# Cyril Fielding — A Passage to India character guide > Cyril Fielding in A Passage to India by E. M. Forster. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Fielding, VII This Mr. Fielding, Poor Mr. Fielding, good Fielding, Fielding, Cyril, old Cyril, Fielding⁠ **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot An English schoolmaster who crosses the racial line to befriend Aziz, and finds that goodwill is not the same as understanding. ## Who they are Fielding is the Principal at Government College, unmarried, unhurried, and unimpressed by the Anglo-Indian club's pieties. He believes in the individual over the category, which makes him Aziz's ally and, in Chandrapore, a mild heretic. Yet his detachment is also a limitation: he can analyze Aziz's snobbery without quite feeling it, and his loyalties are tested when friendship collides with the machinery of empire. He is the novel's conscience, and its most honest portrait of a man caught between two worlds he cannot fully join. ## Relationships ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A deep, cross-cultural friendship that bridges the British and Indian communities, tested by the trial but ultimately enduring. ### [Adela Quested](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/adela_quested) _friendship_ A respectful, intellectual bond where Fielding becomes Adela's confidant and moral support during her crisis. ### [Mrs. Moore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/mrs_moore) _friendship_ A mutual respect and understanding between two sympathetic British characters who question the Empire. ### [Ronny Heaslop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/ronny_heaslop) _rivalry_ An ideological antagonism, with Fielding's liberal views clashing against Ronny's imperialist authority. ### [Hamidullah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/hamidullah) _friendship_ A cordial, intellectual friendship between Fielding and the educated Indian lawyer. ### [The Collector](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/the_collector) _professional_ A formal, hierarchical relationship between Fielding and the British district official, marked by tension over the trial. ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A deep, cross-cultural friendship that bridges the British and Indian communities, tested by the trial but ultimately enduring. ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A deep, cross-cultural friendship that bridges the British and Indian communities, tested by the trial but ultimately enduring. ### [Adela Quested](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/adela_quested) _friendship_ A respectful, intellectual bond where Fielding becomes Adela's confidant and moral support during her crisis. ### [Mrs. Moore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/mrs_moore) _friendship_ A mutual respect and understanding between two sympathetic British characters who question the Empire. ### [Hamidullah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/hamidullah) _friendship_ A cordial, intellectual friendship between Fielding and the educated Indian lawyer. ### [Adela Quested](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/adela_quested) _friendship_ A respectful, intellectual bond where Fielding becomes Adela's confidant and moral support during her crisis. ## In the story ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/v) Participates in the Bridge Party with a less cynical attitude, romping about and making mistakes. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/vi) Sends a gracious second invitation to Aziz after the first was ignored. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/vii) Hosts the tea party, mediates tensions, and reflects on the cultural divide. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/ix) Visits Aziz, speaks frankly about happiness and justification, feels disappointed by the visit. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xi) Receives Aziz's trust, reflects on his own emotional reserve, and discusses marriage, children, and his philosophy of education. ### [Part II: Caves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/part-ii-caves) Sides with Aziz after the arrest, challenging the British community's prejudiced stance. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xiii) Helps arrange the invitation but misses the train due to Godbole's prayer; regrets the mishap. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xvi) Questions Aziz about Miss Quested's departure; tries to protect Aziz during the arrest; calls Aziz 'Cyril' for the first time. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xvii) Fielding defends Aziz's innocence to the Collector, insists on reason over emotion, and seeks to speak with McBryde. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xviii) Visits McBryde to argue for Aziz's innocence and seeks to see Adela Quested. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xix) Visits Aziz in prison, confers with Hamidullah about legal strategy, and endures a frustrating conversation with Godbole about school names. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xx) Remains seated when Ronny enters, showing his defiance of the collective English sentiment; he is targeted by Major Callendar's insinuations. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxi) Rides through the bazaar, joins the confederacy, and regrets his rudeness to Heaslop. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxiv) Observes the trial from the audience, holding an Indian child; avoids direct eye contact with Adela. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxv) Takes Adela into his carriage to protect her, feeling torn between his duty to her and his desire to rejoice with Aziz. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxvi) Offers Adela shelter at the College and discusses her mental state. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxvii) Fielding tries to persuade Aziz to be merciful to Adela Quested, revealing he has spoken with her and understands her character. He informs Aziz of Mrs. Moore's death, but Aziz dismisses it. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxviii) Provides shelter to Adela at Government College; postpones private talk until the lawsuit is decided. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxix) Helps Adela with her departure and letter of apology; resists Aziz's pressure to 'give in to the East'; receives praise from Sir Gilbert. ### [Chapter XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxi) Fielding returns from a conference to find Aziz suspicious and hostile. He tries to dismiss the rumors but is hurt by Aziz's accusations and struggles to repair their friendship. ### [Chapter XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxii) Travels through Egypt, Crete, and Venice, experiencing a deep appreciation for European form and harmony, and feeling disloyal to India. ### [Part III: Temple](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/part-iii-temple) Returns to India and meets Aziz in Mau, attempting to reconcile their friendship but facing cultural and personal barriers. ### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxiv) Has arrived in Mau on an official tour, married to someone Aziz believes is Adela Quested. He sends a note to Aziz, which is torn up. ### [Chapter XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxv) Attempts to clarify his marriage to Stella Moore and reconcile with Aziz, but is rebuffed. ### [Chapter XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxvi) Mentioned in Aziz's thoughts and letters; his friendly tone with Adela and Ronny hardens Aziz's resentment. ### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxvii) Rides with Aziz, questions why they cannot be friends now, discusses his marriage to Stella and her spiritual interests, and reflects on the failure of the King-Emperor High School. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/cyril_fielding - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters