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The Women Of A Passage To Indi

Literature throughout time has contained many similarities. These similarities become even more prevalent when authors share a similar style and inspirations. Two authors that have similar experiences are Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and E.M. Forster. Both these authors have written books that are in the modernism style. Jhabvala and Forster also were fascinated by India and choose the relationships between native Indians and English colonizers as one of their themes. These similarities helped produce books that have similar characters. The women, not native to India, in both Jhabvala’ Heat and
Dust and Forster’s A Passage to India, share many of the same attributes.
The most obvious similarities are those shared by Jhabvala’s character Olivia and Forster’s character Adela. Throughout the books, these two characters share many characteristics and experiences. The first experience they shared while in India is that both women are social with the native Indians. This was unacceptable to all Anglo-Indians. Olivia frequently visited the Nawab at his palace. She also entertained him and his companion, Harry at her home. For the majority of the book, Olivia’s husband, Douglas is unaware of how frequently she visited the Nawab. If Douglas had been fully aware of Olivia’s actions, he would have been enraged. Proper Englishwomen were not to associate with natives while unchaperoned. Adela, Forster’s character, had a similar experience. She desired to see the “real” India. To allow her to do this, a native offered to take her to the Marabar Caves, a local landmark. Again, Englishwomen were not to associate with the natives. Her potential fiancé and host, allowed her to go under the condition that his mother and an Englishman were also included in the group. Socializing with Indians is only one common experience Olivia and Adela had.
Another similar experience occurs near the end of both books....