Treatment of Caste in Premchand’s Select Short Stories

DISSERTATION
Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

IN

ENGLISH

BY

SAHIN MOLLA

ROLL NO –ENG212054

2 YEARS M.A IN ENGLISH

Under The Supervision of

DR. HASINA WAHIDA

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

ALIAH UNIVERSITY

KOLKATA

2023
 DECLARATION

I declare that the dissertation titled “Treatment of Caste in Premchand’s Select Short
Stories”, submitted by me in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the
degree of Masters of Arts in English at Aliah University, is based upon my own work
carried out under the supervision of professor Dr. Hasina Wahida. Neither this dissertation
nor any part of it has been submitted before any degree or diploma elsewhere.

Sahin Molla

Roll No- ENG212054

Dr. Hasina Wahida. Department of English

Assistant Professor Aliah University

Kolkata

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Sahin Molla has completed his dissertation titled “Treatment of Caste
in Premchand’s Select Short Stories”, under my supervision. This is a result of his
independent labour and application of mind. This work is suitable for submission for the
award of the degree of Master of Arts in English.

Dr. Hasina Wahida

Supervisor
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Above all, I bound to thank almighty because except his will I could not do this work. And I
would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Hasina Wahida, Assistant Professor of the department
of the English at Aliah University. Mam had helped me with everything. Whenever I ran into
any problems and any questions regarding my dissertation, she had helped me in every
possible way. she constantly allowed this paper to be my own work but steered me in the
right direction whenever she thought I needed it.

Then I would like to thank Dr. Sohel Aziz sir, Dr. Safiul Islam sir, Mr. Rohan Hassan
sir, Dr. Tajuddin Ahmed sir, Dr. Oindri Roy ma’am and Dr. Nargis Tabassum ma’am
because they also helped me in many ways. Then I must express my profound gratitude to my
family, friends and classmates for their continuous support and encouragement.
 Table of Contents

Topic Page No.

Certificate
Acknowledgement
Abstract 1
Introduction 2-5
Chapter I : Issues of “Untouchability” in “Salvation” 6-11
and “Temple”
Chapter II : Caste-based victimization of the women in 12-14
“Thakur’s Well” and “The Woman Who Sold Grass”
Conclusion 15
Work Cited 16
 Molla 1

Abstract

Premchand is one of the most influential writer in India and his writings often portrays the
oppression faced by the lower caste people during his time. Most of his works are based on
his personal experience and the ill-effects of contemporary society. As the caste system used
to restrict and used to create boundaries between human beings and a cause of discrimination,
so he decided to use his writings as a medium to raise voice against the discrimination of the
lower caste people by the upper caste people. My dissertation, Treatment of Caste in
Premchand’s Select Short Stories tries to present a clear idea about how Premchand
depicted the caste system and it’s effect on the society and it’s inhabitants. To present this
dissertation I follow certain steps, such as I try to trace the elements that shows how
Premchand presented the issues of untouchability in the stories “Salvation” and “Temple”
and caste based victimization of women in the stories “Thakur’s Well” and “The Woman
Who Sold Grass” through his storytelling. Then I try to discuss the issues of untouchability in
Chapter I. And Lastly, I try to discuss about the caste-based victimization of women in
Chapter II. In each steps, I try to show the treatment of caste that Premchand tried to show us
through his writings with my personal view also. Then I try to conclude my dissertation with
an acceptable conclusion.
 Molla 2

Introduction

Premchand’s writing was deeply influenced by his own experiences and social issues of his
time. He wrote about poverty, corruption, the caste system, and the struggle for Indian
independence. He was also known for his nuanced portrayal of women characters in his
critique of gender inequality.

Despite facing financial difficulties throughout his life due to the death of his father at an
early age Premchand continued to write prolifically and was recognized as one of the greatest
writers of his time. He died on October 8, 1936, in Varanasi, at the age of 56 in behind a rich
legacy of literature that continues to inspire and influence many writers today.

The time period of Premchand's life was from 1880 to 1936, it means he lived during the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, India was still under the British colonial rule,
and the social structure of India was heavily influenced by the caste system. As the Indian
caste system is a social and hierarchial system that has its roots in ancient Hindu scriptures
and traditions. It is a complex social structure that categorizes people into different hereditary
groups based on their occupation, birth, and social status. The caste system has been a
significant aspect of Indian society for centuries and has influenced various aspect of life,
including social interaction, marriage and access to resources and opportunities. According to
the Varna system Of Hinduism, it refers to a social class within a caste system. It is an
ancient social order or classification system that it is closely associated with the Hindu caste
system in India it believes that society should be divided into four primary castes. So the
caste system was divided into four main castes :

Brahmins: The Brahmins were the priestly class and scholars. They traditionally
performed religious rituals, preserved and taught sacred texts, and provided spiritual guidance
to society and they believes that they are the upper-caste people.

Kshatriyas: The Kshatriyas were the warrior and ruling class. They were responsible for
protecting society, governing the land, and upholding justice and law.

Vaishyas: The Vaishyas were the business and merchant class. They were engaged in
trade, agriculture, and other economic activities.
 Molla 3

Shudras: The Shudras were the laboring class. They traditionally performed manual
labour and provided service to the higher castes. They were considered to be the working
class of society.

Below these four castes, There was a fifth category known as “Untouchables” (now
named as Dalit). They were considered outside the traditional caste system and they faced
severe social discrimination and exclusion. They were assigned menial and degrading tasks
and were subjected to social, economic and political marginalization.

In addition to the caste system, gender roles were also heavily defined in Indian society
during Premchand’s time. Women were generally confined to the domestic sphere and were
expected to abide by strict social norms and customs. Premchand’s writing often depicted the
struggles of individuals from lower caste and marginalized communities, and he was known
for his critique of the social injustices perpetuated by the caste system. His works also
explored themes of poverty, social inequality, and the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.

Overall, the social structure during Premchand’s time was characterized by significant
social inequality and discrimination particularly against the lower castes and marginalized
communities.

However, writers like Premchand and many other writers and social activists were very
much critical of the caste system and they portrayed these issues in their writings and talked
about how this caste system is illness to the society. We can talk about Mulk Raj Anand’s
novel “Untouchable” and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s “Annihilation of Caste” where these writers
and activists have discussed all the ill-effects of the caste system in a society and the ways in
which it can be removed from society.

Mulk Raj Anand, an acclaimed Indian writer and social activist, is known for his
influential works that shed light on social issues, including the system of caste in India. While
he addressed the theme of caste in several of his works, one of his notable novels specifically
focused on the subject is “Untouchable.”

“Untouchable” was published in 1935 and is considered one of Anand’s most significant
works. The novel revolves around a day in the life of Bakha, a young man who belongs to the
lowest rung of the caste system in India. Bakha, being an untouchable, faces constant
discrimination and prejudice due to his social status. The book highlights the deeply
 Molla 4

ingrained prejudices and injustice faced by individuals from the lower castes and exposes the
hypocrisy and cruelty of the caste system.

Anand’s “Untouchable” played a vital role in bringing the issue of caste discrimination to
the forefront of Indian literature. It depicted the harsh realities faced by millions of people in
India and aimed to create awareness and promote social reform. The novel continues to be
widely studied and celebrated for its exploration of caste dynamics and its impact on
individuals and society as a whole.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a prominent social reformer, jurist, and the principal architect of the
Indian Constitution, extensively wrote about the caste system and its impact on society. His
seminal work on the subject is titled “Annihilation of Caste.”

“Annihilation of Caste” is a book that Dr. Ambedkar wrote in 1936 as an extensive

critique of the caste system in India. Originally intended as a speech to be delivered at a
conference, the text was never presented due to disagreements with the organizers. Instead,
Ambedkar published it as a book, which has since become one of his most influential works.

In “Annihilation of Caste,” Ambedkar argues against the perpetuation of the caste

system, considering it a deeply entrenched social evil that hinders the progress and equality
of individuals and society as a whole. He challenges the caste hierarchy, discusses its origins
and justifications, and advocates for its complete eradication. Ambedkar presents a scathing
critique of the caste system, employing historical, sociological, and philosophical arguments
to make his case.

The book remains a significant and powerful critique of the caste system, raising
awareness about the discrimination faced by lower-caste individuals and the need for social
reform. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s work continues to inspire and guide movements advocating for
equality, justice, and the upliftment of marginalized communities in India.

Both of them thought that the caste system divided the society into pieces and created
boundaries which is not good for the human beings and it can exclude the social harmony
from the society. It is very important to live peacefully without any discrimination to others.
So they felt that it was exploiting the society and had to be stopped, so they went on to write
about those issues in a caste system to create awareness in people. So this confirms that
Premchand is not the only one who raised his voice through his writings against the caste
 Molla 5

system in which the lower-caste people of a society gets oppressed and faces discrimination
in their life in many ways by the upper-caste people. Premchand chose his pen to write about
the issues of the caste system and it’s effects on the people of lower-caste and gives us the
ways in which this practice can be excluded from the society.

Most of his writings are based on his personal life events and experience and projects a
clear view of that his time. “Thakur’s Well,” “Salvation,” “Temple,” “The Woman Who
Sold Grass,” written by Munshi Premchand, through these stories he gives us the clear
picture of the caste system and struggles faced by a lower caste people in a caste dominated
society. In this paper, I will be dealing with these stories to trace the treatment of caste and
how it represents the life of an “Untouchable” and issues of “Untouchability” in his stories
and also the caste-based victimization of women.
 Molla 6

CHAPTER-I

Issues of Untouchability in “Salvation” and “Temple"

Untouchability is a deeply rooted social practice that has historically existed in certain
societies, particularly in the Indian subcontinent. It is a form of discrimination and social
exclusion based on a person’s caste,whereby individuals belonging to the lowest caste,
known as ‘Dalits' and they are considered as “Untouchable” by the higher castes.
Untouchability is primarily associated with the Hindu caste system, although similar practices
exist in some other cultures as well.

In the Indian context, Untouchability is a result of the hierarchical nature of caste

System, which Categorizes people into different social groups based on birth and assigns
them specific roles and occupations. Dalits, Who are born into the lowest caste, face severe
social, economy and many other disadvantages. They are considered as impure, polluted and
untouchable by higher castes, leading To their exclusion from many aspects of daily life,
including religious ceremonies, social gatherings and access to public spaces.

Untouchability has far reaching consequences for individuals and communities subjected
to this practice. It perpetuates systematic discrimination, denying Dalits equal opportunities
and relegating them to the margins of society. They often face segregation, restricted
mobility, restricted access to education and healthcare, and limited economic opportunities.
Untouchability also leads to various forms of abuse including physical violence, sexual
exploitation and economic exploitation.

So, overall untouchability is a complex issue deeply ingrained in social, cultural and
historical contexts. It’s eradication requires a multifaceted approach that addresses not only
legal and policy measures but also societal attitudes beliefs and practices that perpetuate
discrimination and exclusion.

Premchand has written mostly about his time in his works When these practices were
existed in society we can see that picture in his short stories here the two short stories that I
have chosen to discuss about the issues of untouchability are “Salvation” and “Temple”.
 Molla 7

These two short stories has many instances where we can clearly see how the upper-caste
people dominate over the lower-caste people because of their caste as an “Untouchable”

Now I will try to find out how Premchand depicted all the aspects and issues of
untouchability that highlight the situation of all the lower caste people, or untouchables, and
what they had to face in a upper-caste dominated society.

In the story “Salvation”, we can see all these aspects through the character Dukhi, who
is a cobbler, belongs to the lower-caste of society, is considered "untouchable,” and is very
anxious about her daughter’s marriage. And he is looking for a suitable date for his
daughter’s engagement. And to fix a date, he had to go to Pandit Ghasiram,who is a priest
and belongs to the upper caste. Through these two main characters, Premchand tried to
portray the contemporary social structure and its oppressive nature towards lower-caste
people.

The story begins with a conversation between Dukhi and his wife Jhuriya, which
expresses an anxiety for the right hospitality of the Pandit while maintaining the limits or
boundaries of a lower caste in the caste hierarchy. Their first concern is to arrange a proper
seating place where the Pandit will seat. Immediately Jhuriya suggests his husband Dukhi to
bring a sting cot from the ‘thakurain', who is an upper-caste but Dukhi refuses and says that
“Sometimes you can be very annoying! The Thakur’s family will give us a string cot, indeed!
They never give us even fire to light with, and you’re talking of a string cot. If you go to the
bathroom and ask for a mug of water, They won’t give it. No one will give us a cot. They
aren’t like our cow-dung Cakes, wood or chaff, that whoever wants them can take them.”
(Salvation 7) here dukhi is aware of the fact that no one will give them a cot as they are
considered as “Untouchable”, So he gives a solution to Jhuriya saying that “Let’s wash our
own small cot and use it. It’s the summer season; by the time Baba arrives, it’ll dry.”
(Salvation 7). The solution that Dukhi gives is also unacceptable to Jhuriya as she tells him
that the Pandit will not sit in their cot as we can see in the line where she says “He won’t sit
on our small cot. Haven’t you seen how he lives—such restrictions!”(Salvation 7). Dukhi
admits that his wife is right as the upper caste people considers them as impure. So he tells
her that he will make a plate of mahua leaves as it is considered as pure in the eyes of the
upper caste people. Then Dukhi realizes that they still have to give some offerings to the
pandit. Jhuriya asks Dukhi if she can place the offerings on their plate but Dukhi warns her
 Molla 8

not to think about that as the entire effort will be wasted because the pandit will throw away
all the offerings if they give him on their plate so instead of plate dukhi decides to give the
offerings on a leaf plate. The list of offerings to please the pandit is very long as we can see
in the line “Take one ser of wheat flour, half ser of rice, 250 grams of dal, 125 grams of ghee,
some salt and turmeric, and place four annas on one side of the plate.” (Salvation,7) and
Dukhi constantly reminds his wife Jhuriya not to touch anything because it will get polluted
in the eyes of Pandit Ghasiram, who is presented as the upper caste people in the story.

Through this conversation Premchand tried to present to us a clear picture of all the
norms and boundaries of contemporary society which is perpetuated by the upper-caste
people. And also he tried to highlight the caste barriers and discrimination which an
untouchable had to face in their daily life like sitting, eating and touching something that
belongs to the upper caste. Premchand highlighted the notion of pure and impure which was
imposed by the caste system. So Premchand in this conversation pointed out some issues of
untouchability which is further portrayed in later part of the story.

Now lets examine how the issues of untouchability is further developed in the story. As
the story progresses we see that Dukhi is aware of the fact that going empty handed will
make the pandit angry , so after arranging some offerings, Dukhi goes to Pandit Ghasiram’s
house. Pandit Ghasiram is very respectful and devout soul in the society and in the village
also. As soon as dukhi reaches there he comes out of his puja room after completing his
religious rituals and he sees that dukhi is waiting for him and dukhi is prostrating before him
in respect of him. Then Pandit Ghasiram asks dukhi why he is here and dukhi tells him that
he is here to fix a date for her daughter’s engagement. But the pandit tells him that he is not
free today and he will come in the evening to fix the date. After that dukhi is assigned with
lots of work like sweeping doorway, plastering the sitting room with cow dung, chopping
wood, storing four bundles of grass in the store house. And he is doing all these works
suppressing his hunger without getting wages as if he is paying an advance payment to Pandit
Ghasiram for fixing the date. Here Premchand depicted the economic exploitation of the
upper-caste people towards the lower-caste as he depicted the life of an untouchable in a
caste dominated society where the upper-caste people gets their work done by the lower-caste
people without giving them wages as their reward. The upper-caste people don’t even care
about the lower-caste people’s needs and sufferings. And Premchand tried to portray the
 Molla 9

physical violence towards untouchables through the character Dukhi as Pandit Ghasiram
forces him to do the work instead of his hunger.

As the story progresses further we see Dukhi starts to chop the wood suppressing his
hunger and he has no experience of chopping a wood. Inspite of his dizziness he continues to
work. He thinks that chillum and some tobacco will help to increase his energy but he knows
that he will not get any of these items as Brahmins are the one’s who lives there in the
village. And he decides to get those items from the Gond and he gets all of those but not the
fire to light it up. So we see that there is some restriction for the lower-caste people. So he
decides to go inside the house of Pandit Ghasiram to get some fire.

This act of Dukhi makes the pandit’s wife angry and pandit tries to calm her down by
saying “If he has come inside the house, how does it matter? He has not touched anything”
(Salvation,9) and his wife says ‘But why did he come inside the house?’ (Salvation,9). As
Dukhi entered inside the house, pandit’s wife thinks that he has polluted the house that’s why
she is very much angry. Entering the house, Dukhi also regrets by thinking that he has
polluted the holy house as we can see in the line “She’s right—how could a cobbler come
into a pandit’s house? These people are very pure, that’s why the world respects them. They
aren’t mere untouchables like us. I’ve grown up in this village, yet I didn’t understand this!”
(Salvation,9). And Dukhi returns to work in devastation because of the behaviour towards
him by the Pandit’s wife and they also didn’t give any food to Dukhi and he dies because of
the hunger and heavy work. Here Premchand highlighted the taboo of pure-impure or purity-
pollution. The Untouchables were often treated as the slave of the upper-caste people. As we
can see even after Dukhi’s death, the Pandit asks him to get up and work. After Dukhi’s
death, pandit and his wife is not afraid of anything as they belongs to the upper-caste. People
also stopped passing by Dukhi’s corpse as he belongs to the lower-caste named untouchable
and when Dukhi’s wife and daughter comes to see the body, the pandit threatens them and
coaxes them. And no one is willing to touch the corpse and to do the last rituals. So,
Premchand tried to highlight the domination of the upper caste people through the ending part
of the story as the upper-caste people holds the power because of his superiority in the
society, they can easily get away from any situation even if it is a murder or anything but the
oppression and suppression that the lower-caste people faces because of the caste system is
often unnoticed. When the Gond raised his voice against the pandit because he thought it’s a
 Molla 10

murder and he told to the other cobblers that police will investigate it, but they were
suppressed by pandit himself. So all these things are referred to the social practice called
untouchability. For this type of practice in the society many people faces discrimination in
many ways.

Another Story that highlights this issue is “Temple”. In this story, Premchand tried to
bring forth these issues of untouchability through the character Sukhiya, who is a mother,
belongs to the lower-caste and through the struggles and discrimination of Sukhiya. As we
can see in the story, Sukhiya is an untouchable and she is a widow and her last hope for her
living is her son Jayawan. As the story begins we come to know that she is very much
worried about her son Jayawan as he is very much sick. Her husband tells in her dream to
worship thakurji for her son’s quick recovery from illness. By the time Jayawan is recovering
slowly and he is very much fine for whole day and Sukhiya thinks that her son has recovered
and she decides to go and worship thakurji when she will have some money in hand. But in
the evening, Jayawan’s health gets worsen. So, she decides to go and worship thakurji but she
has no money to buy some sweets as bhog, even the villagers has no interest to lend money to
her. So, in my view Premchand might have tried to highlight the plight of the untouchables in
the beginning part of the story. If we take the worriedness of Sukhiya to cure her son as a
need of the lower-caste people and her struggle as a struggle of an untouchable in society, we
can clearly see the discrimination that one faces in society because of his birth as a lower-
caste untouchable through the denial nature of the villagers to lend even single paisa to
Sukhiya. As the story progresses we will see another example of discrimination because of
the ingrained practice in the society called “untouchability”. Later in the story, She goes to
the temple to worship thakurji and she says to the priest that “I have come to touch the feet of
thakurji, Sir. I have brought all the things required for the puja.”(Temple,14) and the priest
immediately says that “How do you talk so ignorantly? Have you gone mad?How will you
touch thakurji?” (Temple,14). From these two lines we can clearly see how Premchand
portrayed the boundaries between upper-caste and lower-caste people. As upper-caste priest
they have the right to worship but when it comes to Sukhiya, it is totally wrong according to
the upper-caste people as she is from the lower-caste. The priest and the other devotees sees
themselves as pure but they sees sukhiya as impure or polluted and they think that she can’t
worship thakurji because of her touch thakurji will get polluted. So here also we can see the
issues of untouchability that Premchand tried to show us through the character of Sukhiya.
 Molla 11

And the argument goes on between Sukhiya and the priest and with the other devotees, it
gives us an indication that Premchand not only trying to portray the plight of the
untouchables also he is giving us a sense of feeling of the establishment of equality in
society. Every one has the right to worship thakurji as all are created by him and he doesn’t
separate them because of their caste. So it needed to be changed. Through the altercation
between the priest and Sukhiya, he suggests the lower-caste people to fight for their right in
society. Then again as the story progresses we see that Sukhiya is not allowed to worship
thakurji and she is discriminated for the religious activities in which she has equal right as
others. Later Sukhiya and her son both dies infront of the so called upper-caste people and
they don’t have any regret about this incident. In this way the story ends and the caste
continues to dominate over the lower-caste people. Here, Premchand wanted to suggest that
individual effort will go in vain as we can see in Sukhiya’s case. So he tried to say that if the
lower-caste people remain silent against the caste system and don’t raise their voice then it
will continue to dominate over them. And they will face discrimination in many ways. In
both the story we see the taboo of purity-pollution that echoes the practice called
“Untouchability”.
 Molla 12

CHAPTER-II

Caste-based Victimization of Women in “Thakur’s Well” and “The

Woman Who Sold Grass”

Premchand in his stories “Thakur’s Well” and “The Woman Who Sold Grass” tried his best
to portray the caste based victimization of the women. In a caste dominated society we can
see the influence of patriarchal norms. The upper-caste people and men follow these norms to
dominate over the lower-caste people and the lower caste women. The upper caste people
believes that the women are born to stay under their feet or particularly under the feet of the
men women are often treated as their slaves. The women of the lower caste often faces the
humiliation of the upper caste men and the upper-caste women also gets humiliated by their
own upper-caste men. Basically they are treated as the slaves of the upper caste people as
they belongs to the lower caste which is known as “untouchables” or “Dalits”. As they are
considered outside the traditional caste system and their faces many discrimination and
exclusion. So the caste system is excluding the social harmony of a society and creating a
boundary between human beings. So Premchand thought that it needed to be changed so he
tried his best to give us messages and ways through these two stories by which the society
can be reformed and the oppressive nature of the upper caste people can be excluded from a
society for the betterment of a society. In my view, Premchand might have tried to give us
clear picture of the caste-based victimization of women and also the way in which the
reformation of a society cannot be fulfilled and also a way in which it can be fulfilled by the
two main characters named Gangi in “Thakur’s Well” and Mulia in “The Woman Who Sold
Grass”. So, I will examine how these issues has been portrayed by Premchand in these
stories.

In the story “Thakur’s Well” the central character is Gangi, who is the wife of Jokhu ,
belongs to the lower-caste. The story begins with the need of water to quench her husband’s
thirst. There are three wells in the village. One is the thakur’s well and one of the sahuji’s
well and another one is for the lower-caste untouchables but the well is far from their house
and it is difficult to bring water frequently. As her husband is very thirsty, she decides to
bring water from the thakur’s well but knowing the fact that she will get beaten by the upper-
caste thakur and brahmins will curse her he tells her not to fetch water from the thakur’s well.
 Molla 13

But She is determined to do that. There are two instances from which we can see how the
women are the victim of the caste system. When she was going to draw water from the well
she was talking to herself and questioning the superiority of the thakur’s saying that they are
the one who proclaim that they are superior. She says that “If I happen to come to the village
they eye me with lust,” ( Thakur’s Well,6). From this line we can see the plight of the women
that they are facing in this rigid caste system. They often gets oppressed and faces sexual
harrasment and exploitation by the upper-caste men. As the story progresses we see that two
other upper-caste women comes to draw water and they were talking about their plight as a
woman by the men of the upper-caste inspite of the fact that they also belongs to the upper-
caste. To describe their plight one of them says that “The moment they sit down for food,
they order us to get fresh water. No money for an additional jar. Our few moments of leisure
make these men jealous.”(Thakur’s Well,6 ). From this line Premchand wanted to tell us that
the upper-caste men also dominate their wives, And they don’t care about their pain and
sufferings and they can’t bear them resting in leisure time. Another woman says “Yes, it
wouldn’t occur to them to pick up the jar and fetch the water themselves. They merely order
us to get the fresh water as if we’re slaves. (Thakur’s Well,6) they often orders their wives to
do all the works, even they orders them to bring water to quench their thirst. The women
were the slaves to the men of the upper-caste as we can see in the line “If we aren’t slaves
then what are we? Don’t you get your food and clothes from them? Somehow or the other
you also manage to get ten or five rupees. In what way are slaves any different?”( Thakur’s
Well,6) here the the women deliberately telling their suffering because the men of the upper-
caste treats them as their slave and they are not allowed to take rest. So in this story
Premchand tried to highlight how they are the victim of this caste dominated society where
they often faces discrimination and they often faces sexual harrasment and how the upper-
caste men created a boundary between the men and women within their own caste.
Premchand tried to show that the women faces equall discrimination because of the caste
system wheather they belongs to the upper-caste or to the lower-caste.

Now the story The Woman Who Sold Grass is also a story about how Mulia, a woman of
lower caste faces discrimination and exploitation by the upper-caste people like Chain Singh.
At first we see that Mulia is very much in pain and and left with a mute anguish by the
behaviour of Chain Singh. Her husband Mahaveer asks her to tell what happened but she is
unable to reply as this will raise her husband’s anger high for the blood of Thakur’s blood.
 Molla 14

We see that Mulia is like an angel and everyone is in awe of her beauty and she goes to cut
grass to sell in the market. But one day when she went to cut grass, Chain Singh appeared
before her and grabbed her hand and said if she feels any pity for him. This behaviour of
Chain Singh clearly shows that how a lower-caste woman is treated in a caste dominated
society where the upper-caste people often try to humiliate and try to establish their manly
authority. These women often faces sexual harrasment and abuse by the upper-caste people
like Chain Singh. But that day Mulia was very much ferocious to Chain Singh as She said
“Leave me or I’ll shout”(The Woman Who Sold Grass,23)if she wants to stand for their own
rights and authority as a woman in society. So, Premchand through his storytelling presented
the contemporary society’s perception towards women by the character of Mulia and as the
story progresses we can find this in the line “What use was beauty and grace in lower-caste
women if not to be playthings the upper-caste?” ( The Woman Who Sold Grass,23). But
Mulia’s protest can be seen as a tool for the reformation of a society. Another instance can be
found in the story where we see that Mulia is not wanting to go to cut grass but her mother-
in-law is forcing her to go by saying that “You can’t carry on like a queen in my house. No
one cares much for your beauty, they want their work done”(The Woman Who Sold
Grass,23). Her mother-in-law is forcing her to go and cut grass because the lower-caste
people is oppressed by the upper-caste and doesn’t allow them to grow much in their lives
and excludes then from many opportunities and work that’s why their financial condition gets
worsen day by day and because of that the women also have to work besides the husband
otherwise they will face difficulty in their lives. So overall condition of the women in society
is very much concerning as they often treated as the slaves of the men or the upper-caste men.
So, Mulia’s protest can be seen as a tool for the reformation of society because we see that
Chain Singh became very calm and compose in the story as the story progresses, he started to
treat everyone very gently with kindness and started to offer jobs or work for others. This
changed behaviour of Chain Singh can be seen as the reformed society where the caste
system is not playing any role to determine anyone’s position and their societal rights. In this
way the caste-based victimization of women is portrayed in these stories by Premchand.
 Molla 15

CONCLUSION

During Premchand’s time there was the caste system which was very much oppressive in
nature towards the lower-caste people and there were pain, sufferings, anguish, and
exploitation all around and it was a chaotic situation among human beings. So Premchand
wanted to portray these issues in his writings to awaken the people so they can change the
society by themselves. So, In my opinion it can be said that Premchand in his writings often
portrayed all these issues of the caste system and gives us a solution or a ray of hope through
the characters of these stories. All the four stories which I have chosen for my dissertation are
clear depiction of the oppressive nature of the upper-caste people towards the lower-caste
people. The story “Salvation” and “Temple” in the first Chapter of my dissertation are the
two stories in which Premchand tried to portray the conditions of the untouchables because of
the taboo pure and impure which has been termed as untouchability. In the story “Salvation”
we see how Dukhi is a victim of the caste system and it’s ingrained beliefs such as
untouchability leads to the death of him. And in “Temple” we see how a mother is restricted
by the same taboo and not allowed to worship the god in the temple. Now in the story
“Thakur’s Well” and “The Woman Who Sold Grass” in the second chapter of my dissertation
are clear depiction of the women victimization in the name of their caste in society. These
two stories can be seen as two different approach for the reformation of the society as we can
see that the character of Gangi in the story “Thakur’s Well” has that spark in her mind to
raise her voice against the discrimination but she was unable to do so and her husband had to
drink the same foul water. So in this case the reformation of the society gets denied because
she didn’t raised her voice and kept it suppressed in her mind. But as we can see in the story
“The Woman Who Sold Grass” , Mulia didn’t suppressed her voice against the behaviour of
Chain Singh who is represented as the upper-caste in the story. As soon as Chain Singh held
her hand, She immediately reacted like a volcano and stood up for her and for rights in
society and later we see the changes in Chain Singh like as if protests can bring change in
society. So, Mulia is successful in reforming the society. My aim was to trace all these
aspects in my dissertation through all the stories and I have tried my best to bring forth those
issues and that’s where I am concluding my dissertation.
 Molla 16

Work Cited

“Premchand.” Wikipedia, 11 June 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premchand. Accessed 11 June

2023.

“Caste System in India.” Wikipedia, 11 June 2023,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India. Accessed 11 June 2023.

“Varna (Hinduism).” Wikipedia, 17 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varna_(Hinduism).

Accessed 11 June 2023

“Untouchability.” Wikipedia, 4 June 2023,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability#:~:text=Untouchability%20is%20a%20form
%20of,belonging%20to%20certain%20social%20groups. Accessed 11 June 2023.

“Annihilation of Caste.” Wikipedia, 11 June 2023,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilation_of_Caste. Accessed 11 June 2023.

“Untouchable (Novel).” Wikipedia, 29 Jan. 2023,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchable_(novel). Accessed 11 June 2023.

Premchand. Stories on Caste: Salvation. Edited by M Asaduddin, Translated by M

Asaduddin, Penguin Random House India Private Limited, 2018.

Premchand. Stories on Caste: Temple. Edited by M Asaduddin, Translated by Shaheen Saba,

Penguin Random House India Private Limited, 2018.

Premchand. Stories on Caste: Thakur’s Well. Edited by M Asaduddin, Translated by M

Asaduddin, Penguin Random House India Private Limited, 2018.

Premchand. Stories on Caste: The Woman Who Sold Grass. Edited by M Asaduddin,
Translated by Ranjeeta Dutta and Anjum Hasan, Penguin Random House India
Private Limited, 2018.