Social Discrimination in the Novel ‘Thol’by D. Selvaraj

Abstract

The novel is a new genre of literature introduced in the twentieth century in Tamil. The first book in Tamil was written by Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai. Then, new writers emerged and contributed their writing in different genres. In this way, progressive author D. Selvaraj focused on the condition of tanners in the Dindigul regions in his novel "Thol" He explains the tannery workers' struggles, how they affected their families, and how they eventually succeeded in gaining their rights. These are described using the regional dialect. There are 117 characters in this novel, which has 26 chapters. Although many scholars claim that all people are equal, this has never been put into practice. It is this system of social discrimination that gives rise to the idea that all human beings are of the same race, intertwined in occupational caste differences, and inspires the attitude of one man to regard another as inferior. Anthropologists have opined that it was in India that caste systems emerged as industrial divisions and changed their shape. Based on these, this article aims to investigate the social discrimination shown in leather goods.