Summary of Untouchable [by] Mulk Raj Anand

Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand is a novel that chronicles the struggles of an untouchable man living in a village in India. The protagonist, Bakha, is a young sweeper who is forced to endure the indignities of being a member of a lower social class, yet he refuses to accept his lowly status as a lifelong fate. Throughout the novel, Bakha is forced to confront multiple instances of oppressive and inhumane treatment, and his anger and disenchantment reach a climax when he concludes that the oppression of his kind will only be addressed through revolutionary practice and collective action. As Bakha’s plight comes to light, his story draws wider attention to the continuing plight of the untouchables in the caste system and the India, even in modern times.