God Of Small Things Analysis

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The God of Small Things by Roy Arundhati centers around one Syrian Christian family in Ayemenem, India. In India a system of hierarchy, that dates back to ancient culture, still influences exclusion and discrimination in society. In the caste system, the Varna system breaks up into four main groups which are Hindus( Priests) Kshatriyas ( Warriors & Kings) Vaishyas ( Merchants) and Sudras( Who are workers and laborers). Outside of the system are the Untouchables, who are excluded and not considered part of a caste because of their physiological characteristics, religion, job, etc.. In the novel Roy portrays, Velutha, son of Vellya Paapen who is a Paravan or an Untouchable, as the fictional representation of the lower castes. Chacko, son of Mammachi, is the representation of the higher castes. In The God of Small Things Velutha’s exclusion is shown through the contrast of Chacko by their status in the …show more content…

Chacko is mentioned as an Anglophile which is a “Person well disposed to the English” (51) and acts like the civilized or colonized subject in society. The motif of English references in Chacko’s dialects adds to the context of his education and level of society. Roy uses stylistic devices like italics “Nothing incidental” (293) and similes “The blood on his breath bright red” (294) to represent the horror being present in Velutha's death. The contrast relates to how Chacko has dialect and is an active character in the novel but Roy purposefully uses Velutha as a silent character, who speaks infrequently, to allow the reader to understand Velutha's thoughts through his actions and complex character. Velutha, through his silent character, personifies colonized people who were rarely seen or looked at and is an example of an Indian forced into silence because of how Syrian Christians or other high caste Indians act regarding

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