Cast system

When the twins find the boat, Roy uses the word white

repeatedly to describe the "boatworld" it sits in. Then as the

twins move it into the water, a white boat-spider drowns, but

her babies are released, only to be swept away. Readers

should recall that Velutha's name means "white" in the native

Malayalam language. It is a joke because he is so black. But it

is not funny. This boat, this spider, this love that Velutha will

share with Ammu—it will only end in tragedy. As fresh and pure

and new as the ideas seem, blackness will overtake it all and

sweep people away in the endless rush of an unfair caste

system.

Inspector Thomas Mathew also participates in the ruse. He

seems to know the story is not correct and is suspicious

enough to check with Comrade Pillai about Velutha and

whether or not the communists will try to protect him. The

inspector has his own reputation to guard, and he knows the

caste system is too powerful to go up against.

The

Marxists will lay siege to Paradise Pickles, and the factory will

close. Exactly how involved Comrade Pillai is in that will never

be known, but he will be the last person Velutha visits in his life.

Chacko is on edge about the whole communist movement

occurring in Kerala. As Roy explains, when he is in Comrade

Pillai's home, suddenly he feels disrespected for his wealth and

standing. Even though he claims he is not supportive of the

caste system, he comes from a long history of it, as a member

of its top layer. He wants to be viewed as an educated,

progressive person, but Pillai is more realistic about that.

"Rome was not built in a day," he reminds Chacko. It seems

clear that Pillai himself, although espousing equality for all, is

not willing to go against such a well-entrenched system, the

"centuries of oppression." The chapter makes the statement

that Pillai will betray Velutha, and ends with that betrayal

happening. The Untouchable will go to his death without any

support. It begins with his own father's betrayal and ends with

those in power refusing to help him despite their supposed

commitments to changing the system

However, Velutha continues to be mostly invisible in the world.

He leaves no ripples in the water, and he leaves no footprints

on the shore. Even though his actions are considered the worst

thing to happen in Ayemenem for a generation, he is an

Untouchable, not important enough to be seen in the world.

The relevance to The God of

Small Things is obvious. The "civilized" upper castes in India are

horrible to the lower castes, and horrible violence is about to

occur

The

beauty of nature and of the History House are juxtaposed

against the ugly brutality of the police officers' actions. Still,

Roy wants to be clear that the men feel justified in what they

do; they believe they are protecting the "Touchable Future."

Their actions are based on fear, fear of a change in their status

and in the fabric of the culture. They act to "inoculat[e] a

community against an outbreak."

Unlike Baby Kochamma or Inspector Thomas Mathew, Ammu

does try to take responsibility for what has happened, simply

by telling the truth. Yet the truth is not what people want to

hear, and so she is banished.