Mahmoud Ali
Mahmoud Ali is a lawyer, and friend of Aziz and Hamidullah. He is one of the
defense attorneys at Aziz's trial. He is excitable and extremely anti-British. His
emotional reactions and his hatred do not serve him well in the courtroom.
Amritrao
Amritrao is a renowned British-educated barrister who comes to Chandrapore to
defend Aziz.
Dr. Aziz
Dr. Aziz is a young Indian Moslem doctor, a widower with three children. He is
excitable, emotional, and talkative, with a desire to please. He does not always
tell the truth, and has a habit of believing whatever is most convenient or
attractive to him. He is extremely sensitive, and quick to take offense. He loves to
recite and write poetry. Aziz arranges an expedition to the Marabar Caves for
Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested, but the expedition ends in disaster when Adela
accuses him of assaulting her in one of the caves. After the charges are
withdrawn, the embittered Aziz moves to another province, away from British
India. He meets his friend Fielding again, but their friendship, which has been
ruptured by the turn of events, never recovers its former intimacy.
The Nawab Bahadur
The Nawab Bahadur is a wealthy Indian landowner and philanthropist. Initially,
he is favorable to the British, who gave him his title. But later he finances Aziz's
defense, and when passions are running high immediately after the trial, he
renounces his title and becomes plain Mr. Zulfiqar.
Major Callendar
Major Callendar is the Civil Surgeon in Chandrapore, and Aziz's boss. He is an
arrogant, unpleasant man who does little to disguise his anti-Indian feelings.
Das
Das is the assistant magistrate who presides over Aziz's trial. He is a fair-minded
man who does his best to assert his authority over the proceedings.
Miss Derek
Miss Derek is a free-spirited, good-humored young Englishwoman who works for
a Maharajah in an Indian-ruled state far from Chandrapore. She takes leave
from her job whenever she feels like it, taking the Maharani's car with her. Later,
she has an affair with McBryde.
Cyril Fielding
Cyril Fielding is the principal of the government college near Chandrapore. He
does not share the prejudice that the other English people show toward Indians,
and he is popular with his students. However, the English people are aware that
he is not really "one of them," and are consequently wary of him. Fielding forms a
friendship with Aziz and is convinced that Aziz is innocence of the charge
brought against him. Fielding tries to discover the facts of the case, and joins
forces with the Indians who conduct Aziz's defense. Fielding's friendship with
Aziz cools, however, and Aziz later breaks off all contact with him. At the end of
the novel, after Fielding returns to India from England with his new wife, he and
Aziz are finally reconciled, although without their former intimacy.
Professor Godbole
Professor Godbole is an elderly Brahmin, a member of the highest Hindu caste.
He teaches at Government College. He is learned and spiritually-minded, tending
to stand aloof from human affairs.
Hamidullah
Hamidullah is Aziz's uncle and a friend of Fielding. He is the leading barrister
(lawyer) in Chandrapore. He was educated in England, and he believes it is
possible to be friends with the English.
Ronny Heaslop
Ronny Heaslop is the City Magistrate of Chandrapore, and the son of Mrs.
Moore. He is relatively new at his post, having been in the country only one year,
but he has already inherited the usual intolerant English attitudes to the Indians.
According to Adela Quested, who briefly becomes engaged to marry him, Ronny
thinks he is always right and is complacent.
Dr. Panna Lal
Dr. Panna Lal is Aziz's colleague. He is a Hindu, from a low-class background,
and Aziz does not respect him. In his turn, Lal dislikes Aziz and is willing to testify
for the prosecution against him at the trial. After the case is dropped Lal begs
Aziz for forgiveness.
Mr. McBryde
Mr. McBryde is the District Superintendent of Police. He is a well educated,
reflective man who treats Aziz with courtesy at the time of his arrest. However,
McBryde cloaks his racism in theories about what he thinks are Oriental
psychology and pathology. For example, he thinks that all "natives" are criminals
at heart because they live south of latitude 30.
Mrs. Moore
Mrs. Moore is an elderly Englishwoman who visits India accompanied by Adela
Quested. The purpose of her visit is to offer Adela and Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny
Heaslop, the chance to become engaged. At first, Mrs. Moore is amiable and
interested in her surroundings. She makes friends with Aziz when they happen to
meet at a mosque. But after her expedition to the caves she becomes morose,
and loses interest in life. She knows Aziz is innocent but she does nothing to help
him. She dies at sea on her way home to England.
Ralph Moore
Ralph Moore is Mrs. Moore's son. He is a polite, sensitive young man, who
accompanies his sister to Mau and meets Aziz.
Stella Moore
Stella Moore is Mrs. Moore's daughter. She marries Fielding.
Miss Adela Quested
Miss Adela Quested is a young Englishwoman who with Mrs. Moore visit India for
the first time. She is to decide whether to become engaged to Ronny Heaslop.
Adela is intelligent and curious; she wants to discover the real India and meet
Indians. She is determined not to develop the patronizing and contemptuous
attitude to Indians that the other English people have. Adela is involved in the
central incident in the novel, when she accuses Aziz of assaulting her in one of
the Marabar Caves. Later, at the trial, she withdraws her accusation. Shunned by
the English, and with her engagement to Ronny broken off, she returns to
England.
Mr. Turton
Mr. Turton, known as the Collector, is the governor of Chandrapore. He has an
officious manner, and he shares the usual English prejudices, but he treats
Indians with courtesy, even arranging "Bridge Parties," to bridge the gap between
East and West.
Mrs. Turton
Mrs. Turton is Mr. Turton's wife. She is a snob and a racist and does not seem to
mind who knows it.
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