Marabar Caves as a Symbol of Native Identity: An Ecocritical Analysis of A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Abstract

The study explores the Marabar Caves as a symbol of native identity under the perspectives of Ecocriticism in E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India. The phrase ‘Ecocriticism’ was initially coined by William Rueckert in 1978 in his essay Literature and Ecology.  It refers to the perspectives of examining writers’, researchers’, and poets’ works in the context of the environment and the natural world. The present study is exploratory and interpretive. Additionally, it analyzes the Ecocritical elements involved in the Marabar Caves’ scenery and incident as portrayedin A Passage to India. The Caves prove to be substantial for Dr Aziz and other locals  like Mahmoud Ali, while for Mrs. Moore, it proves to be meaningless and absurd. The Caves do not embrace the outsiders/intruders nor let them be a part of the landscape. Adela Quested’s hostile treatment in the Caves is acentral evidence of the argument. Moreover, the current study explores the effects of environment and culture on humans. It motivates people to find the affiliation between nature and themselves. The objective of the study is to understand the influence of a homeland or birthplace on one’s life under the domain of Ecocriticism. Ecocritical elements help to explore the significance of the place in people’s lives. The echo of the Marabar Caves determines the identity of the indigenous people  and distinguishes them from outsiders.. It represents the inner anxiety of the oppressed. It further pushes the  local residents to stand up for their rights and raise their voices against colonial powers.