Untouchable

Bakha is an eighteen-year old man born into the Untouchable caste in India. When the novel begins, Bakha is resigned to—although not enthusiastic about—his lowly station of street sweeper. The major development of his character over the course of the story—spanning one day of his life—is that his reluctance to accept his Untouchable status turns into rage at his circumstances and is accompanied by a desire for vengeance against the people who mistreat him and other Untouchables with such cruelty. After being hit in the face by an upper caste man, and then dealing with the aftermath of his sister's sexual assault, Bakha's future begins to look terrible to him. For the rest of the day his mood and thoughts vacillate between sorrow, anger, and hopelessness.

Bakha can be argued to be a representation of any Untouchable who has awakened to the unjust caste system, and the horror he feels at the prospect of a future of abuse is rational. Bakha is illiterate and often unable to express his thoughts articulately, but when Gandhi speaks, his argument is a reinforcement and vindication of many of the emotions Bakha has experienced during the day.