ANVESAK

UGC Care Group 1 Journal

ISSN : 0378 – 4568
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS" BY ARUNDHATI ROY

Niraj Dang
Assistant Professor, University Deptt.of English, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag,
Jharkhand

ABSTRACT

Women's sexual harassment is influenced by a variety of factors.The first and most powerful
source of power for scheduled caste women is their depression, which stems from the fact
that they are scheduled caste. They are members of India's original community, which arrived
in the country long before the arrival of outsiders. As a result, they are known as the
scheduled caste (untouchables), people who have lived on the land since the beginning. The
purpose of this article is to examine and discuss Roy's perception of women's identity in
current Indian society through some selected pieces in God of small things. This is shown
through a re-examination from the perspective of modern Indian women. The current
research has focused on the effects of industrialization on the lives of Indian Kara lite
women.

The second focus of this research has been to demonstrate how some of Arundhathy Roy's
fictional works have described and portrayed the social inequality that existed in Indian
Karalite throughout the time period under consideration. Indeed, in order to attain its goal,
this research article drew on feminist and new historicist theories while attempting to connect
Roy's picture of women to that of current Indian women.

Keywords: The image of women, portrayal of women, contemporary Indian women.

INTRODUCTION

"Arundhati Roy was born on 24 November 1961 in Meghalaya, India. Her father, Rajib Roy,
was a Bengali Hindu and her mother, Mary Roy, was a Syrian Christian "and a legendary
social worker from Kerala. "The God of small things is a semi-autobiographical novel". She
was the first woman to bag The Booker Prize for her novel The God of Small Things in 1997
[1]. In January 2006, she became the proud recipient of the SahityaAkademi Award. Roy,
through her work, not only penetrates deep into the psyche of the readers by way of her
extraordinary art of imagination, but she also addresses the socio-political issues which form
the framework and sometimes become a major concern for society [2] [3]. "Arundhati Roy is

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one of the foremost novelists of the feminist tradition, showing exceptional awareness of
social crises and thoughtfulness towards societal tribulations, obstructions and
complications‟. Shebrings to surface the challenges which have been faced by women in our
society on account of conservative mind sets, through her thought provoking and intensive
work, The God of Small Things [4] [5]. The God of Small things is a realistic portrayal of the
status of Indian women, their manifold anguishes and torments, concerns and uncalled for
pressure not only from society but at times even from their ownfamily –the family they were
raised in. It shows a woman‟s constant struggle toseek a sense of „identity‟ and establish her
individuality in a completely hostile and avaricious society [6]. The societal status of
mosttypical Indian womenis very unsteady, insecure, uneasy and drowned in distress. It is
quite evident in the major characters of the novel like Ammu, Rahel, Mammachi, Baby
Kochamma and Margaret Kochamma [6].

The book delineates four generations. We don‟t get to know much regarding the women of
the first generation [7]. In the second generation fall Baby Kochamma and Mammachi."Baby
Kochamma, the daughter of the Reverend E. John Ipe". This couple gave birth to many
children, but only two were alive. At the age of eighteen, she became infatuated with a genial,
charismatic and captivating, young Irish monk, Father Mulligan. She found him magnetic and
enticing. Herpassion was so strong that she went to the extent of converting herself into a
Roman Catholic. She did so to remain in close proximity with Father Mulligan, but on the
contrary, she failed. To keep her away from Father Mulligan and to change her mind, she was
sent for further studies across the seven seas [8]. However, distance could not change her
feelings. She took good care of her own self even while she was sent away there (that shows
how vane and conceited she was, as most women at that particular age are) [9] [10]. The
underlying message conveyedhereis that most young women seek male attention and they
resort to all sorts of means to grab it. They yearn to see the sudden light of appreciation and
suppress a raw desire to continue being physically attractive and admired by their masculine
counterparts. Baby Kochamma had the habit of writing a diary and she used to write every
day in it: "I love you, I love you". She remained in constant contact with him and he too
reciprocated. However, after his death, Baby does not drift to the window mourning her lost
love; instead, on the rebound, her attention is gratified by applying make-up, winning
lotteries and watching color TV. She is seen behaving "like a teenager at the age of eighty

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ISSN : 0378 – 4568
three as Rahel observes that it's like Baby Kochamma is living her life backwards" (1.136
Roy) [11].

Ammu is depicted as a tragic figure, a woman battling her family, motherhood, and
society."InAmmu, the novelist has shown, with compassion, a woman, a feminist trapped in a
conflict with her family, society, and unfortunately with herself," writes RangaRao (The
Hindu, September 23rd, 1997).Her shattered marriage, her rejection by her parents, her love
for her children, and her womanly wants all contributed to her premature death. These are not
insignificant matters [12].

She tries to revolt against these dictatorial forces and meets a horrible end as a result. Chacko,
Mr. K.N. Pillai, Inspector Thomas, and others are mentioned by Reena Kothari in her article
"The Multiple Power Structure in Ayemenem." [13]

Mathew, Baby Kochamma, PappachiMammachi, and others are in charge of destroying little
items."Roy introduces the power structure in society and shows how the more powerful
victimise the less powerful as there is gender oppression, oppression of the lower caste,
subjugation of children, police atrocity, and the hypocritical Marxist Leader Mr. Pillai who
does Roy should be commended for his accurate depictions of her characters, whether
Mammachi, Pappachi, Chacko, or Baby Kochamma. [14]

Multiple power hierarchies are reminiscent of our own culture, where Chackos and
Mammachis wield control over the weak and powerless "(136). In his article "The God of
Small Things: A Study of English Influence on Indian Culture," Nazma Malik identifies the
contradiction of Indian and English issues, which is similar to Kothari's viewpoint: [15]

"The Indian-English Conflict is shown throughout the narrative.The God of the Little Things
is alive with the spirit of today's youth.It goes to various sacred cows, including the
Communist system, family, religion, and so on "(167) [16] [17].

Indira Nityanandam writes in her piece "God's Own Country: Kerala in the God of Small
Things" on the novel's popularity in Kerala, "Kerala retains a live, pulsing presence."We can
see how Roy succeeds at conveying the local flavour and incorporating it into the novel's
fabric.IfMalgudi and Yoknapatawa are imprinted in the memory of the reader, Ayememem is

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arguably more widely recognisable today than Kashmir. Kerala comes to life not only in
physical aspects, but also in the names, lovable words, and clothing of the characters [18].

Pappachi, Mammachi, Mon, Mol, Chachen, Chetan, and Kochamma all contribute to the
novel's Malayalee setting. Kerala is present not only in the physical, visible world, but also in
many more ways throughout the storey. The matriarchal family system is incorrectly
identified with Kerala as a whole, while it is mainly seen among the Nair community and
Travancore's erstwhile royal line.Roy is a master at generating a sense of place and weaving
it into the fabric of the story "(179). The novel's critical interpretation in light of Feminist
oriented consciousness raises the question of women's contested and investigated
independence. [19]

Apart from other thematic issues such as underlining the failure of Communism in Kerala and
atrocities committed against „Untouchables' in Communist-ruled Kerala, The God of Small
Things emphasises women's independence as a more significant theme to be noted [20].

Ammu, the main character, breaks society's laws in order to create her own world of freedom.
She has been a victim of gender discrimination in her family since she was a youngster, and
she recognises that social structures have an unavoidable influence on women's social
maturation [21].

Ammu's discovery inspires her to be a serious silent survivor in every part of her life. She
creates a space for Velutha, an untouchable, to experience equality in her efforts to explore
the world of freedom.

She recognises that the social situations of women and untouchables in India are nearly
identical. Ammu and Velutha are brought together by the sorrow and misery of
discrimination and victimisation. Ammu, who creates her own love laws, gives Velutha the
status of freedom that society has failed to grant [22] [23].

Ammu's attempts to pull Velutha into the world of love are thought to have disrupted
society's social hierarchical system. Every institution in society is outraged when a woman
dismantles the social framework. Her 'love rules,' which she enacted to establish a universe of
her own independence, eventually devoured her life.

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However, Ammu's efforts point to and confront fundamental flaws in society's
construction.Ammu's contestation and exploration of a universe of her independence is
outside the comprehension of Feminism's categorised conceptions [24] [25].

Alternative critical conceptions such as' Fourth World Feminism, 'which advocates for the
participation of women and untouchables of India in the creation of a world of freedom,
should be pursued.

Elain Showalter's observation lends credibility to this view.

"The voice we hear in God of Small Things is gentle, heavy, and continuous, with a genuine
accent of womanhood, one of the chorus of secret voices speaking out of our bones, awful
and bothersome yet instantly recognisable," she notes.

The topics in the books Wife, Interpreter of Maladies, Difficult Daughters, Raj, and The God
of Small Things should be evaluated in light of these Feminist perspectives.

Wife and Interpreter of Maladies, as they deal with the existential issues of immigrant women
in the West, are thematically representative of South Asian Feminism.Difficult Daughters and
Raj depict third-world Feminism by transporting us to India's pre-and post-colonial eras.
From a feminist viewpoint, India's evolving social transmission is examined.

The God of Small Things, with its emphasis on Dalit independence, sets the tone for Fourth
World Feminism. Feminist criticism arose directly from the 1916 women's movement.

Feminism has become an important part of contemporary literature, and the female
perspective, as expressed in women's writing of all kinds, is seen as more than just a valuable
link to an all-male view of the universe."The history of mankind is the history of recurrent
assaults and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, with the indirect purpose of
establishing an absolute tyranny over her," says one scholar. (Seneca Falls, 1848, Declaration
of Sentiments and Resolutions of the First Women's Rights Convention in America).

Religion is said to be a driving force for women's subjugation.Such observations and

perceptions can be found in the Holy Bible: "Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as to
the Lord (The Holy Bible.

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Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5: 22).For centuries, women's standing was
influenced by the Christian concept of womanhood.Women gradually lost control over their
lives, and as a result, they were denied not only human rights, but also humanity.

Women began to use the power of the pen as literacy spread quickly.With the release of
Feminine Mystique (1963), Betty Friedan, the mother of contemporary Feminism, ushered in
this new era."Women are an oppressed class," declared the new women's movement, which
had grown into a powerful political force. Our prescribed behaviour is enforced with strands
of physical violence, and we are exploited as sex objects, breeders, and domestic servants.
"(Encyclopaedia of Feminism, 42, Lisa Turtle.)

For two primary reasons, feminist texts were vital to the post-colonial debate.For starters,
both patriarchy and imperialism can be understood as exercising distinct types of dominance
over people who are submissive to them.

As a result, it was critical that the experiences of women living under patriarchal rule be
brought to light in order to reveal men's unjust harshness against them.It was important for
women to fight back against male dominance. We see that women have continued to define
community, class, and race boundaries.

They attempted to include feminism in their works. Despite the writers' best efforts to portray
women as powerful and determined in their desire to succeed in life, they were only able to
succeed in the space provided to them by the men. The characters in most modern novels
belong to feminism's third realm.

These characters were exposed to a changing socio-cultural environment. Traveling on

today's globe has made it easier for third-country women to gain empowerment. When
women became mobile, they were naturally inclined to become more dynamic, and as a
result, they became agents of societal change. In its broadest sense, "travelling" refers to the
conduct of mankind.

It has anything to do with gaining information. Men are always the travellers. Their trips have
always altered the global conversation. In its perception, the literature that arose from the
travellers is similarly patriarchal. Travelers to India such as Al Beruni, Fahien, Huien Tsang,

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and others provided a significantly different interpretation of Indian history that contradicted
the official version of history.

Though the travellers' history and literature had their own particular characteristics, they were
not without masculine perspectives. Third-world female writers counter this stereotype by
having their female characters travel around the world.

In the lives of the female characters described by third country women writers, every journey
initiates a new vision and generates a "new self." This view almost determines the theme in
Wife and The God of Small Things to a greater extent, and to a lesser amount in other novels.
Traveling allows women to transcend barriers such as gender, class, ethnicity, and caste.

CONCLUSION

Women are still far more likely than men to be poor and illiterate, despite numerous
international agreements asserting their human rights. They have less access to medical care,
home ownership, financing, training, and employment than men. They are significantly less
likely to participate in politics and far more likely to be victims of domestic abuse than men.

Women's empowerment is also critical to the prosperity of a country. Women make up half
of the population, thus progress will be impossible unless their demands and interests are
completely considered. At various eras, the Indian government wanted to enhance the living
conditions of women as a formal agency. Women's empowerment was aided by education in
this case. The work of missionary organisations in the sphere of women's education has
resulted in significant societal transformations.

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[3] Alieya. Perspective of an Indian Princess: Los Angeles: CAUSA, April 1, 2003.

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[4] Amin, Amina. “Text and Counter Text Oppositional Discourse in The God of Small
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[17] S. R. Bhosale, Image of women in Indian English fic- tion: A study of Anita Desai,
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