"Transitions From Gandhian to Marxist Perspectives in Premchand’s Works"

Sumitra Sangwa; Prem Kishor Bera

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.51122

"Transitions From Gandhian to Marxist Perspectives in Premchand’s Works"

Author(s)	Ms. Sumitra Sangwa, Mr. Prem Kishor Bera
Country	India
Abstract	Munshi Premchand stands at a pivotal intersection in Indian literature, balancing Gandhian moral reform with emergent Marxist critiques of social and economic structures. This study examines key works—Godaan, Karmabhoomi, Rangbhoomi, and “Kafan”—to trace this intellectual transition. While Gandhi’s emphasis on moral self purification and nonviolence shaped Premchand’s early narrative ethics, later texts increasingly reflect Marxist themes such as surplus-value, class struggle, alienation, and ideological critique. Close reading of pivotal scenes reveals this shift: Rai Sahib’s moral crisis in Godaan and the explosive irony of laborers in “Kafan” unveil an author moving beyond Gandhian reformism toward systemic analysis of exploitation. This paper contends that Premchand did not abandon Gandhian ethics, but enriched them with Marxist insights, producing a hybrid social realism that remains powerful in understanding class and moral dynamics in colonial India.
Keywords	• Gandhian ethics, Marxist theory, Social realism, Moral reform, Class struggle, Exploitation, Peasant oppression, False consciousness, Alienation, Surplus value, Caste system, Colonial India, Nonviolence, Ideological critique, Debt bondage, Labour movements, Resistance, Capitalist structures.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2025
Published On	2025-07-16
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.51122
Short DOI	https://doi.org/g9tz4w

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"Transitions From Gandhian to Marxist Perspectives in Premchand’s Works"

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