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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—"A Passage to India":
The title of Forster's novel refers to Walt Whitman's poem "A Passage to India" from Leaves of Grass. In Whitman's poem, the speaker imagines a journey into the fabled land of India. He takes a tone of awe as he details a list of modern marvels, including the Suez Canal and the American railroads, which he deems superior to the wonders of the ancient world. However, he still feels the need to visit India (the "birthplace of mankind") to rejuvenate his soul. He imagines going on this journey with his soul as a companion in a sort of spiritual journey on which he claims to be protected by God.
Another essential point is that this poem is a deeply emotional and spiritual poem that seems to miss all of the negative aspects of colonialism. Whitman describes "lands [...] welded together" in quite an optimistic light. However, geographic welding could also be seen as a mantra for world domination or the forceful merging of countries by the British Empire. Forster's allusion calls attention to the contrast between Whitman's romantic description of colonialism and his own darker themes of racism and conflict between India and England. Forster reveals the inner workings of the British Empire by creating characters like Mr. Turton and Ronny Heaslop, whose greed and ambition blind them to the violence and injustice of British colonialism. By alluding to Whitman's poem in the title A Passage to India, Forster reshapes the idea of traveling to India and uncovers many of the negative aspects of the relationship between the East and West.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:
Forster makes two key allusions to the Bible in A Passage to India. The first one is to John 14:2, which appears in the King James version: "In my father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." It also appears in Part 1, Chapter 4 of A Passage to India:
So at all events thought old Mr. Graysford and young Mr. Sorley, the devoted missionaries who lived out beyond the slaughterhouses [...]. In our Father’s house are many mansions, they taught, and there alone will the incompatible multitudes of mankind be welcomed and soothed. Not one shall be turned away by the servants on that verandah, be he black or white, not one shall be kept standing who approaches with a loving heart.
The original quotation expresses hope that there is room for every person in heaven and that every aspect of the universe comprises a "mansion" created by God. In Forster's novel, the two English missionaries (Graysford and Sorley) discuss which kinds of people make it to heaven. They jointly decide that God permits all to enter, regardless of race or class. Thus, this first allusion seems like an optimistic indication that religion has the potential to save humanity.
A second—less positive—biblical allusion appears in Part 2, Chapter 14:
If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same—“ou-boum.” If one had spoken with the tongues of angels and pleaded for all the unhappiness and misunderstanding in the world, past, present, and to come, for all the misery men must undergo whatever their opinion and position, and however much they dodge or bluff—it would amount to the same [...].
The original line from 1 Corinthians 13 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." It means that, if one speaks without an understanding of love, their words mean nothing. In this scene, Mrs. Moore contemplates the futility of life and the impossibility of romanticizing the caves. This passage does not include the contingency of the presence of love; it rather describes the loveless life of Mrs. Moore and her subsequent worries. This second allusion appropriates the biblical quotation more subtly and subsumes it the way the Marabar caves turn whispers into "ou-boum." It presents a far less hopeful picture than the first allusion.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Biblical Allusions:
Forster makes two key allusions to the Bible in A Passage to India. The first one is to John 14:2, which appears in the King James version: "In my father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." It also appears in Part 1, Chapter 4 of A Passage to India:
So at all events thought old Mr. Graysford and young Mr. Sorley, the devoted missionaries who lived out beyond the slaughterhouses [...]. In our Father’s house are many mansions, they taught, and there alone will the incompatible multitudes of mankind be welcomed and soothed. Not one shall be turned away by the servants on that verandah, be he black or white, not one shall be kept standing who approaches with a loving heart.
The original quotation expresses hope that there is room for every person in heaven and that every aspect of the universe comprises a "mansion" created by God. In Forster's novel, the two English missionaries (Graysford and Sorley) discuss which kinds of people make it to heaven. They jointly decide that God permits all to enter, regardless of race or class. Thus, this first allusion seems like an optimistic indication that religion has the potential to save humanity.
A second—less positive—biblical allusion appears in Part 2, Chapter 14:
If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same—“ou-boum.” If one had spoken with the tongues of angels and pleaded for all the unhappiness and misunderstanding in the world, past, present, and to come, for all the misery men must undergo whatever their opinion and position, and however much they dodge or bluff—it would amount to the same [...].
The original line from 1 Corinthians 13 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." It means that, if one speaks without an understanding of love, their words mean nothing. In this scene, Mrs. Moore contemplates the futility of life and the impossibility of romanticizing the caves. This passage does not include the contingency of the presence of love; it rather describes the loveless life of Mrs. Moore and her subsequent worries. This second allusion appropriates the biblical quotation more subtly and subsumes it the way the Marabar caves turn whispers into "ou-boum." It presents a far less hopeful picture than the first allusion.
Related Themes:
