Cycle of Oppression

Throughout Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable, it becomes clear that the discrimination that the main character Bahka faces each day is part of a greater theme of how oppression becomes cyclical. Anand emphasizes the untouchables’ lack of ability to change their status in society. They cannot get their own water, they must rely on the “generosity” of the higher castes to draw them water from the well. They are not able to receive an education because those who teach are afraid of being dirtied by the presence of an untouchable in the classroom. Untouchables are even forced to pay higher prices for goods, even though they are unable to be paid for their work and can only be given “small gifts” from the higher class. The upper castes justify their treatment of the untouchables by claiming their status is a form of purgatory for bad acts in a past life. There is some truth to that thought: yes, the untouchables are in purgatory (or really hell), but they are not responsible for their placement there. Anand writes, “[Singh] did not relax the grin which symbolized six thousand years of racial and class superiority,” (10). The status of the untouchables is not something they can change and with no way for their children to escape it either, they are essentially stuck in a life of misery. It is somewhat ironic that while many believed that it was the past that caused the untouchables to be where they are, it is this very same status that prevents any type of future for them. Anand’s novel seems relevant even today in American society. While not as blatant in our eyes as the blight of Bakha, millions of Americans face the same cycle that Bakha does. The systematic oppression in our country prevents marginalized groups from receiving equal education, equal pay, and equal treatment. What does this say about our country when we can draw parallels from a novel written in 1935 about a developing country?

Untouchable and Social Change

Throughout history, works of literature have been major components of the fight for social change. From Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Kate Chopin’s The Awakening to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, published “radical” works have been a catalyst for progress. Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand is another example of such works. Written in 1935 during the time of Gandhi’s fight for Indian independence and the abolishing of untouchability, the novel explores the horrors of the Indian caste system. While the caste system still remains today and many rigidly adhere to its rules, since the publication of Untouchable, numerous equality-minded laws have been established in India. The novel forced many to think about the society they lived in.  The book follows the day in the life of Bakha, a member of the untouchable caste. He works cleaning up human waste and his life is filled with filth and hardship. Throughout his day, he his treated awfully by members of higher castes. Through the story, Anand creates a compelling case for change in Indian society. The only character who treats Bakha kindly is Charat Singh who allows Bakha to touch his personal items, something that many would have thought “soiled” the goods. Singh represents forward thinking and the ability fof evolution in belief and thought. While Singh at the beginning of the novel wakes Bakha to clean the latrines for him, he eventually evolves to treating Bakha if not as an equal, at least as a human being.  Singh symbolizes Anand’s hope for India and mimicks the change he hopes to see on a national rather than just a personal level. Literature is meant to leave a reader thinking long after they finish. Anand does just this with Untouchable. The books causes readers to explore their own caste systems they are living in, whether it is India in 1935 or America in 2017.

How Literature Has Shaped Me (In response to "C.S. Lewis on Why We Read")

When asked in a college interview the other day what my favorite thing is (the interviewer clarified she kept it vague on purpose), I responded with “I guess my favorite thing is also my least favorite. You know that feeling when you are about to finish a really great book, and it is amazing because you have gone on this great journey and it is all about to come together, but it is also sad because it usually means saying goodbye to characters that you have connected with and our now in an odd way a type of friend? Yeah, that’s my favorite thing.” I am sure she thought I was a little crazy as a I rambled on, but she laughed and admitted that while the feeling was new to her, she did understand. I have always loved to read and I think books are something I have taken for granted in my life. While I found stories to be a way for me to escape, throwing myself into places like the halls of Hogwarts and Margaret Mitchell’s antebellum South, I never really stopped to consider how books have shaped who I am today. Literature has given me access to not only a thousand different worlds, but also a thousand different perspectives. C.S. Lewis said, “… in reading literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.” Reading has provided me with a way to discover myself in different contexts. It has helped me to understand my own privilege as I look through the life lenses of those who are oppressed. Facts and figures are one form of understanding, but by being able to put a person to those statistics, as literature does, readers are able to feel the emotions of an identity they may never hold. Writers walk the fine line of creating characters that are relatable, while also not having them hold all the same backgrounds. The avoidance of the “single story,” as Chimamanda Adichie puts it, is critical, but readers also must be able to engage with the characters and find common ground. In a way, they must be able to put themselves in the shoes of the character. It is in this way that the ability to empathize with those who are different than ourselves is developed, and that is the first step to equality. Reading has pushed me to better myself, not only academically but also personally. Through reading the works of a diverse group of authors, I continue to strive to broaden my view of our world and society one page at a time.

Response to "Chinua Achebe on How Storytelling Helps Us Survive History’s Rough Patches"

While over twenty years old, Chinua Achebe’s ideas in his interview with Bill Moyers seem more relevant than ever. Achebe remarks, “There is no one way to anything.” In a country where fake new has quickly become an epidemic, and ignorance and a lack of empathy the newest intellectual fashion, Achebe makes a point that too few people are aware of: in our society we become so closed off in our own life bubbles that we forget that someone else is experiencing our world through a very different lens. Literature is a way to give readers a way to gain a different perspective of society, but only when authors are willing to pen the story of an “unconventional” (or rather not a white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied, and upper-middle class) character. Achebe then goes on to say that it is vital to be political in writing. As I have continued my academic schooling, it has become increasingly clear that history books tell only one story that are easily forgotten. Books are a way to ensure that the untold stories, usually not romantic or pretty, are there to remind and warn new generations of the past and prevent history from repeating itself over and over again. It takes courage for writers to a chance and create an unsettling piece. I firmly believe that literature is meant to leave readers questioning not only the world around them, but also themselves and their own beliefs. In the interview, Achebe also offers a glimmer of hope. He reminds readers that by exploring only a small period of history, the bad seems overpowering, but viewed in the larger context of human history it is simply a “bad-patch.” As someone who has sometimes viewed the last year as the start of a seemingly terminal illness for the United States, Achebe has provided me with a reason to be optimistic for the future. It is easy to become caught up in the terrible, that we forget that our mothers, fathers, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on have endured so much worse and have come out the other side. Our society has a huge responsibility to ourselves and each other to continue to work for what is right, and literature is a key component in this fight.