Anand's Use of Nature

One thing that I found particularly interesting when reading Untouchable was the beautifully scripted passages conveying the scene of the Indian countryside. In many of the scenes involving nature, Bakha is looking out over the open space and seems to be contemplating what it would mean to experience the freedom that nature allows. It is almost as if Bakha is looking for a way to define himself other than what his culture has provide for him. Almost to say that the only place where he can truly be himself is to seperate himself from the city he lives in and re-join nature.

This definitely adheres to the idea that Modernist texts are going 'back to nature'. It also provides somewhat of a Romantic idea about the unspoiled nature versus the tainted image of the urban area. It is also interesting to note that the positive things that do happen to Bakha over the course of this particular day, happen away from the city. For instance, the bliss that he feels while walking outside the city with his new hockey stick and when he witnesses Ghandi's speech. It as if life holds greater possiblity for him when he escapes the city; that by leaving the city he is also leaving religion and the caste system behind with the hope of starting a new life.