The
caste system in India is a class system, ranking members of society from highest to lowest class
based on their professions, families, and other factors. There are five castes of people, with
the lowest group being seen as a separate entity below the others. Descending from highest to
lowest class, they are called the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and, lastly, Dalits.
(See attached link for a diagram of this hierarchy and an accompanying article on the
subject.)
The lowest caste of people, quite literally the outcastes, have
been cruelly known throughout history as the untouchables. It is to this class that theof
Q & A belongs. As a latrine cleaner, he is considered to be of the
lowest, most untouchable class of people in his society. It is this lot in life that leads him
to live such a difficult, downtrodden, persecuted existence, which he works hard to overcome
throughout the novel. He grows up on the streets, works for other people of higher castes, and
must compete in order to marry the woman he loves. Though this is a work of , the effects of the
caste system are real and still exist today, if in a less pronounced
manner.
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