24th Annual Student Research Conference
Discriminatory Attitudes Toward Men's and Women's Sexual Needs in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things
Lauren A. Baker
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things portrays the societal hypocrisy toward men's and women's sexuality, exemplified in Mammachi's attitudes toward her son's and daughter's sexual transgressions. Ammu, the divorced mother of the seven-year-old twins, Rahel and Estha, falls in love with the Untouchable Velutha, her family servant and childhood friend who works at her family's pickle factory. Mammachi scorns and condemns her daughter when her relationship with Velutha is discovered. Chacko is her divorced son who invites women factory workers to his room for casual sex. Mammachi builds a separate entrance to Chacko's bedroom to facilitate her son's sexual needs and avoid bumping into the children of the house. This paper will demonstrate that Mammachi's actions, seeing Chacko's behavior as acceptable while she becomes so furious with Ammu that she locks her in her bedroom, emphasize the novel's message for equality of men's and women's sexual needs.
Keywords: The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy, Sex, Desires, Attitudes, Men, Women, Hypocrisy
Topic(s):Asian Studies
English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 14-2
Location: VH 1236
Time: 9:45