27th Annual Student Research Conference
Childhood Trauma as a Postcolonial Device in The God of Small Things
Seth A. Emery
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Children are known for their creativity and resilience; the twins in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things are no different. Estha and Rahel suffer through the events of the novel with a bright-eyed quality only children possess. The use of child psychology interrelates with the postcolonial themes present in the story to both create and ease tension in the narrative. Through tragedy, Estha and Rahel emerge in the end of the novel broken, but somehow still whole. The link between the twins' psyche and their wretched surroundings is undeniable. In this paper I will explore the link between childhood trauma and postcolonial storytelling.
Keywords: Child psychology, Childhood trauma, Postcolonial literature, Twins, The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
Topic(s):English
Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 205-2
Location: VH 1320
Time: 9:45