Character Analysis
Cyril Fielding
Cyril Fielding is a man of the world. He has not only associated with many people, but he has learned to judge them on the basis of merit alone. He is intellectual, kind, and committed to helping anyone in need. The injustice manifested toward Aziz in this novel has nothing to do with color or creed as far as Fielding is concerned; it is rather a matter of the violation of a man's rights. Fielding does not defend Aziz because he is an Indian; he defends him because he is innocent. Fielding is Forster's "top man" to demonstrate the kind of understanding that the world needs. He is dwarfed, as Forster puts it, only because he is committed to earthbound affairs.
At the end of the story he is shown aligning himself with the English by marrying an English girl. This separates him from Aziz, but at the same time he establishes a direct relationship with Mrs. Moore by marrying her daughter. Although Stella is a shadowy figure, Hinduism impresses her, and this awakens an interest in Fielding. He feels that contact with Hinduism has somehow improved his marriage and he admits that perhaps the Hindus have found "something."
Forster leaves the reader to speculate about what might happen if Fielding should become interested in the spiritual side of life. Adela is said to get the worst of both worlds; Fielding, endowed as he is with natural graces, could very well find the best of both worlds. With a combination of human and spiritual understanding, Fielding would certainly be the man "most likely to succeed" in promoting world understanding.