing place from the first lines of the novel. The reader can guess that something is going to happen which is connected with it. The section “Caves” take...