"New Language Storytelling" by Foster's "Journey to India"

Today's reading for you is "Journey to India", the Chinese edition of the book is about 280,000 words, and I will spend 26 minutes. Explain the essence of the book: in the case of class oppression, racial discrimination and cultural differences coexisting, there can be no real friendship between two peoples.

Robins do nothing bad, just sing to us from the bottom of their hearts, which is why it is a sin to kill a robin. —Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

The reason why I chose the famous sentence from harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" by the American female writer to start this book is because Foster's "Journey to India" is similar to Harper Lee's book. They all use inter-ethnic contingencies as conflicts to discuss what exacerbates the deep contradictions between ethnic groups.

In terms of the contingency of the book, "To Kill a Mockingbird" depicts an American colonial woman who frames black people for raping him, while in "Journey to India", a British colonial woman frames the Indian doctor Aziz. These two seemingly identical themes, but the perspective of the content is different. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a lawyer who fights against racial discrimination and uses his courageous protection of the truth to attack the darkness and decay of American society at that time. However, this "Journey to India" focuses on the estrangement and contradictions brought about by the cultural differences between the two countries.

When we read this book", we must first understand India, which was once a tribulation place, from the 17th century, under the trend of colonial hegemony such as Britain, the Netherlands, and France, it has plundered the land and its inhabitants. From the beginning of the British conquest of India in 1757 to the independence of India in 1947, India experienced nearly two hundred years of British colonial rule.

But there is a wonderful sentiment in India, that is, although they have experienced British colonial rule and have been constantly rebelling against Britain, India has not developed the same hatred for this country as other countries have faced the aggressors. The reason for this is that India has been in a situation of fragmentation in history, and the invasion of British colonists has actually achieved the unification of India's territory. In addition, under the influence of British colonists, India also broke the process of feudal rule and entered the modern civilized society as soon as possible.

In this state of historical legacy, Foster witnessed the arrogance of the British colonial ruling class in India and was deeply disgusted by racial discrimination among human beings, so he wrote his last novel, "Journey to India", which reflected his antipathy to colonial rule and sympathy for the oppressed peoples through the conflict caused by the misunderstanding between Miss Adella and the Indian doctor Aziz.

In a note written in 1960 for Santa Rama Law's theatrical edition, Foster indicates that he began writing the novel in 1913, and that the First World War interrupted its creation, which was not published until 1924. Foster argues that the India he describes has undergone radical political changes and has also changed dramatically in its social form. But he felt that the people and human nature described in the book had not changed much. Foster revealed in the appendix that the title of the novel is taken from a poem by Walter Whitman, in addition to his efforts to represent the human dilemma in the context of the entire universe, which is described in the third chapter, "The Temple".

Foster is a homosexual writer with a sense of distress, his works almost always reflect the spiritual poverty of the middle and upper classes in Britain, and his protagonists also try to seek personal liberation by breaking free from the constraints of society and customs. This is related to the spirit of freedom, equality and humanity that he himself has always aspired to. During the Second World War, Foster was also a rare warning person among the British to treat fascist expansion with a sober mind, to persuade the public not to believe Hitler's promises, and not to look at the bullying of other peoples for their own peace.

After its publication, the novel "Journey to India" caused a huge reaction to the political and cultural differences between the East and the West, and some critics even pointed out that the book promoted India's independence. Although Foster has repeatedly stated that the book is not about politics, but about the quest for a more enduring human home. But in terms of content and presentation, the book truly describes the gap between the Indian people under British colonial rule and the British nobility. The reason for this is the collision and conflict between two different cultures, which makes it impossible for these two classes to blend together harmoniously.

Well, after introducing the basic situation of the book and the author's profile, then I will tell you in detail about the contents of the book.

The first point is that meeting confidants in the mosque is the beginning of disaster

The second important point is that the "grotto" symbolizes claustrophobia, darkness, fear and chaos

The third point is that the farce of the trial stifled the dream of the integration of two peoples

Okay, let's look at the first important point: meeting confidants in the mosque is the beginning of disaster

The first sentence of the first chapter of "Journey to India" is: Except for the Malabar Grottoes, which are twenty miles away, the city of Chandrapur is really lackluster. Many of the events in Foster's novels occur suddenly, but if you read them carefully, you will find that Foster has already laid the groundwork in the first place.

From the grottoes where the "insults" are going to take place in the book, to the dirty and muddy Indian slums on the banks of the Ganges. Reveal the facts and reasons for the gap between rich and poor. The deep-seated sense of self-centered superiority in the West stands in stark contrast to the impoverished, repressed environment and humanity of India's native people. It indicates that the conflict between the two will eventually be triggered in the distant grotto.

Immediately after, the optimistic Indian doctor Aziz rode a bicycle and appeared vigorously, and the author Foster used a series of body language descriptions here, making his optimistic and kind image jump on the paper. It is precisely because of his innocent character that he did not shy away from saying that he wanted to shut out all the British people in the discussion of the arrogance and greed for money of the British rulers.

At the same time, in the luxurious clubs of the British colonists, the British gentlemen and wives were discussing these poor Indians in more contemptuous language.

It was getting late, and the Indian doctor Aziz, with a stomach full of anger, walked to the mosque to rest in the darkness. He had just been summoned by The British Major Called Calend, and had to rush here with great difficulty, only to find that the Colonel had let go of the pigeons, and that he had been ridiculed for no reason by the Colonel's servants, and that two English ladies had snatched his rented carriage without even saying a word of thanks.

In desperation, he could only walk home. In the pleasant moonlight of the mosque, the appearance of an old English woman made his backfire burst out, and Aziz, who knew the strict rules of the Halals, did not allow outsiders to enter the mosque with shoes. But the result was unexpected, the old woman did not wear shoes, which not only embarrassed Aziz.

The old English woman's tolerance and understanding made Aziz ashamed. During their conversation, Aziz was surprised to find that the English judge Heathlop's mother, Mrs. More, was so approachable and amiable, which was completely different from the arrogance and rudeness of other British nobles, and could not help but feel great good feelings in his heart. Gradually let go of happiness and talk about everything like a loved one.

He spoke not only of the harshness of the British Major, but also of the Fact that the Major's wife had snatched his carriage and expressed his opinion more and more excitedly, completely forgetting that he was facing the same Englishman. Aziz was so excited in part because he had been treated unfairly, and more importantly, because someone could finally sympathize with the unfair treatment he had been treated.

Mrs. Mohr was an enlightened old man and a devout Christian who kept the purpose of Christian fraternity. Therefore, in the face of Aziz's catharsis, she is full of God's mercy and tolerates the whining of this foreign lad.

But when she returned to The English Territory, confronted with the inaccessible Aziz, and then went to the English Club to face the high-talking Englishmen, a crisis of faith arose, two extreme realities that made Mrs. More feel disappointed in the British system.

"I want to see the real India," said Adela Custide, The future daughter-in-law of Mrs. Mohr. Under the superior life of Britain, Adella has a simple and frank personality, and at this time, Adella did not expect that she was about to fall into the antagonism of isolated and prejudiced Anglo-Indian society.

Her scornful request was echoed by the British school principal, Fielding, who liked to mingle with the people of India. When he heard about Mrs. Moore's chance encounter with Aziz, he wanted to do his best to facilitate it. By his arrangement, Aziz and Mrs. Moore held a small party with Adella.

Also at the party was an Indian Brahmin teacher, Professor Godbor, who in the book resembled both a condescending clown and a mysterious monk, more like a hidden political prophet.

In a flattered excitement, Aziz invited the English guests to his home, and then regretted it. At this time, the difference between the two classes was clearly manifested, and how could the filth of the Indian dwellings be a place where the British aristocracy could enter? So Aziz shifted the subject and once again invited guests to visit the famous Malabar Grottoes.

However, when Aziz returned home, he still felt inappropriate, and wanted to pretend to be ill to avoid this promise, and only regained his confidence with Fielding's encouragement.

Is this an opportunity for two countries, two classes, two cultures to merge? In this state, what role does everyone play in this journey? Well, that's the first important point for you above: meeting confidants in the mosque is the beginning of disaster. With that said, let's move on to the second point: "Grottoes" symbolize claustrophobia, darkness, fear, and chaos

The name of "Journey to India" depends on the American Whitman's poem of the same name, but compared to Whitman's romantic feelings of fusion of East and West, Foster's pen is full of irony, a failed journey, what kind of effort did Aziz make? What about the utter despair of the British in the face of Miss Adèle's accusations and Mrs. Mohr's departure?

In order to fulfill his promise, Aziz, lest he behave in a disgraceful manner, painstakingly completed this unprecedented journey from the beginning. First, he asked Major Callonde for half a day's leave, and as a result, he took great pains, not only asking Fielding to intercede, but also being insulted with a gun and a stick before he could barely get permission.

He was as big as arranging the entire trip, as small as the placement of a slice of beef for lunch, carefully planning every detail of the trip. Yet trouble after trouble followed, as if even the gods of India were doing their best to stop him.

To add a little fun to his journey, he borrowed an elephant from Lord Berghard. In order to borrow the elephant, he began by repairing a carriage for a lady for free, and only after five or six layers of relations did he get Lord Berhad, and even so, this made Aziz feel very proud.

His friends, though they did not think it wise for him to mix himself with the British ladies, did their best to help him fulfill his wishes and reminded him to take all precautions and not to be late for the time. For this reason, Aziz simply stayed at the train station the first night.

Although Aziz's plan was very well planned, problems arose immediately before departure. Principal Fielding and Professor Goldboll, who accompanied them, failed to catch the train that had already started. Everything else needed to be done by Aziz on his own, which left Aziz distraught and confused.

It was because of the late arrival of Principal Fielding and Professor Goldboll that he was the driving force behind the upcoming Grotto Incident. But Professor Goldboll showed an attitude of indifference before and after the incident, as if it had to happen. Because of this, the Indian people will also truly realize the estrangement from the British colonialists, the class oppression that must be eliminated through resistance.

Unaware of the great trouble that was about to come, Aziz still received Mrs. More and Miss Adella with great hospitality. When they rode a large procession of elephants and local people to the grotto, they found that there was no beautiful scenery, but there were dozens of large and small caves in a bare mountain.

These Jain grottoes in Malabar have a much longer history in India than Buddhism. But without Professor Goldboll's explanation, no one could understand the mystery, let alone that Mrs. More and Miss Adella were Western figures, and they knew nothing about it. Therefore, when they walked to the cave, they immediately felt that the smell of darkness and dampness like a sewer here was extremely depressing. Especially when the echo of the Malabar Grottoes "rumbled", Mrs. Mohr was even more frightened.

The difference between civilization and religious life made Mrs. More feel the crowded and chaotic crowds in the grotto, and the different religious understandings caused confusion in her inner thinking in the echo of the mysterious cave. These exotic cultural beliefs are destroying her controllable thoughts and driving away her devotion to God in indescribable ways. The echo of the cave, which condensed the sense of nothingness in life, plunged her into a crisis of faith, so after entering the first grotto, she immediately chose to retreat.

Miss Adella is a very traditional English, but at the same time has the frankness of Westerners, her simplicity and curiosity make her full of yearning for the ancient Indian civilization, she is eager to understand this mysterious country, deep culture and "interesting" people. So her heart wanted to be close to Aziz, and from him she began to understand India and understand the behavior of the Indian people.

Because when she first arrived in India, her words and deeds became a very different attitude from those of the club members. Because of this, she also had a conflict with her fiancé, once confirming that there was no love between them, even if it was a union, it was nothing more than marriage. When she went up the hill with her guide and Aziz and talked to him alone, she inadvertently hurt Aziz's self-esteem, which was a British insult to his faith.

At this time, Adella, who knew nothing about this, entered the grotto alone, and she used half of her mind to secretly think that "this kind of sightseeing tour is really boring", and the other half of her mind continued to think about marriage. Then, with no one knowing exactly what happened, author Foster cuts out one of the most important shots in the book, making the story even more confusing. Adele escaped in panic shortly after entering the cave and subsequently charged Aziz with rape of her.

After calming down, Aziz panicked when he found Miss Adella's disappearance, looked around, and found Adella hurrying away in Miss Drake's car, and couldn't help but feel panicked. After descending the mountain, he met the belated Fielding, who had to comfort the flustered Aziz with his usual gentlemanly attitude.

When the group returned to the city in despair, the train station was already full of policemen who had come to arrest Aziz for violating Miss Adella in the grotto. Aziz groaned, his fantasy wings broken. He mourned the long trip to the ruin of his family, and also mourned the friendship he had always obtained in vain.

Fielding was shocked and went all the way to get justice for Aziz. But he encountered a deep-seated British colonial rule of law, at which point all the British were on the verge of putting the Indian pariah Aziz to death. Indignantly, they gathered together to discuss how to use the law to punish the Indian doctor who intended to break into the British circle.

At the same time, the Indian people also spontaneously organized themselves to carry out demonstrations and strikes for Aziz, who had been plagued by falsehood, and to see how Aziz had worked hard to make friends, and to build up his own legal team, ready to defend the dignity of his nation in the British court. Protracted class contradictions between the British colonial rulers and the Indian plebeians were provoked, and the situation was on the verge of breaking out.

The battle of the courts that will take place, who can win. Were they British colonists who had the decisive power, or a weak Indian team of lawyers? The key to this decision is in the testimony of Mrs. More and Adella, so what did they do? Well, that's the second focus of the book, so let's talk about the last one: the farce of judgment kills the dream of two peoples merging

The trip to the grottoes left the Indian doctor Aziz unjustly imprisoned, and the only people who could give him his innocence were two ladies from England, Mrs. Mohr and Miss Adella. Exactly what Miss Adella went through in the grotto, which made her frantically identify Aziz as insulting her, is now unknown. Aziz's only hope was that Mrs. Moore, whom he had always admired, would be able to say a few words of justice for him.

However, Mrs. More chose to escape at this time. After arguing with her son asking her to testify on Adella's behalf, Mrs. Mohr could no longer bear it, could not believe the ruthlessness of the people of her country, and was equally disgusted with Adella, who was still confused in her heart. She made her own decision not to frame Aziz for the British. Mrs. Mohr left India with an indifference that she knew everything and abandoned her responsibilities.

Adela was also in a state of inner torment at this time, and what had happened in the grotto was not even sure if it had really happened. The dark, closed environment of the grotto evoked her inner fear, the thought of hearing a despicable evaluation of Indian civilians in the British club, coupled with the long trip to Fielding's no-show, let her and Mrs. More alone become the outliers among many Indian civilians, but also increased the anxiety in her heart, the repressive echo in the cave, instantly broke the reason in her heart, let her hallucinate.

However, as she returned to the station, the hallucinations slowly faded, and reason made her constantly re-examine herself. If these are just hallucinations, what kind of unforgivable false accusations she has made against this enthusiastic Indian doctor, Aziz. It's just that now, for her own sake, she has triggered the confrontation between Britain and India, and has become involuntary. Whether it is to defend the honor of her country or to respect the morality of nature, Miss Adella is extremely distressed.

In the courtroom, the British arrogantly occupied most of the seats in the courtroom, they nobody shouted, intimidated and ridiculed these Indian pariahs, and even collectively moved chairs to the courtroom to publicly cheer for Adella, this farcical act, coupled with the arbitrary statement of the plaintiff's lawyer, caused fierce opposition from the Indian legal team in the courtroom.

In the chaotic courtroom, Adella finds that the echo of fear in her head has disappeared, and she returns to the dull and tedious real world, clearly recalling all the truths. She did not hesitate to betray the honor of England, and in the face of Aziz's atonement and repentance, she said in a resolute and flat tone: "Dr. Aziz has never followed me into that cave." I withdraw all indictments. ”

Representing the courts of legal justice in England, their supremacy over all else collapsed here. Indian commoners laughed and cursed at the British nobility one after another, screaming, cursing, kissing each other, and weeping passionately. The British had to return to their territory among the victorious Indian civilians. A new spirit of defiance is circulating, and the treatment of Indian civilians with two hundred years of oppression has taken a turn for the worse after this trial.

After this british trial, Principal Fielding and Miss Adella, because of their betrayal of the country, caused the British rulers to lose their dignity, have been regarded as enemies of the British Empire. At the same time, they also found that the Indians represented by Aziz did not regard them as friends because of their truth and help, and they also had a repulsive mentality towards them. They seemed to feel that there was an insurmountable obstacle between themselves and Aziz.

Fielding and Adella become isolated by everyone. Adella's situation is not optimistic, but she never complains, she thinks it is the punishment she deserves for her stupidity.

Soon after, Mrs. More died on her way home.

Fielding wants Aziz to cancel the huge compensation demanded from the false accuser Adella, who has become indifferent and ruthless because of the blow. Because in this incident, he has been forcibly placed in an unattainable position, he has become a hero against the oppressive class in the eyes of Indian civilians, a symbol of Indians.

This incident became a turning point in the division of Indian and British colonial rule, and also became the fuse for the Indian people to eventually pursue independence. More and more famous people are loudly advocating harmonious coexistence, and a sincere desire for mutual understanding has emerged. India's scattered political groups began to coalesce, accumulating greater power.

Aziz eventually made the choice, fleeing the British-ruled region and living with Professor Godboll in a remote location. This is a purely Indian village, the villagers sincerely believe in their own religion, never suffer from foreign ideas, he accompanies his children every day, do not have to listen to anyone's dispatches and insults, this place has become the peach blossom in Aziz's heart.

But will this healing heal his inner wounds? Aziz hears the news that Fielding is married and that his wife is Adella. The news tore apart Aziz's unhealed wounds again, and his formerly trusted friend not only married his enemies, but also used his kindness to cancel his claim for twenty thousand rubles against Adella.

The trip to the grottoes, which has exhausted all its strength, has been exchanged for a senseless prison disaster, and a moment of softness in exchange for deception, and what can be more hypocritical and vicious than the British. Aziz deliberately put on a snarky look after seeing Fielding, laughing and scolding, and making Fielding very annoyed, until he introduced his wife, which surprised Aziz. It turned out that Fielding's wife was not Adella who had wronged him, but Mrs. Mohr's daughter, who was also called Adella.

Fielding took Mrs. Mohr's daughter and son with her this time to find Aziz to relieve her former suspicions. When Aziz half-believed and took several people who also loved Indian culture and risked rowing to watch Indian religious ceremonies, they all fell into the water. After that comical ship-crash, there was no more fuss or resentment, and the two of them smiled and returned to their old relationship.

Untied, Aziz asks Fielding to hand over a letter from her former enemy, Adeira, confessing frankly how brazen and brave her actions were. Now, all the resentment has vanished among several people. But they all understood that this was only a reconciliation between private individuals and that the estrangement and hatred between the two countries was still simmering.

Aziz galloped up to the top of the mountain and spoke out loud to the Indians: Why is there so much suffering on our heads? We originally blamed you, now we blame ourselves, and we're smarter. We will be silent until England is in trouble, but in the next European war, our time will come.

The journey to India concludes its final chapter here, with author Foster repeatedly stressing that his novel is not political. However, from the real historical background, British rule in India was indeed greatly weakened after two world wars, and their control in India became more and more difficult, and the British ruled India for two hundred years, and finally split into India dominated by Hinduism and Pakistan dominated by Islam.

In June 1947, the British announced the "Mountbatten Plan" for dividing India into two autonomous territories, India and Pakistan. On August 15 of the same year, India and Pakistan were divided and India achieved independence. The Republic of India was proclaimed on 26 January 1950, but remains a member of the Commonwealth. Foster's Journey to India was published in 1924, at a point before India's independence, in the middle of two world wars, so whatever the author's intentions, it did become an admonition in Indian history.

Well, that said, we're talking about pretty much today, so let's review the main points we've said today.

The first thing we are talking about is the "cause", the irreconcilable contradiction between the two classes under the British colonial rule in India. The Indian doctor Aziz, in his dealings with mrs. More, an old English woman, evokes a good wish for human friendship and, in the obstruction of both sides, facilitates a long trip with Mrs. Moore and Miss Adella. But this long trip became Aziz's nightmare.

Secondly, we are talking about the "conflict", Aziz worked hard for this "grotto" trip, but at the last moment he was inexplicably sued by Adella. Because this false accusation has made the opposition between the indian and British classes, the already tense relationship has worsened, and the likes of Aziz and Adella have been plunged into mental difficulties.

Finally, we are talking about "understanding", where Miss Adella recognized the reality in court and bravely withdrew the accusation at the risk of betraying Britain. However, this incident has dealt a deep blow to both sides. Although over time, several people finally let their past grievances go to their knees and reached a settlement in the private sphere. But between India and Britain, they failed to recognize the reality and inevitably embarked on a historical process of division.