A Passage to India Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 2: Chapter 12 Summary

Part 2: Chapter 12 Summary

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the Marabar Caves. "A tunnel eight feet long, five feet high, three feet wide, leads to a circular chamber about twenty feet in diameter." They are all alike-there is no carving or nest or anything else to distinguish one from the other. In the circular chamber, if a match is lit, it becomes apparent that the interior walls are a polished mirror.

Part 2: Chapter 12 Analysis

The Marabar caves are an essential component in the setting for this story. Whereas in Chandrapore we can see graphically the cultural levels with the British living on a tier above the other residents, the caves represent a complex spiritual force that will blast the action to its climax. Just as the heat is written by Forster as a palpable character in this story, it would also be reasonable to call the caves a character. They seem to live and...
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