Mulk Raj Anand – Coolie (5-Part Summary)
Mulk Raj Anand’s Coolie (1936) is a powerful social realist novel that follows the tragic life of Munoo, a 14-year-old orphan. Through his journey from village to city, Anand exposes poverty, exploitation, class and caste oppression, industrial cruelty and colonial injustice. This 5-part summary is designed for easy exam revision and general understanding.
Part 1 – Munoo’s Childhood & Village Life
Munoo is a poor, orphaned boy living in a small village in Kangra. He stays with his uncle Daya Ram and aunt Gujri, who struggle to feed themselves. Because of poverty, they decide Munoo must go out and earn. Munoo is innocent, energetic and full of dreams, but he has no idea of the harsh world outside. His village life reflects the rural poverty and helplessness of colonial India, where children are forced into labour simply to survive.
Part 2 – Sham Nagar: Servant in Babu Nathoo Ram’s House
Munoo is taken to Sham Nagar and placed as a domestic servant in the house of Babu Nathoo Ram, a petty bank clerk. Here he experiences:
- Long hours of housework
- Verbal abuse and scolding
- Humiliation by Bibi, the babu’s wife
- Sleeping in the cowshed instead of inside the house
He is treated not as a child, but as a low servant. One day, after being falsely blamed and beaten, Munoo becomes frightened and runs away. This part shows the hypocrisy of the so-called respectable middle class, who depend on child servants yet show them no kindness or dignity.
Part 3 – Daulatpur: Prabha Dayal & the Pickle Factory
In Daulatpur, Munoo meets Prabha Dayal, a kind and simple-hearted man who works in a pickle factory. Prabha gives Munoo shelter and work in his small factory. For a while, this becomes the happiest phase of Munoo’s life:
- He is treated with affection and respect.
- He learns work but is not abused or starved.
- He feels like part of a family.
However, Prabha’s business partner Ganpat is greedy and irresponsible. Due to debts, cheating and mismanagement, the factory collapses. Prabha is ruined, and after a drunken quarrel in which Munoo is beaten, the boy once again escapes. This section reveals the economic exploitation of small workers and the insecurity of poor livelihoods under capitalism.
Part 4 – Bombay: Coolie Life in the Textile Mill
While escaping, Munoo is accidentally hit by the car of Mrs. Mainwaring, an Anglo-Indian memsahib. She first employs him as a houseboy, but later he is sent to work in a Bombay textile mill. This part of the novel exposes the brutal conditions of industrial labour:
- Crowded and filthy chawls where workers live
- Exhausting work on machines for long hours
- Low wages, hunger and constant fatigue
- Exploitation by mill owners and supervisors
- Worker unrest, strikes and police violence
Munoo becomes friends with Ratan, a strong and supportive mill worker. Through Ratan and other workers, Munoo begins to understand class injustice. Bombay represents the dehumanising face of colonial industrialisation, where the poor are reduced to mere tools of production.
Part 5 – Simla & Death: The Final Tragedy
Mrs. Mainwaring later takes Munoo with her to Simla, the hill station frequented by the colonial and Indian elite. There, Munoo works as a servant in her fashionable circle, running errands and attending to guests. However, years of:
- Malnutrition
- Overwork
- Harsh living conditions
have already weakened him. Munoo falls seriously ill with tuberculosis. Despite his youth and energy, his body cannot recover. He collapses and dies at the age of just fourteen.
Munoo’s death is not just an individual tragedy; it symbolises the fate of countless poor children in colonial India who are destroyed by poverty, class and caste oppression, and industrial exploitation. Through Munoo’s short life, Anand criticises a society that fails to protect its most vulnerable.
Major Themes (Quick Revision)
- Poverty – The driving force of Munoo’s journey.
- Child Labour – Munoo is forced to work in homes, factories and cities.
- Class & Caste Oppression – From babu households to mills, hierarchy dominates.
- Industrial Exploitation – Factories and mills treat workers as machines.
- Colonial Society – Anglo-Indians and Indian elites live in comfort while the masses suffer.
- Humanism – Anand’s deep sympathy for the poor and oppressed runs throughout the novel.
Quick Revision Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Author | Mulk Raj Anand |
| Novel | Coolie |
| Year of Publication | 1936 |
| Protagonist | Munoo, a 14-year-old orphan |
| 5 Parts | Village → Sham Nagar → Daulatpur → Bombay → Simla |
| Genre | Social Realist / Protest Novel |
| Main Themes | Poverty, labour exploitation, class and caste oppression |
| Message | Colonial and social structures crush the innocent and the poor; urgent need for social justice. |
What to Read Next
→ 50 Important MCQs on Coolie (Click to Reveal Answers)
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