Silent Untouchables

Living under a demeaning title like "untouchable" has considerable effects on the actions of the people. Untouchables have a lack of confidence, self-pity, and believe that their feelings should not be shared. The reader can see that Bahka exhibits these types of feelings through his choice of silence. In many cases, Bahka chooses not to defend himself. For example, when Bahka bumps into a man on the street by the market, the man publicly shames him and even slaps him across the face. The stream of consciousness following this event alerts the reader of his intense feeling of hatred, though no action is taken in order to defend himself. Not only does Bahka have trouble defending himself, but this also extends to his family. When his sister is violated by the town's priest, Bahka is insanely mad and suggests that he should beat him up. However, this never happens because he knows that he is an untouchable. Even in the less extreme circumstances, Bahka's title causes him to remain in silence. At the market, Bahka notices that the cashier weighs his candy incorrectly and overcharges him for the food. Bahka says nothing. As you can see, the title of "untouchable" is very limiting not only in the written social rules, but also in their self-image. The theme of silence throughout Bahka's day helps to represent the real untouchables living in India. Since many people are not aware of what is happening in India, the untouchables are suffering in silence. They cannot defend themselves on their own because of their low status, and even those who have extremely high standards for themselves, like Bahka who dreams of being British, cannot defend themselves.

Quote Analysis - Untouchable

“‘Kala admi zamin par hagne wala’ (black man, you who relieve yourself on the ground).” p35

In this quote, the Tommies show their hostility towards the Hindu people who do not have a high enough status to use the latrines like them. Since this is a perfectly common interaction to hear from people of different castes, it helps to paint a picture of daily life for Bahka and for those who live in India's rural areas. These words are horribly offensive and show the deep running sour relations among the citizens of India. Bahka overhears these words, and it is reasonable to believe that instances like these cause Bahka to cling to British culture instead of his own. The Tommies made the Hindu people feel embarrassed and ashamed of themselves because they relieve themselves in public, and Bahka is tired of feeling humiliated. It is interesting that Anand chose to keep this phrase in Hindi instead of translating it like the quotes in the rest of the book. Perhaps he thought that writing it in the language would increase the depth of the reader's understanding of Indian culture. Nevertheless, the quote is very upsetting and powerful, and it is also an important factor that drives Bahka to pursue a more British life. 

Generations of Untouchables

Almost anyone from the western world could categorize the life of an untouchable to be a humiliating, disgusting, and unfair life to lead. However, untouchables who have not been exposed to another way of living don't seem to question why their life is so poor or how they can change it. While living as a person below the entire caste system is dreadful, Bahka's life is especially hard because, unlike older generations of untouchables, Bahka has dreams. He is obsessed with the culture of the British and feels that he is worthy of living that type of "glamorous" life. His belief that he is equal to those in British culture makes it especially hard for him to follow orders of those who have a higher status in the caste system. Conversely, Bahka's father's life is easier day to day. Even though they are both untouchables and they have basically the same duties, Bahka's father gets the peace of mind that his daily work will help him to overcome the sins that his soul committed in a past life. The thought that his life is meaningless creates a sense of relief for his father. On the other hand, Bahka feels trapped between the expectations he has for his life and the hateful comments that tell him that he is unworthy of simple pleasures like retrieving his own drinking water. Living as an untouchable will become harder and harder in the modern world, which hopefully will cause the system to break down.

C.S. Lewis on Why We Read

"Those of us who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realize the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors. We realize it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense but he inhabits a tiny world. In it, we should be suffocated. The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others. Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough."

Today, I love reading books, however, unlike C.S. Lewis, I did not grow up as a reader. Today I still would not classify myself as a "reader." C.S. Lewis confesses that a large reason why he reads is to gain a sort of new set of eyes to view the world with. This line resonated with me, but I cannot say that it was due to the books I have read. The idea that I might live my entire life with only my own set of eyes or live inside a "tiny world" terrifies me. However, I believe that reading is only one of many ways to widen your perspective. I like to draw comparisons about the world of books and the world of internet videos. To me, it seems that reading works of many authors is similar to watching the videos from a variety of channels on youtube. Each author and Youtuber has many stories to tell, and the quality of the creator's substance varies. There are Youtubers who create in order to entertain,  share news, document their daily lives, make political statements, teach, brag, inspire, make money, and a myriad of other reasons. There is not one type of person who creates Youtube videos. All walks of life from many different countries and demographics like to create and share their ideas via internet videos. Although the activity does not seem as intellectual as reading, both activities give its audience the benefit of enriching their lives through gaining perspective. Reading is a wonderful way to become a better, more informed person, however, it is not the only way.

Chinua Achebe on Storytelling

 "It is the storyteller, in fact, who makes us what we are, who creates history. The storyteller creates the memory that survivors must have — otherwise surviving would have no meaning… "

In this article, Achebe in no way underrates the storyteller, and after reading a compilation of his quotes, I have to agree with him. While most of the time it is the "drummer" or the "warrior" who receives all the fame from the press when history has been made, we often forget that without the duties of the press to tell the stories of our warriors, the mark in history might as well not have been made. Since we would never learn from our mistakes, the same issue would reoccur in years to come. Even with our refined storytelling today, we find that our history repeats itself. A large part of history is made by doing. However, we cannot forget to emphasize the importance of recounting events, sharing them in an understandable platform, and analyzing the activities of the warrior or drummer, because, "otherwise surviving would have no meaning..."