24th Annual Student Research Conference
The Caste of Arundhati Roy's Novel The God of Small Things
Ann N. Rice
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Arundhati Roy's novel The God of Small Things (1997) criticizes the social taboos of the caste system by confronting the reactions of the "Touchables," the socially accepted members of society, such as Baby Kochamma and Mammachi, to Ammu's affair with the "untouchable" Velutha. Baby Kochumma, Ammu's grand-aunt, files a false report claiming that Velutha had raped Ammu. Since Velutha is an untouchable, the false report is deliberately overlooked and Velutha beaten to death by the police. This paper will analyze how Roy's repetition of gender, caste and class discriminations emphasize her exposure of the pathology of power and the need for social change and social justice.
Keywords: Caste, The God of Small Things
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 38-5
Location: VH 1236
Time: 3:45