A Passage to India. Compare Fieldings reaction to Azizs arrest to the reactions of the other Englishmen.

In the chapters immediately following Aziz’s arrest, the narrator gives magnitude to Fielding’s point of view. He believes that Aziz is “incapable of infamy”. Therefore, the accusation is “Absolutely impossible, grotesque.”  When Aziz is arrested, he believes it is due to a misunderstanding and when the charges on Aziz are presented to him he immediately decides that his friend is not guilty of the offense that he is accused of. Even the presumption that Aziz can be guilty does not occur to him. His relentless support for Aziz demonstrates his strength of character; he detaches himself from the other Englishmen for the sake of his Indian friend. His strong conviction offends the Anglo-Indians who cannot figure out what he seeks to achieve through his support of a native. McBryde asks him “Innocence or guilt, why mix yourself up? What’s the good?” This question shows the relationship between the Anglo-Indians and the Indians; they have come just to rule and the idea of associating with the Indians seems absurd to them.

Fielding’s reaction to Aziz’s arrest is a sharp contrast to the reaction of the other Englishmen in India. They immediately indict Aziz as the accusation on him confirms their suspicion and stereotypes. As the colonizer, they are insecure about their power. Their preconceived notions about the Indians make them hostile towards them. If any crime is committed, the blame automatically goes on the Indians. Forster explores this mentality by describing the Englishmen’s exaggerated reaction to the perceived danger that they are in because of the upsurge of tensions in Chandrapore. The reaction of the Anglo-Indians does not demonstrate any of the rationality that they take pride in. They indict the general Indian population for an offense which has not even been proved yet. All their actions and comments show the contempt that they have for the Indians. Fielding felt “that a mass of madness had arisen.” The absurdity and irrationality of the Anglo-Indians is expressed by the omniscient narrator, “the power of putting two and two together was annihilated.” The Anglo-Indians seem to be in a frenzy to disgrace the Indian race by making it the epitome of felony. Fielding strives to save Aziz’s reputation which is now at the mercy of the English. Fielding makes repeated efforts to make his fellow Englishmen realize that Aziz is innocent but he soon realizes that they all are too prejudiced against the Indians to consider their actions.

The Anglo-Indians regard the Indians as an inferior race; all their actions and reactions originate from this notion. McBryde's theories about the inferiority of the darker races clearly show the racist culture of the west. The English abstain from interacting with the Indians as they believe, “when a man mixes himself up with the natives; always ends up in some indignity.” This seems to be Fielding’s fate who desperately waits for Aziz’s acquittal and who according to the Collector “has sunk to the level of” his associates.