The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

 The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

Introduction :

Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things is a literary masterpiece that continues to captivate readers with its evocative prose, complex characters, and profound commentary on societal structures. Published in 1997, this Booker Prize-winning novel is a testament to Roy's ability to weave a tale that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Arundhati Roy :

Arundhati Roy (born November 24, 1961, Shillong, Meghalaya, India) is an Indian author and political activist who is best known for the Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things (1997) and for her advocacy of environmental and human rights issues. Her political writings criticize fascism, social injustice, and globalization, among other issues. They are informed by her ground-level involvement in protests, including those against the Narmada River dam project and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019. CAA allows undocumented Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, to apply for Indian citizenship, thereby providing a pathway to citizenship based on religion. The legislation made no such provisions for Muslim migrants from these areas and has therefore been criticized from many quarters as going against the basic nature of the Indian constitution. Roy has faced legal challenges, including imprisonment and charges of sedition and contempt of court for her activism. Nevertheless, her commitment to the aforementioned causes has sustained a spirit of revolution within the Indian political landscape.

Plot :

Main Characters:

• Estha and Rahel: Seven-year-old twins who share a special bond.
• Ammu: Their mother, trapped by social rules and an unhappy past.
• Mammachi: Their grandmother, a skilled pickle maker.
• Chacko: Their uncle, an Oxford-educated man who runs the family pickle factory.
• Baby Kochamma: Their great-aunt, a bitter and manipulative woman.
• Velutha: An Untouchable worker at the pickle factory, loved by the twins.

Family History:

• Mammachi was married to Pappachi, a cruel husband who abused her.
• Chacko married an Englishwoman, Margaret, but she left him after having their daughter Sophie Mol.
• Ammu married Baba, hoping for a better life, but he was abusive. After their divorce, she returned to her family home with her twins.

The Tragic Events of 1969:

1. Sophie Mol’s Visit: After Margaret's second husband dies, Chacko invites her and Sophie Mol to visit India.
2. Estha’s Trauma: Estha is molested by a man at the movie theater, leaving him scared and withdrawn.
3. Ammu and Velutha’s Love: Ammu and Velutha fall in love, defying strict caste rules.
4. Sophie Mol’s Death: The twins, feeling unloved, run away with Sophie Mol. Their boat overturns, and Sophie Mol drowns.
5. Velutha’s Death: Blaming Velutha, Baby Kochamma tells the police he kidnapped the children. Velutha is beaten to death, though the police later realize he is innocent.
6. Ammu and Estha’s Separation: After Sophie Mol’s funeral, Ammu is thrown out of the house, and Estha is sent back to live with his father.

Reunion in 1993:

• After 23 years, Rahel and Estha meet again at the now-decaying family home.
• Estha is silent and emotionally numb, while Rahel has returned after a failed marriage in America.
• Together, they recall their past, reconnect, and share an intimate moment, reaffirming their deep bond.

Themes : 

Family and Social Obligation

In The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, relationships within the Ipe family are shaped by a constant tension between personal love and societal expectations. Each family member faces struggles tied to social norms, family duties, and personal grievances, leading to complex and often painful dynamics. Baby Kochamma, consumed by bitterness and a need for societal approval, betrays her family and condemns Velutha, an Untouchable, to his tragic fate. Similarly, Vellya Paapen prioritizes societal rules over his love for his son, offering to kill Velutha for his relationship with Ammu. The bond between the twins, Estha and Rahel, and their mother, Ammu, forms the emotional core of the novel. While Ammu loves her children deeply, her frustrations and societal rejection as a divorced woman often strain their relationship. Mammachi, on the other hand, indulges Chacko despite his flaws but disowns Ammu for breaking caste boundaries, highlighting the oppressive power of social norms. Ultimately, the novel portrays how societal expectations overpower familial love, creating heartbreak and tragedy in the lives of its characters. 

"It is curious how sometimes the memory of death lives on for so much longer than the memory of the life that it purloined. Over the years, as the memory of Sophie Mol… slowly faded, the Loss of Sophie Mol grew robust and alive. It was always there. Like a fruit in season. Every season."

Indian Politics, Society, and Class

In The God of Small Things, the Ipe family faces many social and political pressures that cause conflict in their lives. In 1969, Marxist ideas are spreading in Kerala, India, challenging the traditional class system of landlords and workers. This affects the family’s pickle factory, Paradise Pickles, and key characters like Velutha, Chacko, and Comrade Pillai. Another major influence is the Hindu caste system, which was officially abolished but still deeply impacts society. The strict caste “Love Laws” forbid relationships between Touchables and Untouchables, shaping much of the novel’s tragedy.

Religion also plays a role, as most of the Ipe family are Syrian Christians. Mammachi and Baby Kochamma often use religion to justify their actions. Estha and Rahel, being half-Hindu and half-Syrian Christian, struggle with this mixed identity. Gender inequality is another harsh reality in their world. While Pappachi’s and Chacko’s wrongdoings are overlooked, Ammu is harshly judged and disgraced for being divorced.

Overall, the small personal struggles of the Ipe family reflect the larger social and political battles happening in India at the time. The novel shows how deeply personal lives are affected by class, caste, religion, and gender, creating a powerful story of love, loss, and resistance.

"The marchers that day were party workers, students and the laborers themselves. Touchables and Untouchables. On their shoulders they carried a keg of ancient anger, lit with a recent fuse. There was an edge to this anger that was Naxalite, and new."

Love and Sexuality

In The God of Small Things, love takes many forms, but it becomes most powerful when it defies societal and cultural rules. The strongest bond in the story is between the twins, Estha and Rahel, who are so close that they seem like two halves of one person. However, even Rahel feels pressured by societal expectations, listing people she is “supposed” to love instead of those she truly cares for. This reflects the novel’s central theme—the “Love Laws” that decide who can be loved and how much.

The most significant example of forbidden love is the relationship between Ammu and Velutha, an Untouchable. Their love is pure and passionate, yet considered unacceptable by society. This results in Velutha’s brutal death and Ammu’s rejection from her family. Despite its tragic outcome, their love remains the most genuine and hopeful portrayal of romance in the story.

However, love in the novel is not always positive. Mammachi suffers violence from her husband, and Estha experiences sexual abuse from the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man. The novel ends with Estha and Rahel’s incestuous union after being separated for years, followed by a flashback to Ammu and Velutha’s first intimate encounter. By placing these scenes alongside violence and death, Roy highlights how love can transcend hatred, prejudice, and suffering—even when it breaks rules or leads to tragedy. In this way, the novel shows that love, in all its forms, remains a powerful and transformative force.

“Stop posing as the children’s Great Savior!” Ammu said. “When it comes down to brass tacks, you don’t give a damn about them. Or me.”

“Should I?” Chacko said. “Are they my responsibility?”

He said that Ammu and Estha and Rahel were millstones around his neck.

Conclusion

The God of Small Things is a literary triumph that captures the complexities of human relationships, memory, and societal structures. Arundhati Roy’s hauntingly beautiful narrative transcends time and place, making it a timeless work of art that continues to inspire readers around the world.