The important theme of the novel is the exploitation of the poor by the rich, of the ‘have-not’ by the ‘haves’ of the society. The various characters are of the exploits as the Europeans. Coolie is a social tragedy and the hero of Coolie is the society itself. (Shanmugam 12) In this novel, Munoo is posed that he is suffering although he belongs to one of the highest castes, and that another boy who he belongs to the higher-caste namely; the Brahmins are occupied on a higher position than that of a domestic servant. In spite of lack of humanity, Munoo finds capitalism, industrialism, and communalism that all adds to his misery. (12) Rajan observes:
It is an individual’s quest for freedom in a social system of ruthless exploitation... The society of coolie is one in which chief form of exploitation is capitalist though the feudal exploitation still remains, Munoo, in his quest for freedom, is squeezed dry by the machinery of capitalist exploitation until he meets his tragic end. (15)
In Coolie, Anand has presented the misery of socially backward class and coolies in India. This novel is a powerful indictment of modern capitalistic Indian society and feudal system and the oppression of the colonialist. (Bhoi 101)
Coolie portrays the sufferings of an individual coolie in a class ridden society. (Kakati 39) It focuses on the inhuman attitude of the capitalist system which ignores the manhood in labors and treats them as mere ‘hands‘ in the machine of profit. (39) Machine, which