Social Evils and Its Impacts on Class Conflicts in Mulk Raj Anand’s Major Novels: A Marxist Study

This paper focuses on the impacts of socio-political evils and class conflicts portrayed in the novels of Mulk Raj Anand. Three novels by Anand—Coolie, Untouchable, and Two Leaves and a Bud have been selected for this work which has a connection with the Marxist approaches. These novels highlight the dehumanizing contradictions within the colonized Indian society. Through his writings, Anand reveals capitalism in addition to foreign colonialism, where exist layers of colonialism and bourgeoisie within the Indian community. This system develops intra-communal clashes to enhance the gap between the haves and the haves-not. Similarly, the caste system and the previous economic system, i.e., feudalism combined with capitalism, create a harsh reality for the oppressed community. Thus, this paper considers capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, feudalism, and casteism as socio-political evils that legitimize a process to dominate the society. It creates a contradictory social relation which is blissful for the colonizers but a curse to the working class. The consequences of these appliances bring class conflict, exploitation, poverty, hunger, cruelty, and many others into practice. Anand sets his protagonists—Munoo, Bakha, and Gangu – in front of the demeaning, hostile world which depends mainly on the bounty of the moneyed class. This paper makes a critical study to unveil the consequences of exploiting the evils and class struggle through the lens of Marxist criticism. On the other hand, it can be said that the paper emphasizes Anand’s attention in portraying intra-social clashes in colonial India based on economic exploitation and its consequences.