Social Realism as the Key Theme in Mulk Raj Anand’s Novel ‘Two Leaves and a Bud’

Abstract

Mulk Raj Anand’s “Two Leaves and a Bud”was published in 1937 which dives into the complex dynamics of colonial India’s tea plantations, depicting the harsh reality experienced by labourers against the backdrop of British empire. This paper will examine the subject of social realism in Anand’s novel focusing on the author’s representation of wretched plight of Assam tea-plantation workers, the working-class exploitation, difficulties, and perseverance. This article elucidates the writers use of the theme social realism which sheds light on the economic, social, and political inequities prevalent during the colonial era by examining character interactions, narrative development. Social realism was largely popular towards the close of the nineteenth century. Anand exposes colonialism’s degrading consequences on underprivileged populations by documenting the daily lives of tea plantation workers and their interactions with tyranny, prejudice, and class disparities. The paper contends that “Two Leaves and a Bud” is a tribute to Mulk Raj Anand’s eye on social realism, providing readers with a clear depiction of the human experience amid the turbulent terrain of colonial India and exploitation being the major theme of the novel.