Mr Fielding: The ‘mature’ liberal colonial

In Forster’s A Passage to India, Mr Fielding is portrayed as the somewhat eccentric English man. He is criticized for being an introvert, (he never spends time at the Club, for example) and for fostering personal relationships with the Indians that other, more traditional men, such as Mr Heaslop would never dream of maintaining.

The term ‘liberal colonial’ is a vague one. The other, less traditional ‘colonizers’ such as Adela and Mrs Moore express their liberalness differently from Mr Fielding. However, Mr Fielding is perhaps the only one who understands that being a liberal colonial is not enough to mend any of India’s wounds. Where Adela naively hopes to get to know Indians and Mrs Moore believes that all should be loved and cared for as God’s creatures, Mr Fielding knows the matter is far more complicated. The following passage illustrates this (Page 108)

‘Fielding sat down by the bed, flattered at the trust reposed in him, yet rather sad…..Kindness, kindness and more kindness-yes, that he might supply but was that really all the queer nation needed?...What had he done to deserve this outburst of confidence and what hostage could he give in exchange?’

Fielding’s confusing mix of emotions has been brought on by Aziz’s grand (or, grandiose) gesture of showing him a photograph of his deceased wife. This is not an empty gesture for Fielding who realizes he cannot equal this gesture in any way. Their respective cultures are so different that he feels the gulf cannot be bridged by any amount of kindness or understanding. A true friendship between an Indian and an Englishman cannot be based on just kindness because no true friendship can ever be based on just kindness. Mr Fielding is aware that he has done nothing to deserve Aziz’s friendship (in fact it can be argued that Aziz showed him the picture in a bid to prove his own sincerity and maybe win Fielding’s friendship) and he is also aware that he has little to give in return (nothing to ‘lift the purdah’ off for Aziz)

Thus Fielding is the only character who fully appreciates the complexities of being a liberal colonial. He may treat the Indians with respect and kindness but he also understands that this does not mean he is their friend.