The students have less time than their counterparts in the outside world; yet their lives contain the hopes, joys, disappointments, and sorrows that defines humanity. Despite their good intentions, both Miss Emily and Madame feel revulsion towards the students whose lives they seek to improve. Kathy, meanwhile, shares the memories of her loved ones with dignity. Her narrative speaks for itself, showing the depths of her humanity in ways that Madame and Miss Emily are not capable of doing.

Kathy is 31 and near the end of her life. She has lost so much and she copes through her memories. The book emphasizes the idea of holding on. She tries to hold on to what she has left, but it is fragmented. She admits that she misremembers some details and shows that her memories are very fragile while being powerful as they are the only things Kathy has left. 

I find it interesting how women at put in a subdued position in the novel. Allowing them to only have one candle in the house was one way that Grace and Mary were kept in darkness so to speak. They were stripped of power; however, Grace tries to continue to gain her own power through ownership such as keeping her memories as hers. When at the Kinnear House, she would wake up early in the morning to take control of her time. When Dr. Jordan tried to press her to elaborate her use of  “and so forth”, she deliberately kept it at that “because And so forth is all he is entitled to.” I find that really empowering and subverting of the patriarchy placed on her.

it seems that the architecture in A Passage to India represents many aspects of the difference in Eastern and Western ideals. While Foster presents details of both, his account of India’s architecture changes throughout the book. In the beginning, it is almost regarded as unfinished and confusing – lacking attention to logic; however, Foster shifts the view near the ending with “Temple”. He shows the openness and mysticism of India. 

His account of Eastern architecture seems to stay stagnant. This is protrayed through Fielding’s visit to Venice. Fielding comments on the form and perfection of the buildings, saying they complement the land they are made upon. This account makes me wonder if a friendship between the two would ever work well. While one constantly changes and forms to something new, the other is stoic and only views itself as the “correct” version of society.