THE PAPER OF GREAT THINGS
In the novel The God of Small Things by
Arudhati Roy a relationship between a family is shown and the painful past comes
through several memories and the presence of the caste system in India is used
to juxtapose right vs. wrong. A very powerful closeness is observed between the
two main characters and through their relationship one of the main themes of
love through obscurity is showcased by the symbolism and diction used by Roy.
Several other themes are shown in the novel and highlight the journey the human
soul goes through in such trauma and desperation. The bond that the twins share
and the manner in which they relate to others directly portray how humans can
communicate on a deeper level. The lack of emotions or apathy that is expressed
through this twins as a result of their past shows the pain that some endure as
a result of other’s severe actions. The symbolism of emotions shone only through
remembrance of the past and the repercussions that those reflections have on the
present lives of those involved is illustrated through the story of the twins as
well. This novel showcases a family struggling to overcome the tragic events of
the past and how they are forced to heal with hurtful emotions and express pain
through distinct bonds, apathy, and frequent flashbacks to a carefree time that
was so full of opportunity and endless faith.
The bond that the twin’s
share shows the severity of pain that some can experience and how close people,
who have needs and desires, can become as a result. “When life was full of
beginnings and no ends and everything was forever, Esthappen and Rahel thought
of themselves together as me and separately as we or us” (Roy, 4). The twins are
closer than most families and share a connection that bonds them emotionally as
well as mentally and allows them to feel each other on another level. “Rahel and
Estha are fraternal twins whose emotional connection to one another is stronger
than that of most siblings” (Gale research). The events that have occurred to
both of them throughout their lives have allowed them to mold nearly into one
being for fear of the pain that could affect them both. “Their childhood
household hummed with hidden antagonisms and pains that only a family member
could have given one another”(Gale research). Blood is thicker than water, the
feelings that they have are so consumed with hatred and deep sorrow and the
concrete relationship they have created holds the pain away from each of their
hearts and is much like a security blanket. They even sensed each other’s
presence without words. “Chacko didn’t bother to wonder how she could possible
have known that Estha was at the door. He was used to their sometimes
strangeness” (Roy, 113). They are so close that they communicate without words.
Sometimes, words are inadequate to express the overflow of emotions that
accompanies the hurtful motions of life. The twins have found a way to show
feeling without even talking and they are so in tune that they can understand
each other through mere thoughts. A feeling of misunderstood, unexpressed
torture is displayed through the unique method of communication the twins use to
“talk”.
The rush of feeling that surges through a soul in times of trial
is often not even fully understood by the person who is experiencing the pain.
The presence of apathy and overcrowding of too many conflicting expressions is
also shown through the twins. At opposite ends of the spectrum, when separated
Rahel and Estha let the emotions take over in completely different ways. “Estha
occupied very little space in the world…once the quietness arrived, it stayed
and spread in Estha” (Roy, 13). Estha bottled up his feelings and buried them
deep inside his fractured soul. The idea of sharing these memories and painful
reminders with anyone but his soul mate upset him so badly he completely closed
his entire being off to everyone and let the pain manifest itself in his mind
and heart. “She sensed her children’s faces hanging over her dream, like two
dark, worried moons, waiting to be let in”(Roy, 207). The children’s pain seems
to stem back to their mother and her illicit affair with an “untouchable” and
how it would affect them for the rest of their lives. Ammu, often focused on
herself more than her impressionable offspring giving them a lesson in rejection
early in life. When Rahel and Estha re-unite after a long separation it is mixed
emotions and unsaid desires that lead to the tense energy that they share.
“Rahel and Estha, who have become “Quietness and Emptiness” personified since
their separation, now seek to reconnect like the “stacked spoons” they once
were”(Gale research). The pressure of the reunion brings out the “dead” emotions
and with the surfaced torture emotions are an all time high as they explore the
distant past.
More interesting is the manner in which they revisit
remorseful afflictions that have shaped who they have become. Through extreme
symbolism and descriptive accounts of the past the roots to their shattered
souls comes to the top in a nearly explosive manner. “Anyway, now she thinks of
Estha and Rahel as Them, because, separately, the two of them are no longer what
they were or ever thought they’d be”(Roy, 7). The potential they both had has
long been destroyed and the hope that can be best characterized as a fighting
flame on a candle in the surrounding wind of piercing pain is fighting
continually to not extinguish forever. Through carefully dissecting the past
they realize that because of the paths they have taken anything that was
destined to be once upon a time can never materialize now. The universal theme
of man vs. himself can also be observed because of the internal battles that are
shown through the description of the perplexed twins. “Because whatever she was,
he was too”(Roy, 35). The duality of their personalities blends to create one
soul intensifying the emotions they individually experience but then re-create
and experience all over again. “She has other memories too that she has no right
to have”(Roy,8). They are so connected mentally that any thought that enters his
head will echo through hers. The same is true of the feelings they intensify by
sharing and manifesting inside one another.
The three different symbol
that surface throughout the novel mean so much more than they are described as
and all represent the challenges that one much overcome to endure and cope with
extreme pain. Whether a person find sanctuary in another person or inside his or
her own soul there is always hope for the soul you can save, your own. “The God
of Small Things is a demanding novel that provokes many questions regarding the
conflict between human desire and deep rooted emotions”(Gale research). The view
of this family is highly aimed at everyone in some way and the pain they endure
and how they learn to deal with tumultuous emotions that threaten every shred of
dignity, ray of hope, and heart beat of love that lies inside every person.