A Passage to India Adela Quested Quotes

Adela Quested

Quote 1

"[…] There will have to be something universal in this country – I don't say religion, for I'm not religious, but something, or how else are barriers to be broken down?"

[Adela] was only recommending the universal brotherhood he sometimes dreamed of, but as soon as it was put into prose it became untrue. (2.14.66)

Adela's comment here testifies to her own modest assessment of her psychology. She's not terribly smart, she admits, so what will prevent her from turning into a Mrs. Turton? She asks Aziz for a way of looking at the world, something like religion, that will sustain her. If Aziz is put off by Adela even though he agrees with her need for a universal brotherhood, it's because Adela always has a problem looking past her abstract appreciation for the "real" India and connecting with actual Indians.