Preview

The Strange Ride of Morrowbie

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1316 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Strange Ride of Morrowbie
“Morrowbie inside the Caste”

In Rudyard Kipling’s story “The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes” there are many aspects of the India’s traditions and customs. But one custom that is strongly present though out the story is the role of the Indian caste system. Within each character you are taken into the five levels of the caste system. The caste system has been present in Indian culture for as far back as their history can be traced. The five levels that are present with in the characters in the story are Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans (www.csuchico.edu)
According to Indianchild.com the India caste system is a hierarchical society. In the Indian caste system, no matter where you live or what religion you are everybody is ranked into one of the five levels. The caste system is respected and followed by all who live within the system. No matter where you live everyone knows their caste ranking, and they behave towards each other according to their ranking.
We are first introduced to Morrowbie, who is a man that is placed in the caste system known as Vaishya. According to Caste System, the Vaishya are known as the Krsi (who are the people for grow the food grains), the goraksha (who are the cow protection), the vanijyam (who do the trading), the Vaisya karma (people who work), and svabhavajam (are the people who are born of his own nature). The Vaisyas were known as the land-owners, money-lenders and influential traders. Morrowbie is known as a man with an education and career as a civil engineer. Due to his successful career he is known as a land-owner. It is evident though out the story that Morrowbie knows of his high class level and the caste level of the people around him. When he first falls into the hole he finds himself in the middle of a crowd. He states that the people are scantily clothed and can be associated with the Hindu mendicants (p.24). According to the Indian caste level the merchants are considered to be one level below


Cited: Caste System in India." Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/3800331>. "Caste System in India." A Parent 's Guide to Internet Safety ::Indianchild.com. 24 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.indianchild.com/caste_system_in_india.htm>. "CHICO STATEMENTS." Home - CSU, Chico. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.csuchico.edu/pub/cs/fall_99/departments/d.expandedbookshelf.html>. "History of the Indian Caste System - ENotes.com Reference." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/topic/History_of_the_Indian_caste_system>. Kipling, Rudyard. The Man Who Would Be King, and Other Stories. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How Did India Build An Empire
    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did India Build An Empire

    There were two parts to the caste system: The Caste as Varna and the Caste as Jati. The function of the Caste system was that it was very local and so it focused loyalties on a restricted territory. It made empire building very difficult and the caste was like a substitute for the state. The caste provided some social security and support for widows, orphans etc. The caste was a means to accommodate the migrants and invaders. Last but not least the caste made it easier for the wealthy and powerful to exploit the poor. The caste system which used birth to place people into their sectors of the sacred hierarchy was closely tied to the Hindu religion. This system remained an integral part of Indian society for…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 3 review
    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Chapter 3 review

    The Caste System developed in India by a separation of the people due to the social hierarchy and the economical differences between them. Depending on their caste, the people were treated differently even though they lived side by side each other. The Caste system being developed allowed the “conquers” and the “conquered” to live in harmony.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mesopotamia Social System
    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mesopotamia Social System

    The Caste system is a way to categorize people in society by their ethnicity and job status. This was also hereditary and would pass from generation to generation. The caste system, though it shares the classes that many ancient civilizations followed, did not necessarily influence them at all. Some theorize that if that were the case others would have a more defined class system rather than based on wealth and status, which most of them did. Rather some historians theorize these caste came from a war and fighting with the Dravidians, the dominate group in that area.(aqrobatiq, 2015) How ever the system formed it stuck, with almost impossible odds against someone to change their caste in life. The Caste system formed out of the natural self organization that humans do when lacking a bureaucratic system in place like Egypt and Mesopotamia, The levels of the Caste system from top to bottom…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between American And Indian Caste System
    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Similarities Between American And Indian Caste System

    While the Indian Caste system and Contemporary society differ in many aspects, they however have similarities such as their class system and their written laws. India divides their people into a caste system called the Varna whereas contemporary society has a socioeconomic system. Each system has categories that their natives fall into and live according to their economic standing. Along with the class system, each society has similar written laws that guarantee equal rights amongst all people.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ancient India Research Paper
    • 1817 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Ancient India Research Paper

    The order of social hierarchy is, the highest caste is the Brahmins (priests), the Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaisyas (skilled traders, merchants, and minor officials), Shudras (unskilled workers), and the lowest Pariah (outcast, untouchables, and children of God).…

    • 1817 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Hindu Caste System
    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Hindu Caste System

    The Caste System determines the wealth, power and privilege of all human beings. But aside from the belief in tradition and order the Caste System brings about inequality and injustice towards many of society. Members of the higher castes enjoy all kinds of privileges, whereas the lower caste of society are deprived of all privileges, more than 160 million people in India alone are considered "Untouchable.” Oppression plays a huge role during the early ages of the Caste System. The Untouchables were made to fear all those that dominated above them, they were treated inhumanely, Untouchables live in continual fear of being publicly humiliated, paraded naked, beaten, and raped by upper-caste Hindus in reassurance to keep them in place. They were deprived all choice of social, religious, economic, cultural and political rights and privileges. This is considered inequality as the Untouchables have done nothing to deserve such punishment. Walking through an upper-caste neighbourhood is a dangerous wrongdoing. During the beginning of the 1900’s was the time in which justice…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Caste System In India
    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Caste System In India

    From a perspective of someone who lived in India for three years, the caste system in…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Five Major Groups Within The Caste System
    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Five Major Groups Within The Caste System

    Second Question: Explain the origins of the caste system. Where did the system come from?…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Monsoon Wedding
    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Monsoon Wedding

    Monsoon wedding”(2007), an award winning movie, directed by mira nair. Features widely known Indian actors, such as Vasundhara Das, Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hinduism Paper
    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hinduism Paper

    Hinduism does not have a set orthodoxy, but there are several main beliefs that share a commonality among the different sects. The caste system is one of the oldest principles of Hinduism, an aspect as much religious as it is social. According to Hindu teaching, there are four basic social classes, or castes. Each social order has its own rules and obligation for living. The select few are the Brahman, or priest caste. Second are the warriors and rulers, the Kshatriyas. Third are the Vaisyas, or merchants and farmers. Finally, the fourth caste is the Shudras, or laborers. Existing outside of the caste system are the untouchables, the outcasts of society. One does not get choose to enter his or her caste, rather, that is decided according to what family the person is born into.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Jainism And Classical Hinduism
    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Comparing Jainism And Classical Hinduism

    In Invitation to World Religions, Brodd states that in Hinduism there are four main classes including “brahmin, the priestly class; kshatriya, the warrior and administrator class; vaishya, the producer class (farmers and merchants); and shudra, the servant class.” The caste system provided a sense of order yet weakened the lower caste from education, knowledge and teachings that the upper class had. They felt inferior and oppressed because of the little benefits they had. They carried on their shoulders, the most difficult laboring duties in their community, and yet they were still given injustice and inability to gain knowledge to develop in their spirituality. Although, the benefits did not equate to the amount of work one put in, the caste system in Hinduism stabilized and strengthened the society. Thus was widely used and developed amongst the Hindu…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Politically Institutionalized Oppression
    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Politically Institutionalized Oppression

    It was not something that occurred naturally but quite contrarily, appeared as a consequence to a systematic way of classifying human beings. Findings suggest that the Caste System of India based off of Hindu scripture appeared as early as 1000 BCE. As all ideas do, the caste evolved over time. Affected by environmental and political factors such as the shifting of dynasties, religious presence/dominance, and imperial influence, the caste system in India functioned significantly differently depending on the dominant influence of the time. Despite the alternating pattern, its systematic nature forced an element of oppression on particular groups in society. Its origination stemmed from the idea of dividing labor and ultimately as a way of controlling social aspects of society and maintaining order (Thekaekara 2). The traditional Hindu system divides people of society into four social ranks; Brahmins, who function as the most pure and are often priests, Kshatriyas, who were usually warriors and rulers, followed by Vaishyas known to be traders and merchants and ending with the lowest class, Sudras, destined to serve the upper classes. Known to the world as “untouchables”, Dalits meaning ‘broken people’, are below Sudras. Suffering the most, Dalits struggle to be noticed in a society that believes of them as simply disposable trash. There are currently 180 million Dalits in India, a majority…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Caste System In A Tale Of Two Cities
    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Caste System In A Tale Of Two Cities

    The caste system cannot be understood without knowing the background of Hinduism that supports it. Hinduism has no single founder, and everyone who practices it uses different scriptures that say different things. People that practice Hinduism do not see it as a single religion, but they see it as a collection of religions. Some of the religions that stem from Hinduism are Jainism, Buddhism…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Eugenics Definition Of Race
    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Eugenics Definition Of Race

    A caste system is a class structure where the position of a person in society…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hinduism Essay
    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hinduism Essay

    Hinduism goes by an organization of levels of the samsara called the caste system. This system consists of certain classes that one will be born into. The general idea is that you start from the bottom and work your way to the top but there are things that can get in the way of this process such as karma. If for example you had bad karma in one of your lives it is possible you can go back down. In order to proceed to the following level you must have good karma. The levels go along the lines of laborer, to merchant, to king, to priest. There is a level that is so looked down upon to the extent that it is not even on the list. This class is called the untouchables which is basically the garbage people. Use of the caste system is banned in India today due to the hostile treatment of the untouchables and other rivalries and issues.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics