Essay On The Role Of Women In The God Of Small Things

The oppression of women and their struggle for equality can be seen throughout several cultures, one specifically is set in India through the novel The God of Small Things. This struggle for equality is descriptively illustrated to portray the dynamic differences in social status that occur between men and women. Roy depicts the oppression that women experienced in India under the patriarchal system, while illustrating the glorification that patriarchy received which in turn hindered gender equality, as well as facilitated sexism toward females.

A patriarchal society is displayed throughout the text to enforce a depiction of men and their role in society. To demonstrate their role, Roy constructs Pappachi’s values to embody the patriarchal system as an example of the common patriarch. She does this in order to establish the struggles women faced, it is demonstrated through Ammu and Mammachi’s relationship with Pappachi. Pappachi expresses that, “... [a] college education was an unnecessary expense for a girl ...”( Roy 38). His stance on education for his daughter Ammu demonstrates how patriarchy determines the amount of intelligence women require in their system. This is intentional because Pappachi perceives the female’s (Ammu’s) role as a housewife to be their main role and --only role (Roy

Roy utilizes Pappachi and Chacko to present the audience with two opposing patriarch figures, that act as obstacles for the female characters to overcome. These obstacles present realistic instances that women in India have endured and fought to change. Though these obstacles have not been abolished, the patriarch system has been receiving opposition from feminine movements for change. For this reason, Roy constructed this piece to provide an accurate account of discrimination against women in India, to educate the women of India, as well as the