Summary of Chapter Two of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The system of caste in India is a bond of union, but splits up the
society into sections. It revolves around the society's idea of what's
"clean" and "pure". It exists not only in the form of Touchability and
Untouchability but also gender difference and marital status. In
Kerala, the setting for The God of Small Things, the caste system is
deep-rooted; it has been made rigid by time and proliferated by the
colonial rule. As a result, inevitably, the caste system greatly
impacts the lives of the leading characters in the novel: Estha and
Rahel, Ammu and Velutha. In my essay, I am going to explore the nature
of the caste system and whom it affects.
The revulsion of Untouchability is so inherent in the post-colonial
society that even with the coming of the British, the untouchables in
general were not only unable "to escape the scourge Untouchability".
As Christians, "They were made to have separate churches, with
separate services, and separate priests" and it was considered "a
special favour (that) they were given their own separate Pariah
Bishop." Further more, "After Independence they found they were not
enititled to any Government benefits like job reservations or bank
loans at low interest rates, because officially, on paper, there were
(only) Christians, and therefore casteless."
The life of Velutha, an untouchable, is greatly impacted not only in
the way the other untouchables were. Since he was young, he had to
conform to acts of inferiority. He had to enter by "the back entrance
of the Ayemenem House to deliver the coconuts they [ Velutha and his
dad] had plucked from the trees in the compound" and was not allowed
into the ho...
... middle of paper ...
...een traditions and are afforded no real recognition as said in
what the novel calls "Locusts Stand I" or legal standing. Baby
Kochama, once again hated them for that. She called them "Half-Hindhu
Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry." As
a result, further on the novel, their lives were greatly affected by
her.
The caste system on the whole traumatizes and affects Roy's
protagonist's life in an unhealthy way. It took away the twin's need
to belong to someone and their identity and, later on the novel, their
childhood. It cost Ammu her love and her freedom. It deprived Velutha
of a bright future and somehow caused his death. This way, Roy is able
to let the reader see the atrocities of the caste system in India and
be more aware about the stereotypes the society made to "different"
people. Two thumbs and two toes up for Roy!
There are four main castes and one in which they consider to be the outcastes. The four main castes are the Brahmin, the next is the Kshatriya, the third is the Vaishya, and the fourth is the Shudra. The outcastes are in the group called Dalits. Each caste has a purpose in life, the Brahmin are considered to be the priestly caste in which they are teach the Veda, and are to “sacrifice for others and receive alms” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Kshatriya is considered the warriors or the ruler caste, they have constant practice in battles, and they are to protect the world from harm. The Vaishya are to be the merchants and the farmers, they tend to the cattle, they, “engage in farming, keeps cows, trades, lends money at interest, and grows seeds” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Shudra are the manual laborers who according to the Institutes of Vishnu under the Four Castes, are to serve the twice born men who are to sacrifice and to study the Veda, the Shudra also engage in all the different duties of craftsmanship (5-10, pg.44). In case of a crisis, each caste is allowed to follow the occupation of the caste that is below them in rank. The duties in which all four of these castes, whatever gender or stage of life, are to follow and hav...
During slavery and until the late 1960’s, interracial marriages were deemed illegal by anti-miscegenation laws. These laws prohibited racial mixing through marriage, living together, or through sexual intercourse until the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional in the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967. With that law being overturned, people in the United States were allowed to get married to those in other races and cultures. Oppositely in India, they have a cultural rule that states people are only allowed to marry those within their group, varna, or caste group. According to the Manusmriti, the caste system in India divides Hindus into 4 groups- the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the Shudras. The caste system dictates every aspect of life from where you live to what you eat. Upper and lower caste lived in segregated colonies and wouldn’t accept gifts or food from those lower than them. Simply in India, “a marathi will get married to a marathi...and Vaishya have to marry Vaishya and so on,” (BBC, 2017). Sikhs, Jains, Muslims also follow a endogamous
Stratification systems, categorized people by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth/income. When people are categorized, start looking at different systems within the social system or social mobility. “The four main systems of stratification have been slavery, caste, estate, and class. Each of these systems allows greater or less flexibility in terms of social mobility. Social mobility is the ability to move up or down within a social stratification hierarchy” (Larkin, 2015). Slavery is a social status began with social norms allowing people to own others. The slaves had no wealth or power while under this social status. Caste systems are all aspects of social status are assigned at births and held forever,
Dictionary.com defines a caste system as “a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion” This means someone born into a low caste cannot move up to a higher caste because of this system. Although a caste system is not a set of laws, it is almost never broken because the caste system has been in place for so long.
The caste system determined India’s social organization, and the relations within society, similar to the divide in Rome’s society as a result of the Plebeian and Patrician class. The Aryans
The traditional Hindu caste system remains one of the most controversial and debatable topics in the study of Hindu culture. The Hindu caste system describes the system of social stratification and social restrictions in which social classes are defined by specific hereditary groups. This caste system impacts much of Hindu history, society and culture to a level unknown anywhere else. However, the most apparent problem with this system is that under its strict rigidity, the lower castes were prevented from endeavoring to climb higher, and as such, economic progress was limited. It’s my assertion that a rigid system of structural inequality maintained through strict enforcement and social exclusion, is incompatible with a religion which claims to promote inclusion, peace and unity.
Hinduism is a religion in which the caste system exits to this day and this is an important factor because the different levels of the caste system represents each member’s ability to reaching the ultimate reality, Brahman. There are four castes of Hinduism: Brahmins/Seers, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and the Shudra. “The first group India called Brahmins or seers (Smith, 43).” The Brahmins are traditionally priests and scholars who should receive respect. The second level of caste system are the Kshatriya, who are traditionally warriors and rulers; they should receive power. Next are the Vaishya’s, merchants and small class landowners who should receive wealth. Last are the Shudra’s, traditionally the landless and field workers who should receive freedom. The caste system has its limitations and because of that, only the Brahmin (being on the top of the caste system) can become one with the ultimate reality, Brahman. In order to fulfill the core doctrine of Hinduism, it is important to be aware that only certain members “qualify” to unite with Brahman. In order for one to become a Brahman, they must go start from the bottom of the caste level and through the different levels until finally they are born as a Brahmin through good
An endogenous and hereditary subdivision of ethnic unit, occupying a position of superior or inferior rank, or social esteem, in comparison with other such subdivisions. Caste is a special form of social class, which in tendency is present in every society to an extent. They have emerged into social consciousness to the point that custom and law attempt their rigid and permanent separation from one another.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Edwind and R.A. Seligman(ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Science, Vol. III (New York: Mac Millan Company, 1963), p.
According to, Sociology: The Essentials, caste system is defined as a system of stratification (characterized by low social mobility) in which one’s place in the stratification system is determined by birth. This is also acknowledged as an ascribed status. “This system in found in the traditional Hindu population of India” (Haviland 256). Although it is found in other parts of the world,
The current manifestations of the caste system are now far more generalized across the Indian subcontinent than was the case in former times. Caste as we now recognize has been endangered, shaped and perpetuated by comparatively recent political and social developments. This is evident even i...
The Portuguese word casta means race, or breed, and Hindus have traditionally interpreted this as different levels of society, known as the caste system used in India (“India caste system”). The caste placements are commonly associated with a specific occupation, for example, a priest is a member of the Brahmin caste, and a merchant is a member of the Vaishya caste (“BBC - The caste system”). A Hindu is born into the caste that their parents are ‘members’ of, and as a member of that caste, they must marry in the caste, perform the expected occupation of that caste and eventually die as a member of said caste. The lowest caste of the system are the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’ as they are more commonly known. Members of this caste are also born into it, but because of their extreme conditions of living in poverty, they were too despicable to be considered a part of the caste system. These ‘untouchables’ were usually found begging on the streets and did not have a job that fell into the categories of the caste system, therefore were severely looked down upon by all othe...
The Hindu caste system had four major classes which they gave different names based on their creators’ body parts, the Bantu people only had one ruling class, while the medieval Europeans had three classes which they called estates. Hindu tradition relates that the system of castes to different body parts of the creator god Brahma. On the top is Brahmin, or priests, then warriors (of the Kshatriya class), traders (of the Vaishya class) and laborers (of the Sudra class). The early Bantu social structure is simply based on kinship due to the low population, usually the higher status will bring higher power to the family, the man of the most prominent family would become the chief. As the population grows more complex political system was formed and the idea hierarchy was
Lastly, Hindus have a social class system in which you are born into and you can’t get out, in india you have to be very lucky, for if you are born into the lowest caste you are bound there
The second system of stratification is a caste system. This system is also a closed system like slavery system. In this system is based on ascribed status which are trails or characteristics that people possess as a result of their birth or are given a set status by society also. That’s means that people don’t earn or choose their status, and they can’t
Caste System is a social system based on ascribed statuses, which are traits or characteristics of people at birth. The ascribed status includes race, gender, nationality, body type and age. The caste system ranks people so rigidly. A person cannot just change his caste any time he wants.