Symbolism in “A Passage to India”

Prepared by Irshad HussainKIU SKD CampusGilgit Baltistan

“It is a figure of speech that is used to create a certain mood in literature.”

It is the use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea. Some common types of symbolism are:

Metaphor Allegory

Symbolism

Symbols

1. The Characters 2. The Mosque3. The Bridge Party4. The Caves 5. The Kawa Dol Cave6. The Temple7. The digit ‘3’

The Characters

• All Muslim and Hindu characters stand for the natives of India and their respective communities.

• All English characters are the emblem of ruling class(Frangis) in India.

• Dr. Aziz shows the changing outlook of natives towards the Frangis.

The Characters

• Ronny shows the haughty and arrogant ruling class.

• Miss Adela represents the weak temper of English ladies who want to seduce the innocents.

• Mrs. Moore and Mr. Fielding represent the exception in English people, they are polite and humanitarian.

The Mosque

• It symbolizes the place1. Of friendship.2. Of peace, solace and comfort.3. Where souls are purified.

“Dr. Aziz sought solace and an everlasting friendship is built between Aziz and Mrs. Moore.”

The Bridge Party

“The word ‘Bridge’ gives a symbolic significance to the party. As a bridge joins two strange places together.”

likewise the Bridge party was held in order to get together the Indians and Frangis.

The Marabar Caves • Caves are the symbols of darkness,

evil, savagery, chaos, misunderstanding, conflict and ignorance.

“Miss Adela Quested who seduce Dr. Aziz and later she gets hallucination. The origin of confrontation is the caves.”

The ‘Kawa Dol’

According to a critic “the ‘Kawa Dol’ Cave symbolizes the fragile condition of Indians under the foreign yoke.”

In addition an another critic says that as the ‘Kawa Dol’ Cave situated at the top, it represents the pathetic condition of powerless Indian rulers.

The Temple• The counterpart of mosque, the temple

is also a place of peace, serene and tranquility and above all unity.

The raised issues are resolved in the temple. Although the ceremony was sacred for Hindus only, yet people from every class and religion come there and enjoy it. It shows the universal unity among human beings.

The Digit ‘3’

“An implicit symbol which silently tells us that the story is about a mixture of the communities.”

• 3 section of novel.• 3 children of Aziz.• 3 children of Mrs. Moore.• 3 communities; Europeans, Asians and Eurasians.• The novel deals with the interaction among

Muslims, Hindus and Frangis.

Thank You

Any Question………………………?

For you……

1. The phantom/ ghost2. The green bird3. The wasp