Social Realism in God of Small Things

In the story, it is clear that the Strain sociological theory clearly presents itself. This theory argues that depending on person’s situation in the society, one reacts differently to the difficulties that face them in the achievement of their objectives. The theory categorizes people in the society to tow broad categories. These are the poor and the rich, with the poor being the ones who strain the most in an attempt to accomplish their

The increase in interest to the problem of communication in sociology actualized questions of understanding the nature of the individual. This determined the weakening of the behaviorist tradition, which is characterized by a nihilistic attitude to the study of psychological processes and the determination of the human life as a manifestation of the externally observable behavior (by analogy with the animal reaction). The interactionist approach in sociology has been formed and it refers to the integrity of the human personality and self-determination in the micro-social environment. In this research paper, I want to consider the interactionist theory, as it perfectly reflects micro-social processes and explain the nature of human identity.

Mahasweta Devi’s short story, “Giribala,” is about the life of Giribala, a girl of Talsana village located in India. Born into a caste in a time when it was still customary to pay a bride-price, Giri is sold to Aulchand by her father. From this point on, we see a series of unfortunate, tragic events that take place in Giri’s life as a result of the circumstances surrounding Giri’s life. There are many issues in Giri’s life in India that Devi highlights to readers. First, the economic instability of the village leads to an extremely poor quality of life for the lower, working classes. Next, the cruel role of women determined by men in society is to either satisfy the sexual desires of men or to reproduce offspring who can work or be sold off to marriages. There are also other social norms and beliefs which discriminate against women that will be discussed.

The dominant idiom of Indian writing today is firmly entrenched in pain, anxiety of displacement, nostalgia, yearning to belong to roots, and so on. Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things and Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss are two such novels that explore the tragedy of man on several levels using different perspectives. Both the novels are about averted culture-clash tragedies, homogeneity vs. heterogeneity, and about Indian sensibilities.

Arundhati Roy was born in 1961, her mother a Christian woman a native of Kerala and her father was Hindu from Bengal. Because of the divorce of her parents, Arundhati spent her early years in Aymanam with her mom. The influence of her childhood years are revealed her writings structurally and thematically.

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” noted famous actor-turned- quadriplegic Christopher Reeves. In an interview he said “I set impossible goals for myself because when I succeed or even surpass, I know I can challenge myself even more.” This is one example of how challenges define can show our true characteristics, such as Reeve’s courage and perseverance. However, challenges can test our love for one another. Dana Reeves, the wife of Christopher was faced with the challenge of taking care of her now quadriplegic husband, and instead of abandoning him, supported him. The Reeves are just one example of how coping with challenges can not only show our true

This upheaval of identity can be seen in way the colonial trauma pervades the social, political, and cultural environment depicted in The God of Small Things. The social, political, and cultural environments in turn invade the lives of the characters of the novel. The Indian caste system and the love laws, for instance, are driving forces in one of the main conflicts of the novel. The caste system, which was existed in its present form in the novel due to the British colonists favoring certain castes above others, categorized groups of people within Indian society and classified some as superior to others, with the Untouchables being the lowest classification of the human. The love laws determined “who should be loved, and how. And how much” (Roy 33). These histories work in tandem to create the tragedy of Ammu, the twins’ mother, and Velutha’s, an Untouchable and friend to the twins, doomed relationship. Because of these socially constructed class structures, Ammu and Velutha’s relationship was forbidden and when Velutha’s father, Vellya, informs Mamacchi and Baby Kochamma of their relationship, they are completely horrified. Vellya’s relationship with the Ipe Family also somewhat parallels the colonized people’s relationship with the colonizer. Vellya, as an Untouchable, occupies a lower social position than the Ipe Family and sees them as superior. By informing the Mamacchi about her daughter and his son’s relationship, he maintains the social class structures and the

This essay focuses on the theme of forbidden love, The God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy. This novel explores love and how love can’t be ignored when confronted with social boundaries. The novel examines how conventional society seeks to destroy true love as this novel is constantly connected to loss, death and sadness. This essay will explore the theme of forbidden love, by discussing and analysing Ammu and Velutha's love that is forbidden because of the ‘Love Laws’ in relation to the caste system which results in Velutha’s death. It is evident that forbidden love negatively impacts and influences other characters, such as Estha and Rahel, which results in Estha and Rahel’s incestuous encounter.

Arundhati Roy’s novel The God of Small Things presents the reader with the realities of Marxism. Roy gives the reader an impression of three possible manifestations of the ideology, rather than presenting a biased reading for or against Marxism. Through Roy’s novel the reader comes to understand Marxism as it appears through Velutha, the oppressed worker, Chacko the Marxist-in-name only, and Comrade Pillai, the corrupt politician.

In conclusion The irony shown in this book about corruption, oppression of the poor, reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India help portray our understanding of this novel. The corruption shown in the book is the teacher stealing the student’s money and the school inspector getting a question that he asked wrong. The reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India is shown in the book there was framing involved and no doctors in government hospitals. last but not least is the oppression of the poor is

In The God of Small Things, Roy explores the idea of breaking boundaries by personifying the setting, focusing on everyday events, and manipulating the characters within society. The most predominant boundary in the novel remains the rigid social classes known as the caste system in Indian society. Roy gives each character a specific role to bring out the importance of the Love Laws, which set behavioral margins within the society.

The God of Small Things (TGOST) by Arundhati Roy and Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson are two novels set in societies where females are significantly of lesser value and oppressed by male figures. TGOST is an Indian novel following the Ipe family and their interactions during adverse situations. Tiny Sunbirds Far Away shows the struggles that Blessing and her family endure when moving from their wealthy apartment in Lagos to a complex in countryside Nigeria. Through their respective novels, Roy and Watson explore the detrimental effects the dominance males have over women both in family and society have on a female’s identity. Such effects are revealed through spousal issues between the older generation, the dependency that women have on men and the unequal treatment of children in a family.

Unlike other writers such as Mulk Raj Anand, Arundhati Roy presents politics as a very complex force. It is operative at different levels. This politics begins with home. This is manipulated by different people for different ends. The novel portrays the forces of power working in alliance in the novel.

In the first few excerpts from Al Biruni’s India – an informative text on his observation of Indian life – Al Biruni sets up the stage for his readers to develop a mindset necessary to understand his description of Indian culture, philosophy, language, etc. In this paper, I will establish that Al Biruni’s experience, and hence his explanation of India should have been considerably impacted by his sociopolitical standing. At the same time, I will make the case that despite of his keen efforts to limit his text to informative purposes, he fails to prevent his out-group bias from appearing in his writing.

Another theme that is developed by the author relates to class and society. It is worth noting that the theme is painted as having significant impacts on family members. The characters in the article “The God of Small Things” are in most cases seen to come against the forces of