3. A Post-colonial Text
• The God of Small Things responds to and critiques the attitudes and
practices of British colonialism by:
• Emphasizing its political intent, which asserts the richness of Indian
indigenous cultures
• Re-telling Indian history from the perspective of those colonized
• Restoring the connection between Indians and their natural environments
from which they were alienated during colonialism
• Key Themes
• Environmental Colonization
• Love Relationships & Family Influence
• Political & Social Structures
4. Environmental Colonization
• The God of Small Things is concerned with exploring the effects of
uneven development, resource extraction and environmental
pollution.
• The novel highlights the damaging effects of colonization on the
Indian environment and draws attention to the ways in which
Indian authorities and businesses continue to exploit natural
resources.
• Examples:
• Pappachi’s Moth
• Baby Kochamma’s Garden
5. Love Relationships & Family Influence
• Private love relationships are socially and politically regulated, as
stated in Roy’s definition of “love laws” which “lay down who
should be loved, and how. And how much.”
• Examples:
• Romantic Love
• Ammu & Velutha
• Familial Love
• Baby Kochamma forces Estha & Rahel to lie
• Future Love
• Estha socially isolates himself / Rahel divorces
6. Political & Social Structures
• The “personal” is “political.”
• Roy’s characters’ public and private lives are mediated by intersecting
social, political, and religious structures that profoundly affect:
• Behavior within and outside the home
• Relationships to other people
• Jobs performed
• Perceptions of the world
• The “big things” affect the “small things.”
• Communism, caste, or religion alone cannot explain how and why
Roy’s characters act. Over time, these structures and beliefs have
changed, overlapped, and reinforced one another.
7. Discussion
• The class will be split into three groups. Each table will receive 3
questions to discuss as a small group.
• Group #1: Environmental Colonization
• Group #2: Love Relationships & Family Influence
• Group #3: Political & Social Structures
• We will reconvene after 10-15 minutes to discuss as a larger group.
