VIEWING THE DOWNTRODDEN IN MULK RAJ ANAND’S FICTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO UNTOUCHABLE AND COOLIE

Abstract

The paper examines through the characters portrayed in Mulk Raj Anand’s
Untouchable and Coolie the effect of the caste factor and the class factor in the life of the
downtrodden in pre-independence India and explores the comparability of woes and
sufferings of a low-caste untouchable and a high-caste poor. It is found that both these factors
contribute almost equally to the miseries of the downtrodden comprising the untouchables
and the poor irrespective of their social classes. Further, the paper views where the high-caste
poor stand in the society, by examining the nature of dishonour they suffer from in
comparison to that suffered by the untouchables. It appears that woes and miseries of a highcaste poor are no less acute than those of an untouchable, and even though there seems to be
a possibility of finding a solution to the problem of untouchability, the problem of poverty
seems to be more vexed and complicated with no cognizable solution in sight because of the
increasing complexities in the class factor.