Annie Lam

7/15/08

English 1B

Tricomi

God of Small Things

The God of Small Things is a story about a family living in the town of Ayemenem,

India. It is a story about the loss of love, innocence and life. It is a story that shows how adult

corruption and scandals affect everyone around them, even those as innocent as children. Estha

and Rahel, a pair of “two-egg” fraternal twins share a connection so intimate and strong that it is

almost impenetrable. Through the twins’ experiences from childhood to adulthood, they learn

that “things can change in a day”, in other words, love and life can be lost at any moment.

One of the biggest and most important themes of the novel is the theme of “small things”,

which refers to the little details that nobody cares to acknowledge or talk about, like secrets,

promises, feelings, sins and little, seemingly insignificant activities. The “big things” are things

like family honor, political affiliations, caste systems, and marriage. Velutha, an Untouchable, is

referred to in the book as the God of Small Things, simply because he is unlike the rest of the

characters of the book. He cares more about the “small things” than the “big things” in life. As

young as they are, the twins represent the disciples of God of Small Things. Theoretically

speaking, they are one entity because their connection is so strong. Through meticulous critique

and close examination, this essay will reveal a bond between siblings that is so rare, they can

also be interpreted as the God of Small Things.

Although Estha and Rahel “never did look much like each other”, these twins described

themselves “together as me and separately, individually, as We or Us. As though they were a rare
breed of Siamese twins, physically separate, but with joint identities.” They share the same

consciousness. Letters need not be written because it is like “writing letters to a part of yourself.”

Their relationship is so close that there is no need for one another to communicate, for they

already know what is going on. One instance is when Estha gets molested by the Orangedrink

Lemondrink man at the talkies. It is from that moment on that Estha loses his innocence and

sense of safety. Upon seeing the Orangedrink Lemondrink man, Rahel already knows that he has

done something terrible to Estha. It is as if they both possess the power of clairvoyance, being

able to perceive beyond their senses without words.

It is unfortunate that these two children must witness what seven-year-olds should never

witness. Through shared pains such as witnessing their cousin Sophie Mol’s death, Velutha’s

beating, death of their mother Ammu, being seen as less worthy, and being called “millstones”

around their families’ necks, these experiences, easily scarring to one’s life, are things they both

identify well with. Together, they are united in the facet of family hardships and are reciprocally

supportive.

The theme of this book revolves mainly around the “small things”. Since the adults care

more about the “big things” like social class and family honor, “small things” are ignored by

them. “Small things” are brought to our attention by the children and Velutha, the God of Small

Things. One reason why he is the God of Small Things is because he is the only character

besides the twins who enjoys the “small things” in life. Although he is involved with “big things”

like being an Untouchable, he ignores his position in class and engages in “small things” like

playing with the children and having an affair with their mother, ignoring the consequences that

would ensue. Since Estha and Rahel are children, they are not tied to the world of “big things”,

thus only leaving them with the “small things” to deal with. They give readers a better idea of

what childhood innocence is. Their perception is much more simple and objective, which
eliminates the complexity that comes along with everything they see in the world. One example

is how Rahel hears language and tries to grasp the full meaning and trying to make sense of it.

Instead of saying “Thank God” as a sign of relief, she says “Thang God”. Her use of language

puts the audience inside the mind of a young child which makes it all the more real. We see

beauty in small things like going to the river and childhood fantasies because of the twins.

Although the twins only deal with the “small things”, they still have to bear the weight of

the “small”, sad things that come along in their family. All these “small things” accumulate and

takes away from their innocence each time. A “small thing” Rahel has to deal with is constantly

being worried and afraid about Ammu loving her “a little less”. This causes Rahel to evaluate her

own self-worth and becomes plagued with anxiety. Estha on the other hand, has to deal with his

molestation, which haunts him constantly. “He knew where to find Estha... It was a warning.”

His sense of safety is lost because he thinks the Orangedrink Lemondrink man is out to get him.

Another “small thing” the twins both have to deal with is witnessing the death of Velutha and

knowing he is innocent to the crime he is accused of. What probably hurt the twins more is

realizing later on that Estha have been manipulated into lying about it. All Estha and Rahel

have done is love a man who is not supposed to be loved. Through these series of unfortunate

events, Estha becomes silent. It is because he spoke that Velutha died. For every tribulation the

twins go through, a part of them is damaged and lost.

After being separated for twenty-three years, though not completely diminished, their

connection is now subtle. They have found their separate identities because they have matured.

Despite the lessened connection level, they are still a pair of siblings “who had never been shy of

each other’s bodies, but they had never been old enough to know what shyness is.” Estha and

Rahel do not feel embarrassed about his nakedness. This already gives a clue to what is to come.

In a fit of “hideous grief”, Estha and Rahel make love. The twins do not make love out of
passion, but as a way of expressing themselves through their bodies. All the years of grief and

trauma has left the twins broken and damaged. Their connection has not been the same since they

last saw each other. As a metaphor, the twins making love represents the twins compensating

each other for the years of emptiness and sorrow that resulted after many tragedies. They are now

liberated from the burden of the many sad “small things”.

This essay has considered one aspect of the novel that is hard to distinguish, which is

seeing that not only is Velutha the God of Small things, but the twins are as well. They share

their experiences discovering the small things and exhibiting them to readers as though Rahel

and Estha is one person. Their connection to one another is so strong, writing letters is

unnecessary. They share the same consciousness “separately, individually, as Weor Us.”