Rakha: Character Analysis in Untouchable

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      Rakha is the younger son of Lakha and younger brother of Bakha. He is ‘a short, long-faced, black, stumpy little man, seemed to resent his brother’s reprimand.’ Anand himself calls him ‘a true child of the outcaste colony which is so very dirty and unhygienic’. Bakha is neat and clean. He looks intelligent and sensitive, with a sort of dignity that does not belong to the ordinary scavenger. Rakha does not have any characteristics common to his elder brother except both of them are born of the same parents and belong to the outcaste community Rakha stands in contrast to Bakha. Rakha looks repulsive and disgustive because he is ignorant of healthy and hygienic habits. He wears a tattered flannel shirt. His ever running nose invites flies to congregate to enjoy the feast; He seems as if he is the offspring of filth, dirt and squalor He looks real successor of a sweeper father. He does not betray any sense of dignity. He is a lethargic boy and does not have any motive and mission. His presence in the novel does not make any significant difference except it heightens uncommon characteristic features of Bakha. He does represent and characterize an untouchable in the real sense of the word.

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