There are a few things to consider when discussing the novel’s title. On one hand, we can concentrate on the main portion of the title and think about the specific individual it may be referring to – the God of Small Things. All things considered, from Ammu’s fantasy, we get the possibility that the God of Small Things speaks to Velutha, the man whom she cherishes, regardless of the way that society will never accept them being together. In her fantasy (which happens in Chapter 11 and happens to be entitled “The God of Small Things”), Ammu dreams of a man with one arm who holds her near him: He could only do one thing at a time. “If he held her, he couldn’t kiss her. If he kissed her, he couldn’t see her. If he saw her, he couldn’t feel her.” (205)

When Ammu wakes from her dream, Rahel and Estha are there with her. Ammu notices a curl of shaved wood in Rahel’s hair and knows that the kids have been to see Velutha. She knows even more, “She knew who he was – the God of Loss, the God of Small Things. Of course she did.” (206) Velutha’s identity as the God of Small Things is fortified toward the end of the book when we find out about Ammu and Velutha’s first romantic encounters. Since they know it’s impossible for their love to exist, they never talk or consider the future, or what one may consider to be the “big things”; they just adhere to the present.

God of Small Things is a novel written by Arundhati Roy. The novel unfolds the lives of a family who lives in Ayemenem, a village in southwestern India. The novel follows two characters, Estha and Rahel, twins living with their divorced mother, Ammu. The main event of the novel involves their American cousin Sophie Mol who visits Ayemenem with her mother, Margaret Kochamma. We learn at the beginning of the novel that Sophie Mol drowns in the river by the family’s house. The rest of the novel pieces together the events that led up to her death and the aftermath that ensued, darting back and forth between Estha and Rahel’s childhood and adulthood in the process.

With a street-fighter’s unerring instincts, Comrade Pillai knew that his straitened circumstances (his small, hot house, his grunting mother, his obvious proximity to the toiling masses) gave him a power over Chacko that in those revolutionary times no amount of Oxford education could match. He held his poverty like a gun to Chacko’s head. (14.63-64)

In the novel society and class is shown through characters/parties in the novel. For example the communist movement basically represents the lowest members of society – the workers of the world – looking to break class lines and fight for their own rights, whether it means marching in the streets or taking more violent measures. While Estha and Rahel family is a high upper class in India culture, with Chacko running the pickle factory and having a education. While their family seems wealthy in India, in British culture the would be considered as one of the workers of the world, and be classified as low members of society.

A common reassuring phrase a child will hear growing up is that there is nothing they can do as a person to make their parents love them less. This phrase is usually used after a fight when a parent and child makes up.

In The God of Small Things, Ammu says to Rahel, “D’you know what happens when you hurt people? Ammu said. When you hurt people, they begin to love you less. That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less” (107).

This exchange of words from Ammu to Rahel stood out to me especially because it defeats everything most children hear throughout their whole childhood. In this scene, Ammu’s unconditional love is being taken away from Rahel after her careless and hurtful words.

Ammu says this to Rahel after Rahel disrespectfully and sarcastically recommends that she marry the Orangedrink Lemondrink man. This enrages Ammu and deeply offends her. In consequence, she tells Rahel that she loves her less now.

Throughout the book, Ammu is represented in many ways. Ammu places a lot of emphasis on how her children behave and wants them to be good. When Rahel shocks her with this disrespectful comment, she is ashamed and wants Rahel to know that she must behave better if she wants to be loved. Ammu acts this way because she wants society to see that a woman on her own can raise good children without a husband.

As a kid, Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies. I loved the whole story, the clothes, the colors, and especially the music. Watching it now, I can see clear examples of orientalism portrayed throughout the entire movie.

The most noticeable form of orientalism present in the movie is the combination of Japanese and Chinese culture. This is clearly visible by the clothing (Kimonos), white face makeup, and hair styles present throughout the movie. It is also seen in the song “Honor To Us All” by the way the ideal woman is portrayed.

Mulan is supposed to take place in China and be about the Chinese culture, but instead the creators mashed Japanese culture with Chinese. The idea of viewing many Asian cultures as similar or the same is an orientalist approach, when in fact Asian cultures are all very diverse and unique from one another.

Secondly, the way family honor is portrayed in the movie is a very orientalist view. The movie emphasizes and promotes self-sacrifice in order to keep a family’s honor. While family honor was and is a very important part of many Asian cultures, it does not mean that one should sacrifice their own important values for others. The way this concept of family honor is represented in the movie paints a picture that all Asian people will sacrifice themselves to honor their family and country.

Mulan is a form of orientalism, because the directors thought of Asian culture as one, and disregarded if cultures became mixed. In addition, the representation of self-sacrifice for family honor is seen as orientalism and is not how all Asian cultures are at all.

Despite the title of this blog post, I actually enjoy the set up of this book very much. When I read the first chapter, I remember feeling like there was a lot going on, but not in a hectic way, more like a lot of events were being thrown out with not a lot of details. Going in to class the next day, we were informed that everything talked about in the first chapter was actually the events of the rest of the book. I have never read a book even remotely like that, and at first, I didn’t know what to think.

But the more I read and the more I thought about it, that is a great way to get readers interested in the book. Especially recently, I have struggled with the motivation to read my English books, but the sneak peak that was revealed to us at the beginning, made it a lot easier to get hooked and want to know what happens next.

The one event that sticks out to me more than the others is the one with Estha and the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man. This name is mentioned in the first chapter, and as one might be, I was confused and intrigued. I did not know what this story would lead to and the dramatic events that would unfold, but the brief mention of these characters and their encounter prompted me to read a lot further.

I don’t think that this style and structure of writing is something that would work in every book. Obviously in a fiction or dystopia series, this structure would be very hard to manipulate without ruining the whole thing. But in this sense, Arundhati Roy did a fantastic job at telling a good story in a way that made it even more interesting and dramatic to read.

This novel took me into a very magical state of mind. Since this was Roy’s debut novel, we can really tell that there is a lot going on in it. Set in the late 1960s, the story begins with the funeral of a very young Sophie Mol, the cousin of Estha. Roy reveals the families tensions that led to the bad behavior and killing Sophie. While Roy’s powers of description are intimidating, the stress of a family death shows the social restrictions and boundaries that we face now. The character Ammu works in the family’s pickle factory in spite of which she and her kids are denied any rights, love, by Chacko.

“Maybe they’re right, Ammu’s whisper said. Maybe a boy does need a Baba” (196)

Right as we see the relationships become an importance in the book, the absence of other family members is powerful too. In this quote we see that other people are telling Ammu that she can’t do enough to play the role as a mother and father to Estha. Ammu is starting to believe it for herself that she can’t do an adequate job.

Firstly, my opinion of the novel could be higher. The God of Small Things had some brilliant moments of storytelling, but its nonlinear plot and slow pace often made it a confusing beast to read. The constant and unexplained time jumps often lead to my confusion, and from time to time, I felt dissatisfied by seemingly dull or flat characters. The characters could feel one dimensional, which would often block me from really connecting or empathizing with a character, with Velutha as an exception.

There was however, many insightful moments in the novel showing both the deep rooted self-loathing in the characters and revealing wisdom.

“Baron von Trapp had some questions of his own

(a) Are they clean white children?

No. (But Sophie Mol is.)

(b) Do they blow spit bubbles?

Yes. (But Sophie Mol doesn’t.)…

(e) Have they, either or both, ever held strangers; soo-soos?

N…Nyes. (But Sophie Mol hasn’t.)

‘Then I’m sorry,’ Baron von Clapp-Trapp said. ‘It’s out of the question. I cannot love them. I cannot be their Baba. Oh No.'”

Chapter 4 Page 101

This scene takes place while the family goes to see The Sound of Music after Estha returns to the theater from outside. He creates a scenario in his head contemplating if a fictional character would accept him. His own mind crushes him as he convinces himself that Baron von Trapp wouldn’t love him or Rahel. The reasons he decides that Trapp couldn’t be his father are heartbreaking. Estha’s believes that he can’t be loved because he isn’t a “clean” white child and because he believes he was at fault for being forcibly molested. He hates himself for his actions and appearance.

Another crucial aspect of this passage is that Estha doesn’t blame Trapp for his decision and takes the opportunity in his head to raise Sophie Mol on a pedastal. Despite knowing his answers wouldn’t please Trapp, Estha mentions, at least to himself, that Sophie Mol doesn’t share in the behavior that Estha has been taught to identify as barbaric. This behavior is simply being a child, but Estha was raised in a Eurocentric household that placed whiteness and Western culture over their own native culture. Even if Sophie Mol blew spit bubbles, she’d still be treated like princess because she was white and European.