Exploitation of the Working Class in Mulk Raj Anand‟s Two Leaves and a Bud

Abstract

This thesis aims at exploring the abject plight of the poor Indians in general and the problem of exploitation and dehumanization of an indentured laborer by the white class of Assam tea plantation in particular. This study shows especially how the indentured coolies are cheated, hoodwinked, exploited and dehumanized by colonial power. The helpless and powerless coolies of the tea-plantation fall victim to the selfish and envious attitude of the corrupted and oppressive tea-planters of Macpherson tea estate. It analyses the then social structure favoring the white colonizers and landlords. To locate the area of exploitation, domination, dispossession and dehumanization, this thesis adopts the Marxist notion as a theoretical tool. This tool helps to unveil the pertaining and privileged social domination of the have-nots by the „haves‟. The use of this very idea to read the novel leads to discover the dynamics of exploitation of the tea estate laborer in Assam tea estate. This novel shows the pathetic condition of an underclass protagonist Gangu who was, firstly, exploited in his native place by the landlords and secondly, in the tea estate by the white planters.