Irene Hughes 430086805

The God Of Small Things Reflection

The novel, The God Of Small Things, written by Arundhati Roy is based on the lives of twins Rahel and Estha, and the events taking place in their hometown of Kerala, India. The notion of the construction of the fictive self is evident in the novel through the prominence of the caste system, with the Touchables, Papachi and his family, and the Untouchables, Velutha and other Paravans. The state of Untouchability is evident throughout the novel, especially in the second chapter, Papachis Moth, when Roy describes Papachis actions towards Paravans. Papachi would not allow Paravans into the house. Nobody would. They were not allowed to touch anything that Touchables touched (Roy, 1997, p. 73). This emphasises the fact that Untouchability is forever carried by Paravans and dictates their actions within a society (Lane, 2006), thus causing Touchables to construct their fictive selves around this image of the Untouchables, identifying themselves as being of higher status and higher importance compared to Untouchables such as Velutha. Papachi effectively conveys the older, more conservative values held in Indian society with regards to the Caste system, whereas Ammu, Rahel and Estha are more lenient with the state of Untouchability in their interactions with Velutha; with the twins often visiting Velutha and playing games with him, unaware of the societal views of Paravans. This creates much stigma within the family, unsure of whether they should accept the new ways or continue treating Untouchables the way society does, again adding to the construction of the fictive selves; should Mamachi and Baby Kochamma stop Estha and Rahel from associating with Velutha and keep the caste system in place in the Ayemenem House, abiding to societal constructs, or should they attempt to remove the barriers between Touchables and Untouchables, keeping their own morals and values? Veluthas father, Vellya Paapen, also demonstrates the extent to which the caste system guides their lives and the construction of their fictive selves. Vellya Paapen feared for his younger son. He couldnt say what it was that frightened him. It was nothing that he had said. Or done. It was not what he

Irene Hughes 430086805

said, but the way he said it. Not what he did, but the way he did it (Roy, 1997, p. 76). This expresses the ways that society has forced Paravans to construct their fictive selves, always conscious of their interactions with Touchables, and paranoid about everything they say or do, ensuring that they associate with Touchables in the correct way. Vellya is conscious of his sons interactions with the Ayemenem family, scared for Veluthas safety, teaching him the correct way to speak and treat Touchables, thus constructing their fictive selves based on the way they should treat the Touchables, and what is expected of them in society. This is again shown in the novel when Vellya finds out about his sons affair with Ammu, and immediately seeks Mamachi to return his glass eye that was loaned to him, and asks for forgiveness on behalf of Velutha. Vellya identifies himself as an Untouchable, abiding to the system that dictates how Untouchables should act in society, whereas Velutha wants to remove the caste system, becoming a cardholder in the Marxist Party, and entering into an affair with the Touchable Ammu, challenging the system and constructing an individual fictive self, not as an Untouchable.

Irene Hughes 430086805

Bibliography
Lane, R. J. (2006). The Optical Unconscious: Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. In R. J. Lane, The Postcolonial Novel (pp. 97-108). Cambridge, Malden: Polity Press. Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. London: Flamingo.