International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences

Vol-7, Issue-4; Jul-Aug, 2022

Journal Home Page Available: https://ijels.com/

Journal DOI: 10.22161/ijels

‘The God of Small Things’: A Narrative of Catastrophic

Misogynistic Approach
Dr. Darkhasha Azhar

Senior Assistant Professor, Govt. P. G. College, Bisalpur, Pilibhit (UP), India

E-mail id: darkhashaazhar@gmail.com

Received: 30 Jul 2022; Received in revised form: 19 Aug 2022; Accepted: 27 Aug 2022; Available online: 31 Aug 2022
©2022 The Author(s). Published by Infogain Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract— Arundhati Roy is one of the most noted Indian novelist, essayist and activist who mainly
stresses on issues related to social justice and economic inequalities. She is the writer who has created
ripples round the globe by her gripping write-ups. She has been rightly awarded and bestowed with honour
for her daring effort. She stands as the most controversial author amongst the clutch of contemporary
Indo-Anglian writers. My simple reason for choosing her work is that I vehemently feel the contemporary
critics have failed in bringing forth her true identity as a sensitive writer. She is not a traitor but a ‘world
denizen with humane concern’. Her novel ‘The God of Small Things’ has harboured huge worldwide
literary attention for its unique writing style and sensational story line. It is acknowledged as a complex
and diverse piece of writing that incorporates varied themes such as marriage, divorce, abuse, death,
alienation, gender issue, class division and political and religious conflict. The present paper deals with
the kaleidoscopic inter play of relationships in the male chauvinistic society, highlighting the dominant
role of elderly women whose guidance and stringent norms ruin the life of the younger female generation.
The story takes the readers in its stride and enwraps them in its roller coaster ride until breathless.
Keywords— Economic inequalities, abuse, alienation, gender issue, conflict.

Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small Things’ is a regaining the ‘lost paradise,’ her maternal home. But her
compelling story of forbidden cross-caste love and what a stay in this Eden is short as she steps out of the domain to
community does to protect its old ways which sadly leads disobey God’s law of abstaining from the forbidden fruit.
to absolute abandonment and huge rejection. The author Her disobedience rains problems for her as well as Adam,
has effectively shouldered the burden of caste and Velutha. As a matter of the consequence, she is thrown out
tradition, a double pressure that crushes almost all of her of the paradise to perish in isolation. How could she
characters and leaves none untouched. It is a tragic story violate God’s Law: “The laws that lay down who should be
which, at times, reaches such heights that the reader feels loved, and how and how much” (33). She is punished for
dropped into a flux. It is a piercing critique of gender committing a heinous crime in the eyes of the, so called,
structure, caste structure and communism in India. To be Indian society which proclaims, “Women are the visible
more accurate, the novel is an acute interplay of patriarchy markers of a family’s honour” (Chakraborty Living on
that perennially flows into its veins. Ammu and Velutha’s 115). Indian society observes a few stringent norms whose
love story is the soul of the novel, the central theme around violation it doesn’t sanction. Quite obviously the law was
which the other themes revolve, creating a profound bond. broken, Ammu and Velutha had committed the crime and
‘As she grew older, Ammu learned to live with calculating they had to face its repercussion. After the revelation of the
cruelty’. She, in the journey of her life, marries a wrong horrifying fact, situations became hostile for both, the
man whom she abandons and comes to stay at Ayemenem, touchable and the untouchable. Ammu was mercilessly

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Azhar ‘The God of Small Things’: A Narrative of Catastrophic Misogynistic Approach

locked in her room and Velutha was banished at the hands deformed patriarchy escalated in the society which
of his own party people, losing all credentials. In rage castigated the rights of feminine sensibility. The novel
Ammu blasted and blamed the twins, her children, for the commences with the nuptial bond between Pappachi and
misfortune and called them ‘misfortune around her neck’. Mammachi and concludes with the eternal split between
The mistake inclusively committed by all proved an Ammu and Velutha.
albatross round their neck and consequently both met their The novel sets in motion in a sphere where most of the
most unfortunate and untimely death. feminine characters are twirled to fit into the reflection of
Disheartened and discouraged at their mother’s conduct, their counterparts. But the resonance seems to dwindle as
the children dangerously decided to leave along with the patriarchal power gets transferred from one generation
Sophie Mol (her niece), in the dark, to reach across the to the other. As a result, the novel bridges the space
river. Unfortunately their boat capsizes and Sophie is between antagonizing partners to a sympathizing
drowned. The blame of Sophie Mol’s death falls on the companion. To recount from Roy's narrative, there are
easy target Velutha, who is wrongly framed of kidnapping different phases of this supremacy which slithers from
the kids and attempting rape on Ammu. As a consequence, Mammachi to Rahel. The narrative proves to be an
Velutha is ruthlessly beaten up in custody and dies a exquisite study of the vigour of patriarchy. It contains
painful death for ‘breaking the laws laid by God of whom various female characters that represent conforming roles
to love and how much’. Ammu loses the paradise. She is available to women in India. In order to illustrate these
kicked out of the house by her brother for murdering his roles the novel has on its platter Rahel (Ammu’s daughter),
daughter, a crime which she hadn’t committed. She is left Mammachi (Ammu’s mother/wife), Baby Kochamma (the
isolated and abandoned to perish with her twin children spinster) and Ammu (the mother/daughter/divorcee/lover).
Estha and Rahel. Determined to find a job but unable to Each woman defines different sexual constraint and
find one- dejected, disregarded, disowned and dismayed- chauvinistic traditional structure in a patriarchal society.
she dies alone in the most impoverished conditions. For example, the youngest female in the novel, Rahel,
Ammu- Velutha’s story is a wild and dangerous one demonstrates the worthlessness of a daughter to a family in
through which the novelist gives the readers a deeper India. Mammachi exemplifies the traditional mother figure
insight of misogynistic gender role that strongly ply’s in and the desired submissive and docile Indian wife. Baby
the Indian society. Madhumita Chakraborty in her Critique Kochamma represents the woman who attempted to defy
‘Living on the Edge’ writes, “There are also different laws the ‘laws’ and the barren embittered existence she must
that apply for men and women.....that one could accept a live due to her initial subordination. Finally, Ammu, the
lower caste girl into the house as a daughter-in-law but daughter and mother, who depicts the outlaw and the
the same did not apply when one had to marry one’s woman of worth who ultimately, becomes an outcaste
daughter to a lower-caste boy, as the family’s honour was because she refuses to submit to the social norms.
involved. The implication was clear. Boys still had a Roy verbally paints a picture that allows a person to
certain degree of freedom to choose their partner, but not visualize the intricate web and history of sexism that
women” (115).Ammu was a clear target of this ideology pollutes the women’s hearts and minds. Artistically, the
which did not accept her relation with Velutha, an author portraits the patriarchal society that injects the
untouchable. prejudicial and dehumanizing poison which like radiation
I, through the paper, have tried to sketch a different picture continues to produce defects for female generations to
on the canvas. My idea, on the whole, is that the Indian come. Consequently, the circle of strife continues from
society is so intricately woven that in some way or the mother to daughter, aunt to niece, woman to woman-
other a woman is the sufferer at the hands of, none but, promoting self-destruction and a sense of inferiority. The
another sect of women who are patriarchal in nature or desire to retain and retard fellow women appears to stem
rather misogynist like men. To bring home this notion I’ve from an emotional motivation, jealousy, envy, spite, anger
chosen the famous award winning novel ‘The God of Small and embarrassment. Although, sentiments do prevail at the
Things’ written by Arundhati Roy. Novels and stories are, surface but the underlying root originates from the
in fact, the mirrors in which we have a true reflection of patriarchal institution that slanders females and uses
our society. The background, here, is a small place named ancient propaganda to enforce the laws to torture and
Ayemenem based in Kerela where the caste and gender are subdue them.
seen as powerful and instrumental in deciding ones The youngest victim in the novel, Rahel, learns about the
destiny. It is a patriarchal structure with which the society disappointment in her sexual life from female family
in Roy’s novel begins. The main duty of a patriarch is to members’ remarks. Ironically, it is the women in her life
safeguard the interests of his clan, or family. However, a

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Azhar ‘The God of Small Things’: A Narrative of Catastrophic Misogynistic Approach

who express her inferiority to men. Her weird activities, the pickle factory Paradise Pickles and Preserves and ran
after the untimely death of her mother, seem to reflect a it successfully and also took training and proved an
negative deep impression on her delicate mind, making her ‘exceptionally talented’ violinist. She nevertheless cries at
quite inquisitive and insecure. Her silly and childish his funeral and also shares many of his values including an
behaviors are an outcome of her loneliness and solemn extremely rigid view of the caste system. She is blinded
life. The teachers misinterpret her deportment and instead with chauvinism but naturally adores her son Chacko and
of correcting her follow the dogmatic norms and ultimately chastises her daughter Ammu. Her love for her son is so
expel her from the school due to her ‘boyish’ outbursts. In blind that she deeply dislikes Margaret Kochamma, her
the male dominating, misguiding, misinterpreting and daughter-in-law. Nevertheless, she tolerates and even
disapproving Indian society it is sad that a girl child is not facilitates Chacko’s affairs with factory workers, although
able to identify her status and coordinates it to the to the contrary, she is horrified when she hears of Ammu’s
prevailing customs. Rahel is a victim of similar situations. affair with Velutha and attacks both Velutha and his father
Caught in turmoil, unable to sail against the unfavorable and locks Ammu in her room.
tides, she decides to quit and leaves for America. Thus, she Rahel’s grandmother is undoubtedly an example of a
escapes the feudal-patriarchal society and survives by traditional wife and mother who breathes new life into the
escaping from the stifling confines of the family home into cycle of womanhood destruction. A perfect example of
an unconventional life. Mammachi’s perpetuating the cycle of not only self hate
This deviation in Rahel is brought by her own family for her womanhood but also projecting hate on other
members who compare her status with Sophie Mol and women is Chacko’s sexual escapades with low caste
predict Sophie’s future to be bright and glaring. women. She understands her son’s ‘needs’ and pays the
Unknowingly, this remark bears a great blow on the women who satisfy ‘him’. On one hand she pays these
sensitive mind of the child which ultimately leads to women calling them whores and on the other hand she
frustration and insecurity. Her expulsion from school and cannot stand her daughter’s infidelity. Susan Stomford
her emigration to a foreign land are the repercussions of Friedman’s essay ‘Feminism, State Fictions and Violence:
the social web. She gives what she receives. She is an Gender, Geopolitics, and Transnationalism’ explains this
intelligent and honest person who has never felt socially hypocrisy of Mammachi’s treatment towards her son and
comfortable. She is something of a drifter and several daughter more adequately. She writes, “Here, the brother
times refers to her existence as ‘emptiness’. She is and sister live out different gender destinies: The son
traumatized and haunted by Sophie Mol’s drowning, Chacko is sent to England for his education, given the
Velutha’s murder and Ammu’s death. Although these factory to run upon his return and allowed a secret
events do not seem to deprive her of her quirkiness and passage in and out of the house for his hidden sex life with
brightness, they assuredly contribute to her sense of lower-caste women; the daughter Ammu is kept at home
sadness and lack of direction in later life. “Over the years, seeing marriage as her only escape, returning home after
as the memory of Sophie Mol slowly faded, the loss of disgraceful divorce from her dissolute Hindu husband,
Sophie Mol grew robust and alive. It was always there like walled up in the form of a modern Sati, expelled from the
a fruit in season. Every season... it ushered Rahel through family to die alone after her affair with an untouchable is
childhood into womanhood” (16). In this way a precious discovered” (11-19). Sadly, Mammachi implements the
life transforms into a worthless one. rules that govern her own restricted existence. She hinders
Next picture in the frame is Mammachi (Soshamma Ipe), Ammu and Rahel yet praises Chacko. She despises herself,
an elegant woman in her old age, grandmother of Estha but refuses to acknowledge that her hateful insecurities
and Rahel. Pappachi, her husband, who belongs to a male dictate her emotion and expression towards her female
oriented orb firmly believed the role of wife to be relatives.
subservient and docile. The degradation and humiliation he A true example of contempt of women is Baby
had heaped upon Mammachi turned out to be a steady Kochamma, a judgmental old maid. Aunt Baby
habit in her life without which she could not stay alive. Kochamma’s history equates to the epitome of the
Thus, she hung about under the penumbral shadow of her annihilation of feminine pride or womanly worth. Her
dictating husband. She obeyed the laws and was married unfortunate past controls her miserable present. She
according to the caste and custom to a well-off and ‘good’ demonstrates the villain, the fatal weapon of a patriarchal
man. Although Mammachi obediently heeds to her society. Willing to kill the slightest sense of women
husband, blissfulness doesn’t become her companion. She empowerment; Baby Kochamma shrewdly dehumanizes
serves as a slave to the man who beats her daily. In the Rahel and Ammu, secretly envies Mammachi and feels
course of life, in order to keep herself engaged, she began inferior to Margaret Kochamma. Dr. Ambreen Hai,

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Azhar ‘The God of Small Things’: A Narrative of Catastrophic Misogynistic Approach

Assistant Professor of English at Smith College, has has been victimized first by her father and then her
written articulately on the matter regarding Baby husband. She grew up in Delhi, but because her father said
Kochamma’s betrayal to other women. Her interpretation that college was an unnecessary expense for a girl, she was
from her article “Teaching Recent South Asian Women forced to live with her parents. She met her future husband
Writers: Issues of Gender in Literature and Theory” states: at a wedding reception, whom she abandoned and returned
“The most evil figure in ‘The God of Small Things’ is an to her parental house. Ammu’s latent “Unsafe Edge”, full
older woman, the spinster aunt. Roy is very good at of desire and “reckless rage”, emerges during Sophie
showing the ways in which women of all classes and all Mol’s visit and draws her to Velutha. After the horrific
generations are positioned by socio-cultural systems. Even climax of the affair she sends Estha to live with his father
this aunt, Baby Kochamma, is very much embittered as a and leaves Rahel in the Ayemenem house while she looks
consequence of her own history, and we are shown for a job but loses a succession of them due to her illness.
precisely how she has grown to be the way she is; not that She dies alone in a cheap hotel proving her mother’s
it excuses her horrible actions, but Roy gives you a very restrictions the final nail in the coffin. Roy has done an
complex picture of the dynamics that interplay between excellent job of portraying this mother as a ‘woman’.
cultural constraints and individual choice”(2). More Through this unspoken gesture, Roy indicates about a
specifically, Baby Kochamma is sick with inferiority character that many non-liberated mothers know in their
complex, which leads to her hatred and jealousy for other hearts but dare not say out of fear of being condemned for
women around her. She resented Ammu because she saw being selfish and self-focused. Ammu challenges and
her quarrelling with a fate that she herself had graciously defines chauvinistic values quite like her medieval sisters
accepted- the fate of the wretched “Man-less woman” (45). who practiced maternal medicine and were prosecuted.
Being unhappy she begrudges essentially all of the Ammu boldly defines laws that control a woman’s right to
womanly things that Ammu was entitled to and she never love when she indulges in an affair with Velutha, the
attempted to obtain due to her environment. Ultimately untouchable. The constant bombardment of negativity
Baby Kochamma’s hatred seals the fate of her niece by from the female lobby about how her ‘life is over’ and
destroying her lover and forcing her into self destruction ‘washed up’ provoke the need of acceptance in her, the
and death. fulfillment of which, she finds in the ‘untouchable’
Ammu, the main victim, divorces her abusive alcoholic Velutha. Ng Shing Ye writes in his article ‘Peripheral
husband whom she had married to escape her Beings and Loss in Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small
dysfunctional family, and returns to Ayemenem with her Things’: “[The God of Small Things] is a novel that carries
children in search of peace and solace. To her dismay, she shades of incipient socialism and feminism, the post
becomes an out-caste, a man-less woman and consequently colonial condition is reinforced by the added drawback of
loses her worth; but she fights her destiny like a child. She being an Untouchable or a woman, as Velutha, Ammu and
creates her own world of survival. She shocks and startles Rahel are: their marginality is so acute that leitmotifs of
the family with her ‘unnatural ways’: “She walked out of absence and loss accompany them in the novel.” Velutha,
the world like a witch to a better, happier place. On days Ammu’s ill-fated lover provides pure untainted love due to
like this there was something restless and untamed about the fact that he does not belong to the biased institution
her as though she had temporarily set aside the morality of that destroyed Ammu’s and other women’s lives. The two
motherhood and divorce hood. Even her walk changed lovers are fugitives excluded from the sexist and
from a safe mother-walk to another wilder sort of walk. prejudicial world, finding ecstasy in each other’s arms. He
She wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in allows Ammu to express her womanhood, sharing her very
her eyes. She spoke to no one. She spent hours on the river feminine, thereby dangerous to chauvinistic males,
bank with her little plastic transistor shaped like a sexuality.
tangerine. She smoked cigarettes and had midnight Roy proves in her novel that the ancient laws of
swims” (44). intellectual, physical and spiritual woman bondage still
In contrast to Mammachi and Baby Kochamma, the author prevail in the society creating hopelessness in the lives of
uses Ammu’s character to exemplify the struggle between uneducated women, restricting them to certain rigid and
motherhood and mother caring for herself or intent upon unchangeable norms which otherwise hold no significance.
loving and finding love for her. Ammu lives in an Each character depicted in the novel represents a woman’s
impossible situation with immense negativity from family lifetime journey. Rahel, the daughter symbolizes the
and society. She deserves life but society and custom future, a sojourner in a foreign white land desperately
dictate otherwise. She must choose-either to live miserably seeking to forget her past, her roots and her instilled
or die free. Ammu is a beautiful and sardonic woman who inferiority and find a place where she can allow her

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Azhar ‘The God of Small Things’: A Narrative of Catastrophic Misogynistic Approach

womanhood to flourish. Next, in the row are Mammachi power from one generation to the other. We can see
and Baby Kochamma who are ready to reincarnate in the daughters who are more spirited than their mothers and
future. Lastly, it’s Ammu, the ever defiant, proud and sons who are more serene than their fathers. The characters
beautiful, encompassing the abuse of the past and the reveal a sense of transition from powerless to powerful and
promise of the future. However, her place rests most from powerful to powerless. Roy’s novel is actually a
suitably in the present unlike a phoenix that rises from its forerunner to state the transition of a world from a male
ashes to reconstruct a world for survival. Her rebellion and oriented globe to a feminine world which is rather filled
struggle doesn’t end in vain. Her tragic death displays the with more vigour and vitality. Thus, the novel stands out to
detrimental effect of the forces that despise a woman who be a testimony for the dwindling of patriarchy, a wound
poses her strength. She automatically touches the soul of which is healing right now round our society.
every suppressed woman pleading to dissipate sisterly hate Uma Chakraorty in ‘Beyond the Altekarian Paradigm:
and promote a woman’s right to be a woman without the Towards a New Understanding of Gender relations in
looming presence of a patriarchal society. Early Indian Societies’ observes: “.....because the purity of
The power that runs through the narrative indicates the women is crucial to maintaining the blood purity of the
events, emphasizing the necessity for social structure. The lineages, and also the position of the family within the
social hierarchy which Ammu chooses to ignore proves larger social hierarchy, woman are seen to have a special
fatal. Chacko is treated completely the opposite because of place in families, women are the repositories of family
his male superiority. Maleness gives him the power to honour- of their own family as a daughter, and of their
choose his own path even after his divorce. Ammu’s affair husband’s family as a wife and mother......The concept of
with Velutha causes consequences not just because of his honour serves as a link between the behaviour of an
untouchability but because Baby Kochamma is the individual woman and the idealised norms of the
arbitrator and is determined to uphold the social hierarchy. community. By constantly evoking the twin notions of
Much of the tragedy that arises in the novel has been honour and dishonour families either condition or shame
directed to patriarchy. But when we seize to have a closer women into appropriate or inappropriate behaviour” (77).
look, we find that the entire plot designed against Velutha
is truly an offspring in the minds of Baby Kochamma,
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