Summary of Chapter Two of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Summary of Chapter Two of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The system of caste in India is a bond of union, but splits up the

society into sections. It revolves around the society's idea of what's

"clean" and "pure". It exists not only in the form of Touchability and

Untouchability but also gender difference and marital status. In

Kerala, the setting for The God of Small Things, the caste system is

deep-rooted; it has been made rigid by time and proliferated by the

colonial rule. As a result, inevitably, the caste system greatly

impacts the lives of the leading characters in the novel: Estha and

Rahel, Ammu and Velutha. In my essay, I am going to explore the nature

of the caste system and whom it affects.

The revulsion of Untouchability is so inherent in the post-colonial

society that even with the coming of the British, the untouchables in

general were not only unable "to escape the scourge Untouchability".

As Christians, "They were made to have separate churches, with

separate services, and separate priests" and it was considered "a

special favour (that) they were given their own separate Pariah

Bishop." Further more, "After Independence they found they were not

enititled to any Government benefits like job reservations or bank

loans at low interest rates, because officially, on paper, there were

(only) Christians, and therefore casteless."

The life of Velutha, an untouchable, is greatly impacted not only in

the way the other untouchables were. Since he was young, he had to

conform to acts of inferiority. He had to enter by "the back entrance

of the Ayemenem House to deliver the coconuts they [ Velutha and his

dad] had plucked from the trees in the compound" and was not allowed

into the ho...

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...een traditions and are afforded no real recognition as said in

what the novel calls "Locusts Stand I" or legal standing. Baby

Kochama, once again hated them for that. She called them "Half-Hindhu

Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry." As

a result, further on the novel, their lives were greatly affected by

her.

The caste system on the whole traumatizes and affects Roy's

protagonist's life in an unhealthy way. It took away the twin's need

to belong to someone and their identity and, later on the novel, their

childhood. It cost Ammu her love and her freedom. It deprived Velutha

of a bright future and somehow caused his death. This way, Roy is able

to let the reader see the atrocities of the caste system in India and

be more aware about the stereotypes the society made to "different"

people. Two thumbs and two toes up for Roy!