Alecs Nicole N.

Cabahug
Eng 12 WFV2
A Discussion Paper on The God of Small Things
One of the major themes in the story was how the Ipe family
represented the fear of change existent in the society not just in Ayemenem
but in India as a whole. In the first chapter, Baby Kochamma was introduced
as a lazy, fat woman who did nothing but watch TV with her maid. It was
also her habit to close the windows and and doors and hid her precious
paraphernalia in the cupboards for fear of thiefs. For me, it represented that
she was afraid for change to come. She was afraid that her power over the
lower members of the caste system might be stolen away from her.
Speaking of caste systems, Arundhati Roy was able to mirror the
social stratification during her time in Kerala through her book. The people
in Kerala were divided into two: the Touchables and the Untouchables. This
divide in their society has caused so many tragedies in the Ipe family. One of
these was the death of Velutha. In the story, it was revealed that Ammu and
Velutha, a Touchable and an Untouchable, respectively, broke the Love Laws
by loving each other during the night. If we come to think of it clearly, we
can really see the similarity of the lovers which eventually caused their
feelings for each other develop. Ammu defied the social norms by marrying
a Hindu, which was not ideal for a Syrian Christian which ended in a
divorce. On the other hand, Velutha crossed the line between Touchables
and Untouchables by being too comfortable with the Ipe family especially
with Rahel and Estha which, even his father, cannot do. I think this is what
attracted them to each otherthat they were tired of conforming to the
Love Laws or the standards that their society imposed on them. Despite
their courage to do so, this only led them to more misery and eventually,
death. This showed how powerful the standards were as well as the narrowmindedness of the people.

At first, I didnt really understand Roys writing style. She tends

to put the spotlight on very little and irrelevant things. Often times, I would
try to understand a deeper meaning to these things. It was when I read the
title again that I realized Roys purpose. Maybe she wanted to emphasize
the little things because they served as a foreshadowing or symbolism for
bigger events. For example, the moth of Pappachi was just a little thing but
I think it symbolized the fear or any negative feeling that the character felt.
It was the moth that caused Pappachis jealousy over Mammachis growing
business which led to beating his own wife and daughter, Ammu which then
fueled her to marry Baba, seeing it as a way to break free from her
controlling family. Basically, it was probably Pappachis frustration over his
moth that led to the troubles of the Ipe family.