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.