Essay on Caste System in India

The date is January 26, 2001. The Gujarat earthquake just decimated your home. And people are giving you less resources, money, and attention just because you are in a lower class than them. This is what many people went through because of the caste system in India. The injustice of this system is infuriating because people are being told they are worth less than others just because of the family they are born into or the jobs that they do. The caste system in India is a prime characteristic of dystopian literature because of the hierarchical society and segregation between the different castes. 

India’s caste system consists of five main points, which are each divided into hundreds of different sub-levels. It goes from “Brahmins” (the highest class) to “Dalits,” (the lowest class) who are considered outcasts or untouchables. The social prejudice is so high that if someone from this class is seen touching a source of public water (such as a water fountain), that source is no longer considered useable by other higher classmen. Marriages in India are also affected by this system. 70-80 years ago, young women never got the chance to marry who they wanted to, and all decisions were made by the parents and grandparents. And it was traditionally illegal to marry someone out of your caste. Even today, doing this is highly ostracized, and looked down upon. In some places that still live by the caste system, if you do have children with someone who is a different caste than you, your children are born into the lowest caste.  

This system could have led to a dystopian future if it were given enough time to escalate to that level. But it is important to note that segregation and discrimination because of the caste system is declining. Though it is nowhere close to being gone, India is definitely going in the right direction by accepting more people, and not worrying about characteristics that people cannot necessarily control. Furthermore, it was officially considered illegal to discriminate based off caste in 1950. Though there are still a lot of places in India that do not abide to this law, (mostly rural communities that prefer to live by old, traditional methods) it helps millions of Indians have access to jobs, education, and financial aid that they previously did not.  

To conclude, the caste system in India was a huge problem at one time. People were constantly discriminated against and ostracized because of their families and jobs. Lower classes had limited resources, opportunities, and chances to make real relationships with people outside their own caste. But luckily, this is not happening as much as it used to, and people have become much more accepting and understanding in India. This is the part of Indian society that shows characteristics of dystopian literature.