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Abstract： E.M Forster was one of the most celebrated British novelists in the 20th century. His work， A Passage to India， is widely appreciated， featuring insightful reflection on the theme of connection and his fine craft of writing. This paper aims to explore the Last Paragraph of Chapter I， managing to reveal its connection with the following paragraphs and the theme construction.
Key words： A Passage to India; connection; last paragraph
1.Introduction
The last paragraph of Chapter I is largely devoted to the power of the sky in A Passage to India. It implies abundant information of the following storylines and corresponds directly to all the important plots in the novel.
2.Clue sentences in the Last Paragraph of Chapter I
——The sky settles everything[1]
This sentence is the source of all the developments of following plots in the novel. The sky symbolizes the mysterious power governing all things while the earth beneath the sky can be regarded as the whole human society. The sky settles everything; so， to the sky， everything on the earth， whether human being’s value or any effort to connect the western and the oriental， seems meaningless and insignificant. However， no matter how great the geographical difference between the east and the west is or how large the cultural differences are， there is the same sky overhead connecting everyone and everything on the earth. This is where the possibility of connection is born. Any connection can be made whenever the sky chooses， and any effort to build a connection will be wasted if the sky doesn’t. But in spite of that， the possibility of connection still exists all along. This sentence can be considered as an initial display of the theme that the success of connection accurately depends on the sky’s choice and yet， even though it is doomed to failure， the possibility of connection still exists.
——not only climates and seasons but when the earth shall be beautiful[1]
The story can be divided into three parts， and each part corresponds to the three seasons in India. Meanwhile， the three seasons， in turn， drive the shift in where the plots take place. This organized progressive structure can be traced back to “not only climates and seasons” in the last paragraph of Chapter I. From this it’s found that the author has made a solid and thorough foreshadowing for the development of the following plots by means of careful description of the sky. As to “but when the earth shall be beautiful ”， it further shows that the sky rules the earth and also symbolizes the establishment of a beautiful connection on the earth is dominated by the sky. ——when the sky chooses， glory can rain into the Chandrapore bazaars[1]
Rain is glory of the sky. When the sky is glad， it will bestow rain to nourish all things on the earth， damping down fierce heat， washing away dirt and filth， and bringing rebirth and renewal for the flowers of connection. Between cool season and rainy season in India is hot season， which is associated with extreme heat and drought， a great challenge to feeble outbursts of flowers. Extreme heat makes people agitated and irritable， leading to more confrontations and disputes. In this sense， hot season is also a great challenge to the further growth of the flowers of connection， which explains why in hot season interpersonal conflicts are intensified， and the effective connection between people is impaired， and why in cold season cultural conflicts come to fade away， the friendship between the leading return to refreshment， and subsequent harms from Marabar Caves are washed away. Rain， as a symbol of baptism， waters the plants that has suffered from drought and also brings cool for people， letting everyone in bad temper or hallucination gradually calm down.
3.Conclusion
Earth is a symbol of human society， and sky is a symbol of overarching and mystical power. Sky rules earth——everything in the world is ruled by sky. People are just like tiny bits of dust. The relationship between people and the value of human beings themselves just seem meaningless. But as long as people stand on earth， with constant obstacles， there is the same sky above them， connecting them all. And that’s why it’s possible to make some connections.
References：
[1] Forster， E. M： A Passage to India [M]. London： Penguin Group， 2005.
作者简介：伍勇进（2000- ），男，湖南永州人，本科在读，研究方向为英语语言學。文雯（2000- ），女，湖南永州人，本科在读，研究方向为英语语言学。
（湖南师范大学 外国语学院 湖南 长沙 410081）
Key words： A Passage to India; connection; last paragraph
1.Introduction
The last paragraph of Chapter I is largely devoted to the power of the sky in A Passage to India. It implies abundant information of the following storylines and corresponds directly to all the important plots in the novel.
2.Clue sentences in the Last Paragraph of Chapter I
——The sky settles everything[1]
This sentence is the source of all the developments of following plots in the novel. The sky symbolizes the mysterious power governing all things while the earth beneath the sky can be regarded as the whole human society. The sky settles everything; so， to the sky， everything on the earth， whether human being’s value or any effort to connect the western and the oriental， seems meaningless and insignificant. However， no matter how great the geographical difference between the east and the west is or how large the cultural differences are， there is the same sky overhead connecting everyone and everything on the earth. This is where the possibility of connection is born. Any connection can be made whenever the sky chooses， and any effort to build a connection will be wasted if the sky doesn’t. But in spite of that， the possibility of connection still exists all along. This sentence can be considered as an initial display of the theme that the success of connection accurately depends on the sky’s choice and yet， even though it is doomed to failure， the possibility of connection still exists.
——not only climates and seasons but when the earth shall be beautiful[1]
The story can be divided into three parts， and each part corresponds to the three seasons in India. Meanwhile， the three seasons， in turn， drive the shift in where the plots take place. This organized progressive structure can be traced back to “not only climates and seasons” in the last paragraph of Chapter I. From this it’s found that the author has made a solid and thorough foreshadowing for the development of the following plots by means of careful description of the sky. As to “but when the earth shall be beautiful ”， it further shows that the sky rules the earth and also symbolizes the establishment of a beautiful connection on the earth is dominated by the sky. ——when the sky chooses， glory can rain into the Chandrapore bazaars[1]
Rain is glory of the sky. When the sky is glad， it will bestow rain to nourish all things on the earth， damping down fierce heat， washing away dirt and filth， and bringing rebirth and renewal for the flowers of connection. Between cool season and rainy season in India is hot season， which is associated with extreme heat and drought， a great challenge to feeble outbursts of flowers. Extreme heat makes people agitated and irritable， leading to more confrontations and disputes. In this sense， hot season is also a great challenge to the further growth of the flowers of connection， which explains why in hot season interpersonal conflicts are intensified， and the effective connection between people is impaired， and why in cold season cultural conflicts come to fade away， the friendship between the leading return to refreshment， and subsequent harms from Marabar Caves are washed away. Rain， as a symbol of baptism， waters the plants that has suffered from drought and also brings cool for people， letting everyone in bad temper or hallucination gradually calm down.
3.Conclusion
Earth is a symbol of human society， and sky is a symbol of overarching and mystical power. Sky rules earth——everything in the world is ruled by sky. People are just like tiny bits of dust. The relationship between people and the value of human beings themselves just seem meaningless. But as long as people stand on earth， with constant obstacles， there is the same sky above them， connecting them all. And that’s why it’s possible to make some connections.
References：
[1] Forster， E. M： A Passage to India [M]. London： Penguin Group， 2005.
作者简介：伍勇进（2000- ），男，湖南永州人，本科在读，研究方向为英语语言學。文雯（2000- ），女，湖南永州人，本科在读，研究方向为英语语言学。
（湖南师范大学 外国语学院 湖南 长沙 410081）