The topic of Orientalism has intrigued many great writers especially those that were part of the British empire. The glory of the expanding empire gave way to a burden that was needed, finally evolving into a chaotic struggle to retain power. Collector Turton of Forster’s A Passage to India, portrays the old guard that has lived through these transitions and exemplifies the chaotic nature of not knowing how they should lead these natives while still retaining the former glory of the empire.
At the start of the “imperial game” the idea of civilizing the natives was one of glory and opportunity. The new areas were interesting, and many were intrigued by the new cultures and beliefs. “I have driven with Turton in his carriage… we were once quite intimate. He has shown me his stamp collection” (7 Forster). The rules were interested in the native under their care and felt like they were working towards something. “All men are my brothers, and as soon as one behaves as such he may see my wife” (125 Forster). That respect turned into a superiority complex in which the glory obtained from colonialism was for the mother country and the natives needed to be “civilized” not learned from. It was a burden that had to be bore for the good of the empire. As Rudyard Kipling states in his 1899 poem The White Man’s Burden, “Send forth the best ye breed… Your new-caught, sullen peoples, half devil and half child” (Kipling). Collector Turton has been in India through this shift of ideals and has had to adapt to better fit his role in the government. With this shift in priorities, Turton is seen to be at a bit of a loss on how to deal with the “pawns” under him. His career has been built of “civilizing” this area, building into a structured, organized society. On the other hand, these pawns can only hold certain jobs and the interests of the empire must come first. Turton can not understand why, after he has put so much energy into civilizing the region, the natives still buck authority of the British Empire. For him, the glory he was supposed to find is slowly changing into the burden he must carry for his country.
The old view of glory slowly changed into a role of fear and confusion for Turton. This new view was created by multiple mutinies and civil unrest. “civil lines” were drawn and the different groups separated from each other. “England holds India for her own good” (121). The imperial mission is no longer one of educating or civilizing but one of retaining territory. Every minor cultural dispute “proved that the British were necessary to India; there would certainly have been bloodshed without them” (103). The Indians, however, thought that the British meddled to much in a culture they knew nothing about and forced a foreign system onto their society.
Even with this new mindset, the system remained the same. Even with everyone replaced, and a chaotic society, everyone is driven by same goals. The chaos is not driven by the political system but what the empire should stand for, what should the point of building or maintaining the empire be. For Turton, the realization that the glory of empire has vanished leaves him questioning the role the British should play, leading to chaos in the territory he controls.