Arundhati Roy: The God of Small Things

LA CLUSTER THOUGHTS:

• The style of the novel: why is it descriptive in particular way (i.e. creating new words, combining words, using adjectives without verbs)? What reaction does this elicit? Did the reaction change as the novel progressed?

• The time structure in the novel: why did it end with the particular scene and not any other? Discussed the juxtaposition of the last two chapters: incest and sex with an “untouchable” as to prohibited things.

• Why are the “Love Laws” set as they are? Should/Can they be different? Are they only portrayed as negative in this book? What are the particular “Love Laws” in our culture?

• The “entrapment” of the characters: What particular passions/flaws make them stagnant? Is there any progression? Are any of the characters dynamic? Do the last scenes provide a conclusion to the story in any way?

• The significance of “water” symbolism: it both purifies life and takes life away; people both defecate in the river and wash themselves at its banks.

• The views of childhood: are they principally different from those of adults? How do they differ? Is there an obligation for children to be taken care of/spoken to carefully? Is the mother specifically responsible for the children?

• The “tragic beauty” of the book and the amount of aesthetic pleasure to be drawn from the pain/suffering of others.

• Who is “The God of Small Things”? Is everything ultimately trivial and insignificant? These lives were important to us while reading, but we cannot save any of the characters and their stories are just as insignificant as ours.