UNTOUCHABLE
INTRODUCTION -
We remember Mulk Raj Anand as one of the most important novelists of Indo-Anglian literature. "Untouchable" is Mulk Raj Anand first novel which was published in 1935. It is a social novel based an the theme of the evil of untouchability in India.
Characters of Untouchable
1. Bakha-
Bakha is the central or the most important character of this Novel. He was very hard working and dutiful boy. He had a great love and attraction for living his life in English style. He was the victim of social injustice.
2. Lakha -
Lakha was the father of Bakha. Lakha is a retire old man from the post of a jamidar over the sweepers of the area. Lakha represented the old class of sweepers.
3. Rakha-
Rakha was the younger son of Lakha and younger brother of Bakha. He was playing always outside with bad boys. He was never sincere to his work. Rakha was a dirty and careless young man.
4. Pandit Kali Nath
Pandit kalinath is the villain of this novel. He presented to be Brahmin priest but he did not hesitate to molest and innocent young girl ( sohini)
5. Havaldar Charat Singh
Havaldar Charat Singh as an outstanding character. He was an impressive personality, golden heart and kind behaviour. He was a good hockey champion.
6. Colonel Hutchinson
Colonel Hutchinson was a real Christian missionary in India. His chief was the convert the poor backward and the untouchables of the country into Christian.
7. Sohini
Sohini was the only daughter of Lakha and the dear sister of Bakha. She has too beautiful and attractive. Pandit Kali Nath can't control his emotions seeing Sohini's beauty. She loves his brother Bakha very much. She was an innocent girl.
8. Gulabo-
She was a washerwomen. Gulabo was proud of her beauty and physical attraction.
Who is Ram Charan in the novel of untouchable?
9. Ram Charan
Ram Charan was the friend of Barkha and the son of gulabo.
Critical Appreciation of the Novel
Untouchable is the great novel written by Mulk Raj Anand. The novelist, in this novel describes one day in the life of Bakha, a sweeper boy and a hero of this novel. Bakha as a young boy tried to make efforts to live a better life but not much successful. In this novel, Bakha suffered much humiliation and abuses from an upper caste people whom he had touched unknowingly. The social evil of untouchability in the india has been expressed in a real and impressive style.
An Appropriate Title-
"Untouchable " is the most appropriate title because it conveys to the readers the pitiable condition of different types of untouchables living in the Indian society. They did not equal and respectable social position in comparison to the people of the uper class. In this novel he conveys to the mind of the all readers the sorrow and suffering which the upper caste brought in the life of all untouchables like sweeper, latrine cleaner, barbars, grass cutters, water-carriers, etc. In the novel Mulk Raj Anand describes the total routine, mental torture and deep suffering of Bakha, the untouchable sweeper, and the letrine cleaner. In this way, It can be said rightly that " Untouchable " is the most appropriate title of the novel.
As a Social Novel-
Untouchable may be easily and rightly classed as a Social novel. It clearly shows two classes of the Indian society. One is the caste of upper-caste people who are born to enjoy the pleasures of life. The other class is of all untouchables who live under the sorrow and suffering of economic inequality and injustice. They are treated with hatred.
Characterization-
Mulk Raj Anand has been successful in the art of his characterization. Bakha is the central, or the most important character of the novel. He may be easily called a hero of "untouchable". Lakha is his father and Rakha is his brother. His sister is Sohini who is tried to be seduced by pandit Kali Nath, the villan. There are several characters in the novel. This book does not contain many character like Anand's other novel. Bakha is the sweeper boy sowing his rebellious nature against his caste people for toleranting the tyranny and ill treatment from the upper class.
Theme of untouchable-
The real theme of untouchables is regarding the poor, dirty and backword condition of all those man, woman and children who beling to Untouchable of India. Mulk Raj Anand describes the sorrow, suffering and Social inequality of Bakha in particular and all other Untouchables in general. In thier daily life , they did the work of sweeping and cleaning latrine and other such hard work. Even then they were treated with inequality and caste inferirority only because they belonged to a lower caste of Untouchables. Anand has created the central character of Bakha to convey his theme of universal hatred for a section of Indian Society. He is against it, so he raises his voice for their change, reformtion. For this, Anand had taken clear Inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi to write this book when he meet him in 1930.
Technique-
Mulk Raj Anand has the special technique in writting Untouchable. Thus he changed his traditional narrative technique of telling, which he commonly used in his other novels. Through his special technique, Anand succeeded in expessing fully and freely the storm of rebellious ideas going on in the mind of Bakha , the most important character of the novel. The reader in this way can peep into the suffering soul.
Caste system-
The popular feature of caste -systems has been effectively deal in "Untouchable " by Mulk Raj Anand. Bakha was regular cleaner of public latrines. even then he could not marry Gulabo's daughtet only because of belonging to the lower caste. Bakha's sister sohini could not resist her molestation by Pandit Kali Nath because the rogue was the higer- caste priest. Gulabo too, hated sohini as her competition because she was proud of her higher caste then lower caste of sohini. Such caste-system shows the evil of the Indian Society.
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Description-
Mulk Raj Anand has presented the touching pathetic and realistic Description of all man, woman and children belonging to the caste of Untouchables in "Untouchable ". All the members of untouchables are considered the lowest in the social set up, so they are treated with caste distinction and insulting contempt. The Upper caste people do not touch them with the fear of "pollution" and throw breads to them from distance in return of their services of sweeping and cleaning latrine etc. They are made to live mud houses out of villages. Bakha is representive Untouchable whose one day's life.
Language and style-
Anand language shows how much he made use of the Indian phraseology in his novels. He used the common language of his characters belongings to the lowest castes of the Indian Society. Anand's style is lyrical style. There is sufficient proof of literal translation from Punjabi into English.
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