The Pain of Poverty and Exploitation in Mulk Raj Anand’s Two Leaves and a Bud

Abstract

Mulk Raj Anand’s Two Leaves and a Bud is focused on this paper which delves into the pervasive theme of poverty in Indian literature. The novel is examined through a critical lens which is poverty and its psychological, emotional, and social consequences on marginalised communities have been explored. The Intersection of class oppression and the dehumanising effects of poverty, both of which contribute to the characters’ suffering is highlighted by Anand’s depiction of the colonial exploitation of Indian workers. To understand how poverty serves as both a physical and emotional burden is understood by the struggles of the main characters against a backdrop of economic hardship, systemic injustice, and social hierarchies are explored. Anand portrays poverty not merely as a lack of material wealth but as a profound wound that affects identity, self-worth, and human dignity is demonstrated as the aim of the paper. In India contemporary issues of economic disparity and social injustice are connected with the broader implications of the novel’s depiction of poverty. Literature serves as a powerful medium for raising awareness of the pains of poverty and advocating for social change is highlighted by this paper through a critical reading of Two Leaves and a Bud.