Use of Realism in Mulk Raj Anand's Novels - international indexed ...

International Referred Research Journal, January, 2012, ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI : RAJBIL 2009/30097, VOL- III * ISSUE 28
Research Paper—English
January, 2012
Mulk Raj Anand stands in the front line of Indian
Writing in English. His depiction of character is life
like and he is the perfectionist ii the representation of
his characters. He is undoubtedly the greatest artist of
Indian Writing in English. His great works represent
to us the lives of India's poor in a realistic and sympathetic
manner. Mulk Raj Anand's debut novel Untouchable
the great blend in literature. Untouchable
novel depicts the events of a single day in the life of
Bakha.. Bakha, throughout the novel faced the discrimination
in the caste- based so called society. He
belongs to the sweeper community.
He has a great physique and muscles. "Each
muscle of body, had as a rock when it came to play,
seemed to shine forth like glass. What a dexterous
workman! The on looker would have said. And though
his job was dirty, he remained comparatively clean"
(Untouchable) He has to clean toilets and bring about
sanitation at the cost of his hygiene. Every now and
then he is disparaged and called "defiled and polluted".
He is only a beast of burden in his eyes of the
highly prejudiced so called society. His sister has also
to work in the houses of the touchables for chores and
returns humiliated. In utter desperation and exasperation,
he tells his father "They think we are dirt because
we clean their dirt"(Untouchable). The so called society
is not even considerate to him if he offers a helping
hand to it. On the occasion, Bakha is playing hockey.
A little boy is injured and as Bakha lifts the boy up,
boy's caste-ridden mother screams "Polluted, polluted"
(Untouchable) There are many occasions in the novel
which reveal the harsh and painful realities in the
society. On such occasion is when the untouchables
are victimized, and shattered into pieces. The "Well
Incident", "Temple Incident", "bazar incident" and
many other incidents describe how these ill-feted people
are exploited by the so called highclass touchables.
The cruelty doesn't happen only with him but his sister
also faces the same thing just because being an
untouchable. So, here we can see the untouchables,
being weak, have no justice. The priest in the novel
pollutes his postion, who is supposed to preach the
gospel of truth, humanity, morality, and sanctity. But,
he turns out to be a victimizer, a tyrant. On many
occasion Bakha and his family are subjected to inhu-
100
Use of Realism in Mulk Raj Anand's Novels
* Karan Sharma
* Asst. Prof. Dept. of English, Public College, Samana
mane treatment. The 'Bazar Incident' is also very touching
and pathetic. He has to face insult through out the
novel , it's just because of his untouchability. His only
crime is that he touches people from the caste Hindu.
For it, he is ill-treated by the so called touchables in the
words- 'swine dog' , 'dirty dog' , 'you brute'. Bakha is
unable to do anything despite to listen and bend down
his head, mumbling something. As the same, 'Temple-
Incident' is also painful and arises our sympathy for the
sufferer. Bakha is also a common being like many
others in the society but his feelings are repressed by
this so called touchable society. He is one of many
unlucky ones whose life is painful and undergo humiliation
just because of their being untouchables in
the society. These untouchables find them self no where
in the society and spend life full of pain even today in
this world.
"Though the Indian constitution has
made it a crime to practice untouchability, there are
still 60 million people in India who are discriminated"
(Saroj Cowasjee). We can find a great clash between
the established caste system in the various novel of
Anand, which is always the main theme in his works.
His main themes are deeply rooted in the social conditions
of his time. Indian caste-based society is the major
concern, and his characters, represent the most pattern
of Indian society. He represents a society charged with
the evils of untouchability, caste discrimination, and
social injustice. Anand is a great writer having a
sympathetical angle for the untouchables, the outcastes
in the society. He is the greatest realist, whose realism
distinguishes him any wrong bias, and has the ability
to take a balanced view of man and society. Anand
voices the most fundamental sentiments of a man whose
life is a strange amalgam of helplessness, anger, protest,
despair and anxiety. The typical Indian lives and
life on many layers each of which is inextricably linked
up with others. The caste system is one such layer and
it is a very vital thing for him. He can not help it, so
ingrained it is in him, and yet he is a victim of it. Mulk
Raj Anand's realism lies in the depiction of a society in
which the caste factor operates so easily and naturally,
conditions everything so effortlessly, that often it ceases
to be an issue even; it simply remains as backwater. In
his realistic portrayal of the novel Untouchable, caste
RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

International Referred Research Journal, January, 2012, ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI : RAJBIL 2009/30097, VOL- III * ISSUE 28
is the prominent theme and he is concerned with the
sufferings of the masses i.e. Shudra- sweepers and his
wish to bring about social happiness in their lives and
to register his protest against the evil in the social
system of Hindus as well, whereas Coolie is about the
new caste system, the economic 'classes' being so rigid
as to be almost 'closed'. Two Leaves and a Bud represents
the pain of poor Indians, who suffer in the hands
of the British, but the Indian life it represents is based
on the caste and community. Anand wrote these novels
in the phase of his career when caste system was on the
peak in India and he was aware enough to raise his in
protest. Anand himself accepts:
"From tha time onwards my protest about the human
predicament, under the empire and in the atmosphere
of our own decay, often resulting from blind acceptance
of bad habits and the taboos of the sage Manu
and the Hadith tradition of Islam, beceme selfconscious….In
a way I sensed the pain of lofe, which
the more privileged took out of the weaker member of
the flock"( Anand)
In the realist depiction of the Indian
society, he has presented to us a class of those people
whose social status is dominated by their economic
status. In his masterpiece Untouchable the status is
determined by birth, whereas in one of another his
novel Coolie it determines by an economic group. If
we talk about the theme, Coolie of Anand is just extension
of Untouchable, Anand depicts the social evil that
has run its impact even in Indian history. A strong
believer in the dignity and the equality, Anand is naturally
shocked at the inhuman way the untouchables
and coolies are treated by those belong to the superior
caste. Whereas Anand tells about a single community
in his novel untouchables, but it also implies in the rest
of the world, where we have caste-based society. Where
we have discrimination on the name of class, race. His
representation of social structure reflects his idea to
R E F E R E N C E
revolt against for exploitators to change their inhuman
behaviour with the rest of the world, and also to
uplift their behaviour in the society. In the words of
K.R.S. Iyenger, his works "not only a representation
of social reality, but also a necessary functional part of
social control, and also, paradoxically, an important
element in social change"
Mulk Raj Anand is the greatest writer
of downtrodden because of his realistic portrayal of
Indian society, which includes the social values and
social harmony. Anand believes that man is the creator
of his own destiny. He has immense faith in man and
his power. Being a great artist, Anand does speak about
black and white, but he gives the artistic form to the
tragic experience of a man. Anand's revolt and warning
lies within the presentation of his art. About the
novels of Anand, Iyanger says that they came "fresh
from contact with flesh and blood of everyday existence".
We find no discrimination based on race and
caste in our constitution, but in practical life these all
aspects still exist in our society. Social discrimination
still prevails this way or that way and, therefore, social
exclusion and exploitation of the lower class of the
society, though their form and proportion might be
different from the cases of pre-independence era. K.R
Shrinivas Iyenger also confirms this, "….the problem
with blunted edges, perhaps, and also with some relieving
features here- still defies a firm and final solution!"
Despite of that Anand's novels considered as the
blend to change the social system so that the untouchables
can enjoy the equal freedom in the society. Anand
dreamt for our strong, united, prosperous and peaceful
nation. Through his great works he has presented to us
the painful realistic picture of our so called Indian
society in a great manner, now he has left on us to think
how we can change the prevailing system, and how
can we make our nation more prgressive.
Mulk Raj Anand, Untouchable, New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1970 Mulk Raj Anand, "The Source of Protest in my Novels" in The Indian
Novel with a Social Purpose ed. By K. Venkata Reddy, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1999, pp. 20-21 K.R.S. Iyenger, Indian
Writing in English, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1984, p.338-39. Mulk Raj Anand, "The Source of Protest in my Novels", op. cit., p.29
Mulk Raj Anand: Coolie. 1936. London: Penguin, 1986 Saroj Cowasjee: Author and critic: The letter of Mulk Raj Anand (Writers Workshop
Publication).
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