Question: What is your estimate of Mrs. Turton in A Passage to India?
Answer: Mrs. Turton, a flat character in A Passage to India, is portrayed as a caricature of the typical Anglo-Indian woman. Through her, the author presents, in an exaggerated form, the rudeness, snobbery, and isolation of the wives of British officials. As the wife of the highest-ranking Englishman in Chandrapore, Mrs. Turton enjoys the status of a little queen. She sets the tone for social life in the British community, but most of her public appearances are marked by an air of cold reserve.
She feels superior to every Indian, except perhaps one or two Ranis whom she might consider her equals. She has no genuine interest in Indians as people, nor in their customs or food. Her primary concern is with the British colony and with preserving as much of English life as possible in this distant outpost.
After the episode in the Marabar Caves, Mrs. Turton reacts with exaggerated emotion. She believes that one of their own—an English girl fresh from England—has been insulted and dishonored in the caves. Before the trial, she is kind and hospitable to Adela; however, it is Adela’s position as an Englishwoman, rather than her personality, that motivates Mrs. Turton’s actions.
After Aziz’s acquittal, Mrs. Turton becomes furious. She hurls insults at Adela and wants nothing more to do with her. To Mrs. Turton, Adela has caused the humiliation of the British community in Chandrapore, and this, in her eyes, is the worst possible crime. Thus, Mrs. Turton represents the arrogance, racial prejudice, and narrow-mindedness of the Anglo-Indian ruling class.
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