Preview

Sex and Violence in the God of Small Things Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
591 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sex and Violence in the God of Small Things Essay
Sex and Violence in “The God of Small Things”

“The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy, a novel taking place in India, is a story which revolves around the death of a young girl, Sophie Mol. The author wrote this based on the problems happening in India. Sex, and violence, two contrasting ideas, though they are the main themes throughout the novel. Beautiful yet appalling, such as; the molestation of a child, tragic affair, sexual trade, and incest.

In the novel, the family was going out to the theatre to watch The Sound of Music, being a child and enjoying the Musical so he sung along. Estha was told to be quiet, but he didn’t, so Ammu sent him out of the theatre, and told him to continue singing out in the cinema foyer. Estha went out and continued to sing the songs from the movie, by himself. He woke up the Orangedrink Lemondrink man, who was behind the counter sleeping. Soon, after the Man asked Estha to come to him, so Estha approached him. They had a chat, and he offered Estha a free drink, though Estha had to do something for him in return. It says on page 103, ““Now if you’ll kindly hold this for me,” the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man said, handing Estha his penis through his soft white muslin dhoti, “I’ll get you your drink. Orange? Lemon?”” (103)

We later find out that Velutha and Ammu has an affair. Though their affair was amazing, Velutha’s life ended with a catastrophic death. He was beaten up to death for having to confess about killing Sophie Mol, although, she drowned in the river, by accident. It wasn’t even Velutha’s fault.

In the novel, we then find out the reason why Ammu has left her husband. Her husband was an alcoholic, “Her husband turned out to be not just a heavy drinker but a full-blown alcoholic with all an alcoholic’s deviousness and tragic charm.”(40) Through this quote, Roy uses strong adjectives like “an alcoholic’s deviousness” and “tragic charm”. She also uses rich languange, such as a metaphor; “not just a heavy

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Raymond Carver’s “Little Things”, Carver utilizes an ironic title to portray a bleak setting of two people who were seemingly struggling with not only their relationship but their own mental and emotional stabilities. Carver’s ability to use symbolism to paint a picture that tells two stories simultaneously is quite profound. While reading about a man and woman who were trying to sever their relationship, it is discovered a bigger and possibly a darker situation exists, using symbolism. All big things are made of much smaller little things that can build up over time if ignored and as Carver shows us, this can be true as a negative aspect of life.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Thematic Synthesis of “The School Days of an Indian Girl” & “Size 6: The Western Woman’s Harem”…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Other Wes Moore

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages

    (Warning: This novel contains some explicit language. If this is an issue for you or your child, please contact the English Department Chair at karthur@bcps.org to discuss. An alternate assignment can be created.)…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    ‘The God of Small Things’, Arundhati Roy’s debut novel is now considered to be a world renowned literary sensation, mainly due to the distorted manner in which the story is told. Roy utilises the subversion of genre, a playful approach to language (especially when Estha and Rahel are concerned) and a complex temporal structure to portray a poetic retelling of “small things” and their importance. To fully appreciate the importance of the primary chapter we must reflect upon it with the rest of the novel in mind due to the non-linear chronology of the narrative.…

    • 1229 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The title of this book is "The Legacy of William Carey" written by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi. This book discusses William Carey's involvement in modernizing India with God's vision. It's a collection of 5 essays, the first 3 chapters are written by Ruth Mangalwadi, and is centering on the place of women in Indian society and how important Christianity was in their freedom from Hindu bondage. Ruth Mangalwadi paid particular attention to the issue of sati or widow burning on her husband's funeral pyre. Vishal Mangalwadi, concludes this book by writing chapters 4 and 5. Vishal Mangalwadi centers on the crucial elements…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Horrors of a Slave Ship

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Not long after this happened, Olaudah’s master lost his daughter and was so overtaken with grief that he sold Olaudah to a new master. This was where Olaudah’s life made a turn for the better. At his new master’s home, a surprise was waiting. This surprise was his sister, whom he had been separated from shortly after being captured. After a while of being…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The novel was written during 1884 and the author was even accused of misogyny but in his defence he was writing as a historian which was also apparent in Flatland where the historians in Flatland says that the destinies of Women and of the masses of mankind have seldom been deemed worthy of mention and never of careful consideration. The unequal treatment of women are not only confined in that period but is also present in almost all periods of time where patriarchy is practiced in certain societies, take for example the women in Indonesia where a certain society practice child marriage, girls aging from six and up are legible for marriage in their society, women are denied of education regardless of age and social status, women are regarded as inferior than men, this is seen and proven in Promoedya Ananta Toer’s short story written in the 1980’s where his main character, a girl of eight years old who cannot decide for herself was set up by her father to be married, she is regarded as the perfect wife because she is young, hardworking and does not question her master which is considered to be the stereotype of women in their society which their culture and traditions was built on patriarchy. When she was married it boosted her social status but the moment when she got divorce at the age of nine, her social status together with her marriage deteriorated, when she asked to work for her former master (a mother of her friend), she was denied because she was a divorcee, their society believed that if a woman is divorced, the blame automatically goes to back to her, even if the main character was being abused by her husband saying…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within the Hindu community there are multiple ways that women have become the property of the male figures in their lives, either it being their fathers, sons, and/or husbands. Traditionally, women are depicted as much more delicate that men, whom require the protection of her male figures. From a cultural perspective the woman’s virginity, while in her birth home, is one to be protected. Within the community these male influences are seen as the protectors, but in reality the woman is imprisoned. The refusal to speak about sexuality as well as physical and emotional changes that take place during growth years causes for many accounts of sexual abuse to go unreported. As a result of this the girl, whose mother has not spoken to her about basic issues like menstruation, is unable to tell her about a person who has made sexual advances towards her.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within the bible there are a distinctive and shocking amount of passages referring to Satan. More specifically, the topic of misogyny and barbarity towards women, which has sparked a lot of debate. Central to this debate, are the Pauline and duetero-Pauline epistles, which hold conflicting views upon Satan and the treatment of women. Within this essay 3 different texts will be analyzed and compared in relation with this topic. 1 Timothy, a duetero-Pauline epistle presents a view of the devil that is more similar to the Book of the Watchers, than it is to 1 Corinthians, a definite Pauline epistle. This seems to support the scholarly opinion…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Underserved populations

    • 382 Words
    • 1 Page

    I step off the train in Bombay, India. I look down at my feet where I notice my feet covered in dust from the dirty ground that resides beneath me. The dust is swirling around my ankles like a quiet storm and it is then that I notice the quiet around me. So small and tugging at the very bottom of my shirt is how I first noticed her. She is a young, quiet girl and she is staring up at me – dead on. She is begging for attention. At first, I am not sure what to make of her. I look at her, long. I cannot help but notice her protruding stomach and her jutting bones that signal both starvation and desperation. Her clothes are ragged, and ripped, and they make life’s appreciation become real. I glance around and see hundreds of both children and adults looking the same way. She pulls her hands to her mouth signaling she is hungry and asking for food. It was then, in a mere moment, life seized around me.…

    • 382 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In her novel “The God of Small Things”, the functionality of God is limited to those who are chosen to be loved. The stringent segregation of those deserving of God’s love and those who are not creates conflict as love prevails to be the powerful force that disregards such institutionalized laws and societal conventions. Roy’s novel explores the consequences of violating socially and legally oppressive laws through the eyes of two children, Estha and Rahel, that experience tragedy on a level of normality. Comparably, Toni Morrison recounts in her novel, “The Bluest Eye”, the story of a young black girl named Pecola growing up in the United States during the height of black oppression in America. Pecola’s resentment of her complexion which differs from the favored pale skin and blue eyes, illustrates the detrimental effects of institutionalized oppression on…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disney’s 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, the main antagonist and evil fairy, is frustrated and offended when not invited to the christening of Princess Aurora. As a punishment and attempt for revenge on the king and queen, she places a curse on Aurora so that on her sixteen birthday she will “prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and die.” Wrath the punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger. Of all vices that surround the world, violence is shown to be the most influential. Such vicious act is due to numerous reasons and it is a characteristic of people from all walks of life and age.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The current unit is entitled “The Gender Roles Unit”. Because of this, I assumed that The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, would be a feminist piece. When I first began reading it did not strike me as a feminist work. This in part is due to the contrast between our current society and the society set in the book. The representation of women within the novel were upsetting until I realized that I was unfairly judging it through a modern lens, as though this book from decades ago was supposed to somehow represent modern ideals perfectly. That is when I did the same thing of looking at the characters with a more open mind while also taking the constraints of the society they were in, in mind. However, it became clear upon further reading…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Little Women

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hitting a child is percieved to be something of the past, but in reality, students in 19 states are still being struck today. The act of physically punishing a student is banned in all the states except the remaining 19, allowing students to be hit with a ruler, spanked, or even paddled. Some of the states included, but are not limited to, are: Texas, Colorado, and Georgia. The teacher is in all control of the decision to punish and can be unjust whenever they wish. In Amy March's case, she was struck physically and even more so emotionally by an unfair teacher. In “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, the March family's experience in chapter seven compares and contrasts with “Corporal Punishment Persists in U.S. Schools” by Alyssa Monroe through…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phen

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Then, İbrahim pahsa comes back to the palace to pick his belongings from his servants. İbrahim Pasha’s wife Hatice Sultan asks why he is going, whether he will come back to the palace or not. But he doesn't want to say anything about the situation despite of her insists then he leaves. Hatice Sultan has a nightmare, her nightmare is that: her husband is killed by Kanuni and the head of her wife is in a sack on the table .When she wakes up, she cries and goes to the salon; she opens the sack and sees the head of İbrahim Pasha’s sculpture. She thinks her husband has been killed. Then, she goes to her Kanuni’s palace and asks him whether her husband has been killed or not. Kanuni says he is okay, nevertheless she doesn’t believe.…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays