Hayley Gillespie

In A Passage to India, a common theme is racism in India during the 1920’s. The novel shows overt racism as well as discrete, some being more comments of ignorance and some the refusal of acceptance. An overtly racist character, Ronny, is an Englishman who refuses the acceptance of Doctor Aziz as well as many other Indians. He views them as beneath him and undeserving of respect, let alone attention. Adela, on the other hand, feels the desire to show respect and appreciation of the Indian people, but as seen in the caves she is ignorant. She clearly believes in cultural stereotypes when she asks Aziz how man wives he has in the caves. She does not mean offense but offends out of ignorance. Later she then has him arrested for something he did not do; another representation of the oppression of the people in India at the time.