Louthan 1 Samantha Louthan Mr.

Buckner IB English 1/21/14 God Of Small Things Essay Some stories are either serious or light-hearted; others include both elements. In the novel, God of Small Things, both serious and light-hearted elements are blended together to create an effective story. The light-hearted elements are few when they come along within the spider-web of a story, but are truly enjoyable. These elements are presented through the children of this novel and their playful, silly ways. The serious elements make up most of the story, and are presented in several different ways that cause the reader reflect deeply on the situation. They are presented through death, blame, betrayal, abuse, fear, hate, forbidden love, and scheming. Though the light-hearted elements are few in this novel, they are so simple in their cheerfulness, that they manage to balance with the serious elements. One example of a light-hearted element is found here, She was accused of hiding behind a door and deliberately colliding with seniors (Roy 17). This causes the reader to be amused and laugh at Rahels childish behavior. Another instance of light-heartedness is here, Estha was wearing his beige and pointy shoes and his Elivs Puff. His favorite Elvis song was Party some people like to rock, some people like to roll, he would croon, curling his lip like Elvis (Roy 37). In this quote, the reader enjoys Esthas playfulness and silliness as he sings and imitates Elvis Presley. Finally, a very touching light-hearted quote occurs here, Then they hooked little fingers and shook handshe tossed her up and she landed

Louthan 2 in his arms, Ammu saw on Rahels face the high delight of the airborne young (Roy 166). The reader is moved by one of the most pleasant scenes in the novel. When the friendship between Velutha and Rahel is shown, it causes the reader to feel their happiness as they are playing together. All of these passages show how light-heartedness is presented in the novel. The serious elements of the novel are presented through death, blame, and betrayal. One example is found here, 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 (Roy 17). In this quote the death of Sophie Mol is explored and the serious affects of such a loss are highlighted for the reader. Seriousness is also conveyed through blame, She never forgot her irrational rage at the other two younger children who had for some reason been sparedthat Estha was somehow responsible for Sophie Mols death (Roy 249). Here Sophie Mols mother, distraught over her death, looks to place blame on the twins who lived. It is a very serious matter to blame someone for death out of anger. Finally, betrayal and blame are shown in this instance, The inspector asked his question. Esthas mouth said Yes. Childhood tiptoed out. Silence slid in like a bolt. Someone switched off the light and Velutha disappeared (Roy 267). This is when Estha identifies Velutha as a criminal after being threatened by Baby Kochamma. In this moment, there is a very serious turning point in Esthas life, as he betrays his friend by placing the blame on him for Sophie Mols death. In all these ways, seriousness is presented. Serious elements continue to be presented through abuse, fear, and hate. An example of seriousness through sexual abuse can be seen here, Hes just held the

Louthan 3 Orangedrink Lemondrink Mans soo-soo in his hand, but could you love him still (Roy 101). This is Esthas reaction after his encounter with the pedophile at the movie theater, which is undoubtedly a serious and shocking element of this novel. Another example of seriousness through abuse is this, They were beaten, humiliated and then made to suffer the envy of friends and relations for having such a wonderful husband and father (Roy 172). Here the reader is exposed to the serious amount of abuse the Pappachi inflicted upon his with Mammachi and children Ammu and Chacko. Fear is also used to present seriousness, The Orangedrink Lemondrink Man could walk in any minuteand nobody to help (Roy 185). In this example, the reader sees Eshtas fear of the pedophile as he plans to run away to where he can feel safe and unafraid. His fear is very serious and concerning to the reader. Hate is used as well to communicate seriousness. If it wasnt for you I wouldnt be here! None of this would have happened! I wouldnt be here! I would have been free! I should have dumped you in an orphanage the day you were born! Youre the millstones around my neck (Roy 240). This passage is full of the anger and hate that Ammu is feeling towards her children. She feels that they are holding her back from happiness, so in her anger, reacts very hatefully. Rahel and Estha take this very seriously and are deeply hurt by it. In all of these examples from the novel, serious elements are clearly conveyed. The last ways in which seriousness is presented, is through forbidden love and scheming. Forbidden love is a major component of the story between Ammu and Velutha, who are on different ends of the India caste system. Breaking the Love Laws of this caste system is a very serious offense. Their forbidden love is seen this quote, If he touched her he couldnt talk to her; if he loved her he couldnt leave, if he spoke he

Louthan 4 couldnt listen, if he fought he couldnt win (Roy 207). The reader understands how serious the Love Laws are, but also empathize with their uncontrollable love for one another. Ammu longed for him. Ached for him with the whole of her biology (Roy 312). Their love for each other seen in these passages is obviously very real, but it is forbidden making it a serious issue of the story. Along with forbidden love, comes scheming to save Ammus familys reputation as high class. Baby Kochamma misrepresented the relationship between Ammu and Velutha, not for Ammus sake, but to contain the scandal and salvage the family reputation (Roy 245). This scheming ended the forbidden relationship, but also had serious consequences, leading to Veluthas death. All of these selections, show the serious element of the story through forbidden love and scheming. In the novel The God of Small Things, serious and lighthearted elements are integrated and conveyed to the reader in several different ways. They are shown as key events or themes of the story. The light-hearted elements are few but very memorable and appreciated by the reader. Serious elements occur more often, but are presented very effectively causing the reader to understand the profound issues of this story.

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Works Cited Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. New York: Random House Trade Paperback Edition, 2008. Print.