Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hind Swaraj, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Passive Resistance and Indian Independence
Modern Civilization and Colonialism
The Personal and the Political
Indian Nationhood and Identity
Summary
Analysis
The reader and editor discuss Swaraj, which people define in various ways. The editor asks if the reader thinks of Swaraj as just “driv[ing] the English out of India,” and the reader says yes: the English should leave and hand over the government to Indians. The reason is obvious: England steals India’s money and resources, while enslaving its people and treating them like animals. The editor asks what would happen if the English stopped being so vicious, but the reader says they never will.
The reader and editor agree that English rule is brutal and unsustainable. However, while the reader focuses entirely on the problem, the editor is thinking about solutions. By pointing out that the problem is England’s viciousness, not its mere presence in India, he signals to the reader that a deeper transformation in Indian life is necessary, as opposed to just a change of leadership. He also suggests that people—even the English—are capable of change. This is central to Gandhi’s political vision because he argues that people must morally transform themselves in order to effectively join the fight for independence and become responsible citizens.
Themes
Next, the editor asks whether India should follow after Canada or South Africa, but the reader says this doesn’t matter: India just needs a strong army. The editor concludes that the reader is asking for “English rule without the Englishman.” Actually, the reader replies, Indians should copy England, which is strong and self-reliant. The editor explains that he definitely disagrees but needs some time to fully explain his view of Swaraj.
The editor points out the reader’s hypocrisy: even though the reader hates the English and wants them out of India, he has internalized English ideas about how a government should be run. Clearly, the editor thinks that the principles behind government are what makes it effective or ineffective, not the people who run the government. Therefore, if Indians try to be just like the English, they will just reproduce the same problems they already suffer.
Themes
