scholarly journals Social, Historical and Psychological Realism in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Dr. Ram Janam
Keyword(s):  
Indian Society ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Psychological Realism ◽  
Realistic Picture ◽  
Inferiority Complex ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Small Things

The God of Small Things depicts realistic picture of the current issues of the typical Indian society. Arundhati Roy has tried her best to cover almost all the details of social and historical setting so that the readers may be able to acquaint with the pattern of living, daily routine, rites, customs, rituals and habits. The book explores how the small things affect people's behaviour and their lives. During that time in India, class was a major issue and still is in many parts of India. Inferiority complex is clearly visible in the interactions between Untouchables and Touchables in Ayemenem. The novel also shows that The Untouchables were considered polluted beings. Betrayal is also a constant theme in this story. Love, ideals, and confidence are all forsaken, consciously and unconsciously, innocently and maliciously, and these deceptions affect all of the characters deeply.

scholarly journals Intermingling of History and Politics in The God of Small Things

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Md. Abdul Momen Sarker ◽  
Md. Mominur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Indian Culture ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Political Condition ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Democratic Election ◽  
Small Things ◽  
First Time

Suzanna Arundhati Roy is a post-modern sub-continental writer famous for her first novel The God of Small Things. This novel tells us the story of Ammu who is the mother of Rahel and Estha. Through the story of Ammu, the novel depicts the socio-political condition of Kerala from the late 1960s and early 1990s. The novel is about Indian culture and Hinduism is the main religion of India. One of the protagonists of this novel, Velutha, is from a low-caste community representing the dalit caste. Apart from those, between the late 1960s and early 1990s, a lot of movements took place in the history of Kerala. The Naxalites Movement is imperative amid them. Kerala is the place where communism was established for the first time in the history of the world through democratic election. Some vital issues of feminism have been brought into focus through the portrayal of the character, Ammu. In a word, this paper tends to show how Arundhati Roy has successfully manifested the multifarious as well as simultaneous influences of politics in the context of history and how those affected the lives of the marginalized. Overall, it would minutely show how historical incidents and political ups and downs go hand in hand during the political upheavals of a state.

scholarly journals Sensibility of the Novel “The God of Small Things” Personifies Realities where Meaning Plays the Protagonist

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Imam Alam Khan
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Figurative Meaning ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Small Things ◽  
Local Languages

<p><em>The novel, “The God of Small Things”, is a Booker Prize winner fiction. It is obviously a thought-provoking novel with an apparent viewpoint. It is</em><em> </em><em>a novel by Arundhati Roy, an Indian</em><em> </em><em>writer. The novel is a story of stories where conflicting ideas of various subjects play vital roles. The subjects appear to be really striking. The style is marvelous. The plot construction is excellent, and the characterization is superb. Language is unique. It’s a worldwide acclaimed novel. The novel speaks on subjects like love, madness, joy, cast-discrimination, women’s exploitation and most importantly the conflict between the Laltain (lantern), the big people, and Mombatti (candles), the small people, which represent the class antagonism. All these antagonisms transform into a meaning. The novelist projects so many meanings together and tries to weave a story on Ammu, the protagonist of the novel. She has created a world where the readers feel the conflict between the social antagonisms and emotional meanings.</em><em> </em><em>The novelist, Arundhati</em><em> </em><em>Roy, has tried her best to evolve a literal as well as a figurative meaning of emotions. The readers feel spellbound emotions when they start reading the novel and pass through the strong throng until they finish the novel. The novelist succeeds in making her readers feel a trance. They emotionally find themselves in a pang of emotions which remains until the end of the novel. Though the novel is full of many obscurities where the readers fail to understand the obscure images and local languages in the novel, yet they feel satisfaction at the end as it discusses sensibility of the society.</em><em> </em><em>The reality apparently transforms itself into a crystal clear meaning of life which is very vital to the novelist as well as to the readers. The meaning of life, reality, appears like a protagonist. Hence, the novel under research is under scrutiny about the idea of reality appearing like protagonist.</em><em> </em><em>It is undoubtedly a very successful novel. Readers have liked it very much. The critics have found it interesting. It has been the best seller, too. Thus, this research is trying to find out the answer of the question, Is</em><em> </em><em>the novel really successful in arousing a sensibility? Is the meaning of life appears life-like? Does it personify reality of life? Consequently, this research paper has tried to find out the answers for the posted queries. </em><em>Moreover</em><em>, the obvious answer is, yes it does. It personifies the realities of the tragedies of the protagonists: Ammu and Velutha.</em></p>

Feministic Analysis of Arundhati Roy's Postmodern Indian Fiction: The God of Small Things

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-164
Author(s):  
A. Hariharasudan ◽  
S. Robert Gnanamony
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Generation Family ◽  
Paper Review ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Small Things

Objective - The aim of the research is to identify the feminist strains in the postmodern Indian Fiction The God of Small Things (TGST). The researcher has planned to investigate the text systematically for seeking feministic values. Methodology/Technique - The study reviews previous literature. Findings - Gender bias and feminism are relevant themes explored by postmodernists. Arundhati Roy portrays the predicament of women through her female characters belonging to three generations in this novel. In the novel, a sense of antagonism and division also infuse the difference senses of identity among the different generation of women. It also generates a line of the clash between the older and the younger generation. Family and political customs play a key role in disadvantaging women. Social constrains are so built up as to sanctify the persecution of women. This is because, in most of the civilizations, social structures are basically patriarchal. Arundhati's novel challenges this position, though her avowed feminist stance. Novelty - Women across the globe worldwide, nationwide, regionally and may be capable of holding the influential note of feminism and being capable of deconstructing a constructive implication of their own femaleness and womanhood after reading this paper. Type of Paper: Review Keywords: Feminism; Gender Bias; Patriarchal; Postmodernism; Downtrodden. JEL Classification: B54, H83.

Exploitation and Subjugation of Women in ‘The Dark Holds no Terrors’

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 40-42
Author(s):  
Nazia Rashid ◽  
◽  
Dr. Anshu Raj Purohit ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Women ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Parental Love ◽  
Shashi Deshpande ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given

Shashi Deshpande has been the champion of the disquietude and struggles of women. Her works, very indisputably depict the various roles of women in their life as a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, , a daughter-in-law and so on. Her works can’t be called directly feminist since her works are not against man; in fact, her novel depicts the dilemma of the new educated modern working women in the traditional Indian society. This present paper attempts to critically analyse the selected novel of Shashi Deshpande _The Dark Holds No Terrors. The focus of the paper is to present why women are no longer afraid of darkness and why women are really oppressed in the society. Women, for ages altogether, have been subjected to exploitation and suppression; their lives have been spent in the darkness and thus, they are not afraid of darkness instead they feel comfort in the dark and even they feel estranged from others due to suppression by the patriarchal society. The study also attempts to highlight the fact that women are denied rights not only because of the circumstances but also because women themselves suppress other women and use men as instruments. The Dark Holds No Terrors is the story of Sarita, often referred to as Saru in the novel, and her disruptions and conflicts. The novel reveals the life of Sarita who is always neglected and ignored in favour of her brother. She is not given any heed-no parental love is shown upon her even on her birthdays. Her brother’s birthdays, however, are celebrated with full enthusiasm including the performance of the religious rituals. When her brother is drowned, she is blamed for it. Feminine sensibility is an appealing quality in literature. Almost all the writers in India express and expose this quality in their writings. The renowned novelist Shashi Deshpande is no exception in portraying this aspect in her novels. In this study, an attempt is made to study Shashi Deshpande’s women protagonists as portrayed in her novels, with a view to understand and appreciate their trials and tribulations under the impact of the conflicting influence of tradition and modernity. It critically analyses their response to the emerging situation in life so as to fit themselves in the contemporary society. The study considers the problems of her characters which have had to contend with the given situation.

scholarly journals Resistance and Identity in The God of Small Things Written by Arundhati Roy

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-75
Author(s):  
Saman A. Dizayi
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Colonial Era ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Colonial Legacy ◽  
New Community ◽  
Small Things ◽  
Identity Suppression

This paper presents an analysis of the novel "The God of the Small Things" written by Arundhati Roy. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate the idea of resistance and identity that have been described in the novel by the novelist. It will be demonstrated in this novel that how the resistance against the traditions and norms of post-colonial era is related to the self-realisation. There are different kinds of resistance that have been depicted in the novel at various circumstances. In Postcolonial context identity is a complex concept to be located in just a simple definition or to be investigated throughout a single theoretical approach.  Resistance as a concept linked to the identity question. The Novel handles this notion and throughout its plot, besides the burden that is left from the colonial legacy, gender identity comes to the surface. Though women resistance appears as a reaction with identity suppression; yet it is a reflection of self-identification of gender inequality under patriarchal traditions inherited from long dominant masculine power. This paper elaborates on each type of resistance and activism that arises against the feudal and patriarchal forces structured by the economic and politically influential people in the new community as a sample in India after postcolonialism. Consequently, one of the points that the research ends with is that the act of resistance validates the pursuit for self-identity, which is an attempt to renown, reclaim and rename the world.

scholarly journals “You are the victims, not the perpetrators”: Narrating Violence and Trauma in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 244-257
Author(s):  
Anja Mrak
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Caste System ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Trauma Narrative ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Traumatic Memories ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Small Things

In her 1997 novel The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy confronts the problem of caste violence, inextricably bound up with other practices of social domination such as patriarchy, racism, colonialism and neocolonialism, through a complex narrative structure. The conventional story about a tragic love between a woman from a higher caste and a member of the untouchables skilfully evades cliché patterns by employing eccentric focalisers, as we experience most of the story through the lenses of multiple-person narrators, twin brother and sister, Rahel and Estha, magical realism, and a disjointed narrative full of prolepses and analepses which subtly renders traumatic memories. The novel is structured as a prototypical trauma narrative and stages a confrontation with an unresolved traumatic event from which Rahel and Estha have been recovering since childhood. Roy deftly transposes the dualism of caste purity and impurity onto the narrative structure. The narrative is caught within a duality (symbolised already by the twins) and a perpetual repetition which represents not only the eternal return of trauma but also the constant tension which derives from the hegemony of the caste system and the violence it produces. The biopolitics of social mechanisms and structures which disciplines the individual’s body, controls his actions, rectifies and sanctions transgressions is at the heart of the novel. It raises the individual into obedience and restraint with the help of state institutions, and regulates them into an inconspicuous collective body in the name of security, unity and higher common goals. Socio-political mechanisms are legitimised and reaffirmed through violence as well, which is not understood as such, but rather as a necessary “measure” and “duty” to uphold the law.

Female Illiteracy Being a Root Cause of Gender Discrimination and Violence as Mirrored by Arundhati Roy in her Novels

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Danish Sulaeman ◽  
Abdul Halim Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Indian Women ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Education Of Women ◽  
Small Things

The gender discrimination and women’s right’ issues are among the most prominent challenges still facing by India even in the 21st century. According to many reports, abuse of women is the biggest human rights violation in India. In this qualitative research paper, I am going to examine how the illiteracy of women cause women issues in India from the perspective of Arundhati Roy’s novels. In present India, even after its Independence, women illiteracy in Indian society is at its worst. In order to understand how illiteracy creates challenges for women in Indian society, I will study the views and experiences of Arundhati Roy as she presented in her novels. I will be using a qualitative research methodology to analyse and collect the relevant data using the textual analysis method. For this minor research, I will read and analyse the two novels written by Arundhati Roy namely, The God of Small Things (1997) and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017). There is a two-decade gap between these novels and this will help us to understand the changes experienced by Arundhati Roy in terms of female illiteracy and its effects. At the end of this study, I will reveal the position of illiteracy that had changed over the two decades (1997-2017) and how women’s issues were resolved. The significance of this study is to create an awareness among the readers on the importance of education of women in India. This paper depicts how the illiterate Indian women are facing problems and violence in their daily lives and how we used literature (novels) education to raise and build their personalities in order to contribute fruitfully in Indian society.

scholarly journals Feministic Analysis of Arundhati Roy's the God of Small Things in the Light of Post Colonialism

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 172-181
Author(s):  
Shiva Zaheri ◽  
Sayyed Rahim Moosavinia
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
English Language ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
Post Colonialism ◽  
Small Things

This paper attempts to analyze the mentioned novel based on postcolonial studies in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things.  The concepts that can be mentioned in this novel are history, diaspora, hybridity, the role of women in Indian society, globalization, resistance and orientalism. These concepts are used from postcolonial theorists, Edward W. Said and Homi K. Bhabha.Prominent issue is the role women in Indian society, because there are several female characters, such as Ammu, Rahel, and so on in TGST. Economic growth causes change in Ayemenem. It becomes a globalized community. Postcolonial resistance is an important issue in the novel. When Roy uses English language which it is a colonial language, she does a kind of resistance against colonization itself. Roy refers to the children’s life as a means of resistance.

scholarly journals Political and Gender issues in Arundhati Roy’s "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness"

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danish Suleman ◽  
Abdul Halim Mohamed ◽  
Md. Firoj Ahmmed
Keyword(s):  
Land Reform ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Reformer ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Lgbt Community ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Right

Arundhati Rao is an acute observer of the very fabric of Indian society. He is an activist and social reformer for the marginal, downtrodden and a revolutionary spark for the 21st century litterateurs. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is the second novel of Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy which is published in 2017 after twenty years of the publication of his debut novel The God of Small Things. The novel recounts some of the egregious events of Contemporary Indian history such as land reform, 2002 Godhra train burning and Kashmir insurgency as well. It illustrates the sufferings, pain and the right of the LGBT community in contemporary India. The novel also incorporates many social and political events occurred in India and other parts of the world against the backdrop of its story. The paper argues upon the political and gender issues with the reference of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Rao.

Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (TGST): Diaspora

SIASAT ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
Shiva Zaheri Birgani ◽  
Maryam Jafari
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
Literature Culture ◽  
Small Things ◽  
Made In

This paper attempts to analyze the mentioned novel based on postcolonial studies in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things.  The concepts that can be mentioned in this novel are history, diaspora, hybridity, the role of women in Indian society, globalization, resistance and orientalism. These concepts are used from postcolonial theorists, Homi K. Bhabha . Colonization is a period of time. This is history itself. In developing the dominance of colonization, writers played a main role. Knowledge and power are the dominating themes that over-rule the deep nature of imperialism and literature. These themes indicate the superior literature, culture and tradition as the standard form of acceptance. Colonization is a period of time. This is history itself. In the result of the colonization, the migration and transition were not avoidable issues. Therefore, in this displacement, the new identity has been made. People’s customs, cultures and beliefs are mixed with colonizers’ unconsciously. India is a multicultural country. There are many various cultures in this country. And also during the colonization and the dominance of Britain over India, the changes were made in its customs and cultures. Arundhati Roy is an Indian writer and female activist.

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