A Passage to India

“Aziz did not know, but said he did. He too generalized from his disappointments—it is difficult for members of a subject race to do otherwise.”

During a conversation with Hamidullah and Mahmoud Ali on the temperament of English women, Aziz agrees with the men’s overly generalized descriptions of women. This quote serves to situate the narrator’s perspective: as Aziz generalizes about women, the narrator generalizes about Aziz as part of a “subject race.” 

“Wedlock, motherhood, power in the house—for what else is she born, and how can that man who has denied them to her stand up to face her creator and his own at the last day?”

Spoken by Hamidullah Begum to Aziz as she persuades him to consider marrying again after his wife’s death. Her words reflect the inherent patriarchal values of their society, as well as the strict gender roles everyone is expected to fulfill.

“Shrines are fascinating, especially when rarely opened, and it amused him to note the ritual of the English club, and to caricature it afterwards to his friends.”

Shared by Mahmoud Ali, this sentiment reflects the amusement the Indian gentlemen experience when attending Mrs. Turton’s Bridge Party. Rather than being offended by the clear racial separation, Mahmoud Alid considers the experience to be an interesting show and topic of future conversation.