IGNOU MEG-07 Block 2 Summary | Mulk Raj Anand: Untouchable

Here you will get the detailed summary of IGNOU MEG 7 Block 2 – Mulk Raj Anand: Untouchable.

We have provided the summary of all units starting from unit 1 to unit 6.

Introduction

IGNOU MEG-7 Block 2 focuses on Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable, a foundational text in Indian English literature that powerfully depicts the life of the oppressed. This block critically examines the novel’s social, political, and literary dimensions through an exploration of its themes, plot, characters, and the personal background of Anand. Set within the caste-ridden society of early 20th-century India, Untouchable serves as a critique of systemic injustice while reflecting Anand’s humanistic ideals and Gandhian influence.

Unit 1 – A Short History of the Indian English Novel

This unit offers a brief yet essential background to the emergence and development of the Indian English novel.

Key Points:

Indian English fiction emerged during the British colonial period, with early contributions from writers like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, R.K. Narayan, and Mulk Raj Anand.
The genre evolved as a response to colonialism, social reform, and the search for national identity.
It balances Indian themes with Western narrative techniques, shaping a unique literary voice.
Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first writers to bring social realism and the plight of the marginalized into Indian English fiction.

This unit sets the stage for understanding how Untouchable fits into the larger literary and historical context.

Unit 2 – Life and Work of Mulk Raj Anand

This unit delves into the personal and professional life of Mulk Raj Anand, emphasizing the experiences that shaped his literary vision.

Highlights:

Born in 1905, Anand was deeply influenced by British education, Marxist ideology, and Gandhian ethics.
His early disillusionment with caste oppression and colonial elitism fueled his writing.
Other notable works: Coolie, The Big Heart, and The Sword and the Sickle.
Anand used literature as a tool for social change, portraying the voiceless and the downtrodden.
Untouchable (1935) was inspired by a real-life encounter with a sweeper boy named Bakha, whom Anand met as a child.

Anand’s blend of empathy, activism, and modernist technique made him a pioneering voice in Indian literature.

**Unit 3 – Untouchable: Title, Theme, Plot and Characterisation**

This unit provides a detailed examination of the core literary elements of the novel.

Title:

Symbolic of Bakha’s social identity and the dehumanization of an entire community.

Themes:

Caste oppression and social discrimination
Search for dignity and identity
Gandhian reform and the limits of idealism
Urban-rural divide and colonial presence

Plot:

Set over one single day in the life of Bakha, an untouchable latrine-cleaner.
Tracks his routine, humiliation, dreams, and eventual awakening.
Culminates in three responses to untouchability: religion (Gandhi), technology (the flush system), and Western rationalism.

Characters:

Bakha – the central protagonist, sensitive and aspirational.
Rakha – his brother, less introspective and crude.
Lakha – his father, a conformist.
Charat Singh, Colonel Hutchinson, Gandhi – represent different attitudes toward caste and ref

Unit 4 – The Picture of a Fragmented Nation in Anand’s Untouchable

This unit explores how the novel depicts India as a socially and ideologically divided nation.

Key Insights:

The caste system is shown as a rigid, cruel mechanism that denies humanity to a section of society.
Contradictions exist between Hindu orthodoxy, Gandhian reform, and Western liberal thought.
Anand presents urban hypocrisy, religious rigidity, and colonial indifference as contributing to national fragmentation.
Through Bakha’s gaze, readers witness a nation that is culturally rich but morally fractured.

The unit critiques the moral and ethical failure of Indian society to integrate all its citizens with equality and respect.

Unit 5 – The Gandhian Influence

This unit examines Mahatma Gandhi’s impact on Anand and the novel’s ideology.

Gandhi’s Role in the Novel:

Appears in the final part, delivering a speech on untouchability.
Advocates Harijan upliftment, cleanliness, and spiritual equality.
Gandhi’s moderate reformism contrasts with Bakha’s need for systemic change.

Anand’s Engagement with Gandhism:

Though inspired by Gandhi’s compassion, Anand was critical of spiritualizing social problems.
Preferred rational, structural reform over moral preaching.

This unit reveals the ambivalence in Anand’s portrayal—respect for Gandhi’s vision, but a pragmatic skepticism about its efficacy.

Unit 6 – Style

This final unit focuses on Anand’s literary style and technique.

Features of Anand’s Style:

Linear narrative within a tightly focused time-frame (one day).
Colloquial dialogues and use of Indian words to reflect authentic speech patterns.
Mix of psychological insight, symbolism, and social commentary.
Influences of British modernism (especially Dickens and Joyce) seen in the internal monologue and character sketches.