Passage to India takes place in the early 20th century when the British are still in control of India. The story takes place mainly in Chandrapore, which is a made up place in India. Chandrapore is predominantly Moslem, and its unique attraction is the Marabar Caves, which is a good train ride away from the city. Later the story moves to Mau, a more Hindu town in India, where Aziz starts a new life away from the Europeans. During most of the story it is the very hot summer months, which cause the death of Mrs. Moore. There is much Hindu and Moslem interaction due to the fact that the story is before the two separate nations of India and Pakistan are created. The imaginary town of Chandrapore is a pleasant little town that has a large English population, which is rather secluded from the Indians. It seems to be economically well off compared to most of India's other villages, which are poverty stricken, mainly due to the British. The setting does not play a major role in the story because the superiority the British feel over the Indians and the native's disdain for the British can be communicated from any local. Another reason the setting was not important to the story was because the story could have taken place in almost any city town or village in India and it would still had the same feeling. Chandrapore was just a normal city. The characters could have been transplanted to another local and the story and the emotions would still be the same.
The language is rather formal especially amongst the English. They usually do not use first names, rather they address each other as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, and if not that, then they use the last name, which still sounds formal. The narration is formal also, but it is not the fact that Forster uses a large vocabulary but the oration is rather elegant and calm. Even when the discussion is about rudeness everything stays calm as in this scene "Somehow this stopped Hamidullah, and he desisted from his brutality [towards Ronny], which had shocked Fielding more than anyone else.
The twentieth century really begins before the end of the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1887 was felt by many to represent the end of an era. An end-of-century stoicism, and a growing pessimism among writers and intellectuals, may be traced to several sources, not least the publica...