Coolie by Mulk Raj Anand | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Mulk Raj Anand’s second novel Coolie was published in the year 1936 and it established him as one of the most popular and successful Asian anglophone writers of his time. Like his first novel (Untouchable) Coolie also depicts the story of an Indian adolescent teen experiencing the harsh realities of the British Indian establishment. The term coolie is outdated. It was first used during the late 16th century by British traders to refer to a low-wage unskilled laborer particularly belonging to India or China. By the 18th century, coolie specifically became a term to refer to Indian-indentured labor. It was as derogatory as Niger or similar other words were. In the 20th century and especially after the end of the British Raj in India, the term Coolie changed to refer to porters at railway stations.

The novel depicts the misfortunate journey of Munnoo from the small village of Himachal to the big city of Bombay and back to Shimla in a year in which Munnoo spends his whole life. Along with describing the ill effects of British rule and poverty in India, Mulk Raj Anand stressed the infective politics of communism and the ill effects of religionism (Hindu-Muslim riots) in this novel.

Characters of Coolie by Mulk Raj Anand

Munnoo is an orphan adolescent teenager of age 14 living with his uncle Dayaram and his family. Dayaram and his wife are not very kind to Munnoo and soon he is sent to work as a house servant at the home of babu Nathoo Ram whose wife is against a harsh lady. However, Nathuram’s younger brother Premchand is kind to Munnoo and Nathuram’s daughter Shiela becomes his friend. Mr. England is the British officer of the bank where Nathuram works. Prabhadayal is a businessman who offers work to Munnoo at his factory of pickles. Ganpat is Prabhadayal’s corrupt and disloyal business partner. Tulsi is another young laborer at Prabhadayal’s factory who makes Munnoo realize that he is growing up. Sir Todarmal is another businessman who offers loans to Prabhadayal and his son Ramnath is a sub-inspector in the British police. Harihar and his wife Lakshmi work at Sir George White Cotton Mills in Bombay. Munnoo saves Harihar’s younger son by risking his life and Harihar then helps Munnoo in getting a job in the factory where he works. Englishman Jimmi Thomas, also known as Chimta Saab is the foreman of the Mill. Ratan is another worker at the Mill who is a brave and physically strong person who raises his voice for the welfare of laborers as he is a member of the All India Trade Union Congress. He saves Harihar and Ratan against the atrocities of Chimta Saab and other bullies like Pathan who also works at the Mill. Sauda is a communist leader of the Red Flag Union who instigates Ratan to declare a strike to raise their political power. Omkar Nath is a Congress Union leader. Mrs. Mainwaring is an Anglo-Indian woman who is an adulteress. She employs Munnoo as a rikshaw puller cum page but her intention is to exploit young Munnoo for her own pleasure. Mohan is another rikshaw puller appointed by Mrs. Mainwaring who becomes a friend of Munnoo. Dr. Merchant is the health officer of Shimla who examines Munnoo and concludes that he is suffering from consumption.
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