A Passage to India Ronny Heaslop Quotes

Ronny Heaslop

Quote 1

"It's the educated native's latest dodge … But whether the native swaggers or cringes, there's always something behind every remark he makes, always something, and if nothing else he's trying to increase his izzat—in plain Anglo-Saxon, to score. Of course there are exceptions." (1.3.86)

Ronny uses some clichés he's picked up from his superiors to explain the "native" – or the Indian – to his mother. "Educated natives" such as Aziz and Hamidullah are, according to Ronny, only seeking personal gain. The idea that as educated men, Indians such as Aziz and Hamidullah may have valid goals such as civil rights or an independent nation is unthinkable.