CLASS, IDEOLOGY AND SOCIAL CONFLICTS IN INDIAN FICTION: A MARXIST LITERARY APPROACH

Abstract

Indian fiction accomplishes the task of an enormous and partly literary elucidation of class conflict, economic inequality, ideological contradiction and power structure. Through writings of marginalised individuals and communities, the Indian writers reveal how class, caste, gender, and economic conditions influence human relationships and social identities. This paper “Class, Ideology and Social Conflict in Indian Fiction: A Marxist Literary Analysis” examines some Indian fictional narratives as they are read from a Marxist literary perspective which unearths the connection of literature with existing material conditions. Moreover, the relation that exists between class relations and also the reigning dominant ideologies. They explore caste-based exclusion, poverty, social hierarchy, economic power and ideological control with particular reference to Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. According to the study, Indian fiction does not only represent the class structure as it exists but also questions the systems that perpetuate inequalities and oppression.  The selected novels show how the marginalised get embroiled in the struggle against social exclusion but also navigate respectability, identity and change. The article argues with the help of Marxist criticism which connects literary representation with material and ideological conditions to show social conflicts in Indian fiction.