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Study of Weaker Section in Mulk Raj Anand's Coolie

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Study of Weaker Section in Mulk Raj Anand's Coolie Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 4. 2017 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) RESEARCH ARTICLE STUDY OF WEAKER SECTION IN MULK RAJ ANAND’S COOLIE MONISHA. J M.Phil English Research Scholar, Rajeshwari Vedhachalam Government College, Chengalpattu. ABSTRACT This paper presents the social reactions and the cross section of India between the weaker section and the elite’s section of the society perfectly portrayed in his novel coolie by Mulk Raj Anand. He writes about the suppression, oppression, exploitation and humiliation of the people who face social economical, political and cultural exclusion. Mulk Raj Anand dramatizes the tragic life of the marginalised class in his novel through the character Munoo. The frightening picture of the downtrodden Munoo represents the margin where as on the other hand the capitalist and the evil forces stand for the centre. The novel dramatizes with the vivid clarity the economic exploitation of the poor by the rich in which Munoo is a stark symbol of exploitation. Coolie proves witnesses the huge space between the poor and the rich in the society, and the failure to bridge the gap between these two classes. Key words: Oppression, Humiliation, Suppression, Exploitation, Down trodden. Introduction produced exceptional vigour in his novels as in the Mulk Raj Anand is one of the Indian English novels of Marxism Gorki. fiction writer along with R.K. Narayan, Ahamed Ali, Through his profuse literary output his Raja Rao, was one of the first India- based writers in writings Anand emerged as voice of the voiceless English. Anand is the one of the famous critic writer and the marginalized. Characters that marginalized in Indian English fiction. Anand is not only a novelist by caste or class people his major novels. The and he is also a short story writer and art critic untouchable sweepers, downtrodden coolies, the writing in English. Anand was among those who debt-ridden farmers, pitiable labourers, victimized gave Hindustani idioms to English. In his work he women play prominent role in Anand’s fictional arise our pity among the poor peoples of India by world. He has selected real people as heroes whom showing a real- life representation of the people. he knew intimately during childhood. They are Anand is the first Indian novelist in English who marginalized in one way or the other. He writes portrayed the real troubled life of suppressed about, their life problems, sufferings and their Indians. In this novels, he clearly point out the struggle for existence and identity. Anand voiced readers living conditions of people like a sweeper, a those dregs of the society who were deprived of coolie, a peasant etc who suffered exploitation socio-economic opportunities for their sustenance condition of poverty and bad actions. In his work and became victims of social, cultural, economic and Anand includes the lives of unlucky ones in his political exclusion. He enacts the tragic life of the works. His great sympathy and intensity of narration oppressed through novels especially untouchable, 47 MONISHA. J Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 4. 2017 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) coolie, Two Leaves and a Bud, The Road, The Big had not ill- treated him, his tragedy would have Heat and The Old Woman and The Cow. been avoided. In this novel, Munoo meets cruel and Anand’s coolie gives a picture of a bad characters besides good characters like Prabha downtrodden boy Munoo who at his early stage Dayal and his wife in Daulatpur, Chota Babu in Sham being unaware of what’s happening next of his own Nagar and Ratan in Bombay. Prabha Dayal is one of existence. It is based on sufferings of saga of Munoo the example goodness. who performs variegated jobs as a domestic servant, Munoo met Dayal latter ignoring his partner coolie, and rickshaw puller for sustenance. He Ganesh’ advice, patted Munoo on his back and said: struggles lot in his life for food, shelter, identity and “Come, come now, be a brave lad. Wipe your eyes. sympathy and finally dies of consumption. Rich We will take care of you. We are almost nearing peoples use to looks down the poor as worthless, Daulatpur (Coolie 64). He boards a train to an having no existence and significance as human unknown destination where he meets Prabha, a beings. The marginalized often suffer at the hands of good man. Munoo compelled to work as a labour in cruel forces in the society and have no identity of a pickle factory and who accepted his lot with theirs. In the novel, the miserable coolies like fatalism peculiar to the Indian peasantry, urged him Munoo and the like represent the margin and the to write coolie. Pillar of the novel is real and social capitalist and evil forces stand for the canter. realism. Mulk Raj Anand uses literature as a means Throughout the novel, Munoo faces humiliation and to modify society has led critics to dub him as a oppression. In the novel his uncle, Daya Ram, propagandist. masters- Babu Nathu Ram and his wife, Ganpat, Anand writes; “I feel that, only in fiction Chimta sahib and many others have only contempt which is the transformation, through the for Munoo. They slap, abuse and kick him. Through imagination, of the concrete life, in words, sounds Munoo, Anand brings out the pathetic life of the and vibrations, on may probe into the many layers poor. of human consciousness in its various phases” DISCUSSION (Coolie 136). He treats Munoo as his own son. Coolie is a serious tragedy of Munoo, the Munoo finds that if Prabhas is a truly kind and novel starts in Shampur and ends in Simla with his generous man, Ratan has a streak of heroism. Both death. This story takes place in a picaresque these characters make Munoo’s wordly happy. In an manner. It starts in Shampur, Munoo is an orphan. otherwise sad world, of cruelty and brutality, only Munoo’s life is full of sufferings and in the beginning Ratan and Prabha symbolize some good qualities of the novel itself we can see how is aunt Gujiri ill- but due to the forces of circumstances, Prabha is treats him. Anand writes: ‘Munoo ohe Munooa!’ she forced to sell away his factory. called again, exasperated and raising her voice, this He himself leaves Daulathpur in utter time, to the highest pitch to which, in her anger and poverty. In the words of C.D Narasimhaiah, “The hate, she could carry it: ‘Where have you died? situations Anand creates are convincing on the Where have you gone, you ominous orphan? Come whole and reveal aspects of life hitherto generally back and begone!’ The piercing soprano resounded kept out of fiction as though are tabooed from it” through the valley and fell on Munoo’s ears with the (242). deadening effect of all its bitter content. Munoo Thus once again Munoo’s life becomes moved to Shampur along with his uncle. His uncle is dangerous. Then Munoo reaches Bombay along with messenger in the imperial bank. In that bank a circus troupe. Munoo becomes a worker in a officer’s house Munoo worked as a servant where cotton mill. After a trade union strike, he loses his he is treated in very shabby manner. His aunt does job. He reaches Simla after, a road accident. Mrs. not give him a proper food she ill treats him and Mainwaring, an Anglo- Indian takes pity on him. She suffers him a lot in her hands. He got punishment takes him to Simla and he becomes a servant in her endlessly. When he cannot bear it any longer, he house. For the first time in his life, Munoo is very leaves the house. If his aunt Gujri and Uttam Kaur much happy. Mrs. Mainwaring love for Munoo in 48 MONISHA. J Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 4. 2017 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O) Simla is a mixed one; she loves him for his native finish one work than he is ordered for another one and uncorrupted innocence. Munoo’s happiest life is by Bibiji. Even after doing every work, he is fed in the house of Mrs. Mainwaring, but this is very properly. Bibiji being an orthodox Hindu observes short period of his life. But it is also a tragedy that and maintains her notions of purity. Munoo suffers his health fails here; his final stage of a Rickshaw from the notions of purity. Munoo suffers from the puller is that most gruesome part of his story, this is notions of ‘pollution’ and ‘touch’ like Bakha though very difficult job for him. He has all along been doing he is not from low caste. The way bread is thrown many kinds of jobs, but for pulling the rickshaw he towards Bakha, Munno is also served food in similar has no stamina. He gets consumption and finally manner by Bibiji. dies of it; this is the tragedy of his life. The treatment at Babu’s house transforms Munoo The worst thing that Munoo suffers from is from an energetic child to a slave. He had become a rebuking nature of Bibiji, the wife of Nathoo Ram.
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