448 Forster, E. M.
found in “the pages of the books.” She thought that
she was in love with Charles before the wedding,
but she decides she was mistaken when she does
not feel “the happiness of which she used to dream.”
Crushed by the gap between the happiness of her
imagination and the plain dullness of her married
life, Emma’s first words highlight her anguish: “ ‘Oh,
why, dear God, did I marry him?’ ” She spends the
rest of the novel (and her life) searching for the pas-
sion of which she dreams.
Emma’s second chance at love comes when
she realizes Monsieur Léon loves her. Outwardly
she becomes the perfect wife, but inside she is “in
turmoil.” The more she realizes her love for Léon,
the more she hides it. She blames Charles for her
unhappiness, while Léon becomes convinced that
she is unattainable. Once again the ideal of love
is detached from the reality of love, and Emma
becomes an angel in Léon’s mind. He grows “tired
of loving for nothing,” and so leaves Yonville for
Paris. Emma’s regret at failing to act only intensi-
fies her desires and her depression, though her love
for Léon soon fades. She is easy prey for Rodolphe
Boulanger, an expert with women, who takes advan-
tage of Emma’s unhappiness. Rodolphe tells her
their love is destined, and appeals to all her fantasies
about love. She rejoices at the thought of “a lover,”
and she is certain that at last she will know the pas-
sion of her “own imaginings.” Rodolphe, the great
seducer, marvels at the newness of “undebauched
love,” but he soon falls into his old habits. The
more affectionate Emma is to him, the more indif-
ferent he becomes. She longs for the happiness of
her youth, and tries even to love Charles, repenting
of her affair, but she is unable to follow through.
She looks to Rodolphe to save her, to free her from
her life; but he also longs to be free. Ultimately he
agrees to take her away, only to stand her up on the
appointed day. She nearly commits suicide, collaps-
ing into illness.
During her illness Emma has a vision of “a
further love above all loves . . . a love that would
blossom eternally.” She wants to be a saint, but
her passion for God cools as quickly as her earlier
loves. If only she could have loved purely, she thinks,
“before the blight of marriage and the disillusion
of adultery,” she would have been perfectly happy.
Meeting Léon again, she begins an affair with him.
At first he is enraptured, because his imagination is
fulfilled: “she was the lover in every novel.” But their
love for each other fades, as she wonders again why
reality falls short of her books. Emma is “immersed
in her passions,” completely neglecting her increas-
ing debts. When none of her lovers can pay her bills,
she commits suicide, professing real love for her
husband with her dying breath.
James FordForSTEr, E. m. A Passage to India
(1924)
Forster began A Passage to India (1924) before
World War I and completed it after travel to India;
it illustrates his belief that British imperialism dev-
astated colonized countries, their people, and the
relationship between the colonized and the impe-
rial power. The novel is divided into three parts:
“Mosque” and “Caves” are set near Chandrapore,
India, and the final section, “Temple,” is set two
years after the events of the first two sections, at
the temple of Mau. The story follows Mrs. Moore,
Adela Quested, Ronny Heaslop, Cyril Fielding, and
Dr. Aziz. The first two sections detail the compli-
cated relationships formed between the British and
the Indians. Mrs. Moore and Adela journey to India
so Adela can meet English barrister Ronny Hea-
slop, her potential fiancé, son of Mrs. Moore. Mrs.
Moore and Adela do not comprehend the Britons’
hatred of the Indians and often meet with Dr. Aziz.
The climax, a trip to the Marabar Caves organized
by Dr. Aziz for Adela and Mrs. Moore, outlines
Adela’s attack in the caves. The novel is not explicit
as to whether it is physical; the attack can also be
understood as psychological panic. Adela, however,
testifies that Dr. Aziz did not attack her and leaves
India. The novel ends after Fielding and Aziz have
reunited in a Hindu community with the declara-
tion that the two cannot cultivate a friendship as
long as India remains colonized.
Danielle Nielsencommunity in A Passage to India
In A Passage to India, E. M. Forster draws a com-
plicated picture of India and Britain’s colonial