The concept of Muddle in A Passage to India

The topic of this essay is the theme of muddle in E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India. What has been examined are the various meanings of the term muddle in the novel and the relevance it takes on in the different contexts. The relationship between the English and the Indians is represented as a muddle because of the cultural misunderstanding between the East and the West causes: and consequences of this complex and constantly evolving relationship are examined. In the novel, India is portrayed as a disordered and irrational country: one of the main discussed issues is the Indian reality, investigated in its depiction, its appearance and its hidden other side. Characters in the novel are affected by a sense of muddle which determines changes in their minds, in their psyches and in their visions of the world. The psychological aspect of their attitudes is explored. The work also mentions the vision that Forster himself has towards India: an open and liberal vision, but sometimes ambivalent as conditioned by his own cultural background. The concept of muddle is also found in the interpretations given by scholars and critics. Orientalists believe in A Passage to India does not give a realistic portrayal of India, while some post-Orientalists find in the book the expression of universal concepts that go beyond contingent political and cultural situations. The activities of reading and examination of critical texts have been carried out with the aim of understanding Forster's thought, with its meanings and its truths. In addition to the introduction and the conclusion, this essay has been structured into three chapters, each one divided into paragraphs.