Untouchable

Untouchable, Mulk Raj Anand’s first novel, remains also one of his best. It shows that Anand matured quite early as a novelist. Both as regards the art of story-telling and as regards the portrayal of characters, Untouchable is one of Anand’s notable successes. But its real strength lies in the powerful impact which it made and still makes on the minds of its readers with regard to one of the most glaring evils of Indian society. The novel continues to appeal to the reading public in this country because, although the strangle-hold of untouchability has almost been removed, that of its parent, namely, the caste-system, has become even tighter. In any case, the historical importance of Untouchable has in no way diminished. This critical study of Anand’s famous novel is designed to meet the examination requirements of students for whom the novel is prescribed as a text for intensive reading. It is hoped that students will find this brief critical study of the novel to be a valuable aid to their understanding. Prof. Ramji Lall has been Formerly Principal of Dyal Singh College (University of Delhi). He authored quite a large number of critical studies on English literature which have been well received all over. He is also associated with large number of examining bodies.