Literature has always served as a powerful medium for socio-economic advocacy, revealing inequalities, questioning power structures and giving voice to marginalized communities. This research paper explores how four significant novels—George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things—create awareness about injustice and inspire social change in 19th and 20th century world literature. Animal Farm exposes the corruption of political power and the betrayal of working-class ideals representing the exploitation faced by laborers under dectatorial regimes. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, set against the backdrop of slavery in America, humanizes the suffering of enslaved people and played a historic role in shaping public opinion against racial oppression. The Jungle highlights the cruel working conditions of immigrants in the meat-packing industry, revealing issues of poverty, unhygienic labor environments and capitalist exploitation. It’s impact led to real reforms in food safety and labor rights. The God of Small Things examines caste-based discrimination, broken social system sand the emotional suffering caused by inflexible socio-economic hierarchies in India. Across these novels authors use storytelling, symbolism and emotionally powerful characters to expose injustice and advocate for equality. Though written in different periods and contexts, each work challenges oppressive structures and promotes socio-economic justice. Collectively, these novels demonstrate that literature is not merely a reflection of society but a catalyst for awareness, empathy and transformation.
Miss. Shamali Shanton Bhosale (Sun,) studied this question.