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Grace Ronnebeck
EDUC 300
Dr. Ubeda
November 25, 2019
Critical Reading Report

In the novel by Arundhati Roy, ​God of Small Things,​ we learn about a family from India

and how their heritage helps them get through life. The story follows siblings, Estha and Rahel,

and flashbacks and flashforwards surrounding the event of their cousin’s tragic death. Estha and

Rahel lead a very tough childhood with misfortunes and tragedies following them at what

seemed to be at every corner. This story deals with the boundaries surrounding the Indian Caste

System and its limitations that are placed on people based on where they are in the caste system.

I personally really liked this story. I loved the recurring themes that had to do with family

throughout the story. When it comes to the family for Estha and Rahel, they have learned that not

everyone in their family is willing to help or love them. When their father, Baba, tried to trade

their mother for a new job by promising his boss that she would sleep with him. Their father was

an alcoholic and had anger issues, he only cared about making a life for himself even if it would

cause harm for others. He beat his wife, the twin’s mother. He was one of the many reasons why

the twins had to learn fast that not all family members should be trusted. This theme is so

important in real life, and I think that is why I loved this theme in the book so much. In my life, I

always wanted to trust everyone in my family 100% because they were family and family is

supposed to look out for each other. As I got older, I quickly learned that not all family has your

best interest at heart, which is why even though they are family, it is best to keep those family

members at arms distance. That way they cannot hurt you. This theme is constantly present in the

story, and it was such a relatable and relevant theme.

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I really enjoyed the contributions that I feel this novel made with raising awareness of

Indian culture and their lifestyles. I felt that the novel was authentic and true to what their culture

and lifestyle were in the 20th century. The story was primarily set in India, with some flashbacks

and flashforwards to the states, but for the most part, it was set in India, so the characters were

very authentic and true to what it is actually like to live in India. The story takes place after the

caste system, India’s social class system was outlawed and was no longer considered to be a

legal way to run a society, the characters of the novel, like Estel and Rahel, were still limited by

societal norms and pressures. It was a true problem in India for people to live by the caste system

norms even after it was taken away. This made it difficult for people to move up in the world and

really do anything they actually wanted to do, instead, they were stuck in society’s boundaries

and they were unable to love who they wanted to love, only be around people in the same class

as them, and so much more. This novel really brought to light just how restricted people from

India are because of their ever-present societal pressures. I feel like the book did a great job of

depicting how limited the family was because of the class differences and because of society.

I think this novel did not create a “stereotypical” picture of the Indian culture what so

ever. The author was true to what life is like in India staying away from stereotyped content. One

stereotype about Indian people that is thrown out the window is the idea that all marriages are

arranged marriages. In the story, Estha and Rahel’s parents met on their own, fell in love, and got

married, just for their mom to find out that their father is not a nice man. They eventually got

divorced and went their separate ways. Then, Estha and Rahel’s uncle also married someone,

even though it was not arranged, but ended up getting divorced as well because of his wife at the

time, who developed feelings for someone else. These events go against the stereotype that
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marriages in India are all arranged and within social classes. Many times this can actually be the

case when someone marries within the social class, but it is not limited to only being within the

class.

I personally think that reading a book like this in a classroom with older students would

be a great way to promote inclusivity and diversity awareness in schools. Because it is so true to

what life is like in India if you read this as a class with your students you could use it as a

teaching tool to help promote inclusivity for students of minority groups in school. When

students are exposed to materials that have to do with minorities, it familiarizes them with the

culture and makes the culture seem less foreign. This can help to eliminate the fear of diversity

and fear of the unknown that comes with people being unwilling to be more inclusive with

minorities. If they read more materials that will educate them on the truth of different minority

cultures, then they would not be as ignorant and would be more open to diversity. Because of

this, I think that this book is a great tool to have in classrooms to help promote diversity

awareness and inclusion for minority groups because this novel really depicts an accurate picture

of Indian culture and lifestyles.

This book or a book similar to this could be used in a school curriculum when teaching

history. It could be used because of the constant presence of the effects of the caste system on the

family in the story. Even though the setting is set after the caste system had been outlawed, the

people of India were still stuck in the mindset and lifestyle that the caste system had influenced

for years before them. This book demonstrates how social class and society can affect and

influence a person’s life which is relevant all throughout history. It would be a great book to read

while teaching about social classes and the caste system during a history lesson.
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In conclusion, I think that Arundhati Roy’s novel, God of Small Things, is an excellent

book with great themes and lessons that can reach many audiences. It is a book that is true to the

Indian culture and shuts down stereotypical beliefs throughout the novel. The theme of family

and social class are very present throughout the book and are relatable for many different groups

of people. This book would be an excellent book to help promote diversity awareness within

classrooms because it is authentic and creates a very realistic picture of life in India. The family

depicted in the story set a wonderful example of living in India and I think that would make an

excellent read-aloud for a history lesson.