Reader Response for Some Papers based on Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things

(This is an assignment for Special Topic in Literature Class. It is just responses and means no harm. I apologize if there are any words that not pleased -sorry if my English is bad)

Special Topic in Literature and Literary Criticism Assignment

Maria Kristina Pingkan – 1021150015

1.        Women as the Oppressed In The God of Small Things by Silima Nanda.

In this paper, Silima Nanda explains the situation of women in India as the oppressed in Roy’s The God of Small Things. Roy depicts theme of gender oppression through the examination of the marital and gender relationship of Ammu, Mammachi, Baby Kochamma, and Rahel. So, she describes one-by-one the situation and the attitude of each characters. Started from Ammu as a subject to humiliation, insults and mental blows by her own family members. For example, Chacko who always marginalizes her and considers Ammu and her children as burdens. At the last, Ammu died alone in grieve as a result of society constructed in patriarchal system. The second woman is Mammachi who is formed by society to obey in Men’s power, Pappachi and Chacko while let Ammu marginalized. Then, Baby Kochamma , as a victim of unbearable love for Father Mulligan, represses her to treat everybody surrounding her badly. Rahel, also treated badly by Baby Kochamma because she, Ammu, and Estha are not expected to be in Ayemenem House. She has stigma from her childhood for she has mixed parents both religious and ethnic that impacts her childhood although she is actually active and imaginative. In short, these women (Ammu, Mammachi, Baby Kochamma, and Rahel) have to face the oppression from their family and society and some of them such as Ammu and rahel, transgress the social norms of the traditional society. Besides, this novel Roy also interprets women’s continuously struggling to the conclusion that they suffer oppression in the patriarchal world order, but they don’t cry or suffer in isolation.

Besides, in this paper Silima Nanda also compares the novel with other novels having same theme, that is women in oppressive marital situation. She compares Roy’s the God of Small Things with Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Shashi Deshapande’s That Long Silence, The Binding Vine and In the Dark Holds No Terrors. Furthermore, Nanda compares Roy’s novel with more novels, for example, Shobba De’s Socialite Evenings and Aasha Rani’s Starry Nights. Those novels compared with Roy’s novel have same themes with the God of Small Things that is women’s oppression through related themes, for instance, loveless relationship, patriarchal socialization, middle class society, and women’s alienation (women being outsiders), exploitation, discrimination, and marginalization.

Reading this paper, the writer can indirectly feel the oppression that women have either in the past or nowadays because of society’s demand and patriarchal system. The writer feels so sorry for Indian women though she also sees the reality in her own country, Indonesia, has similarity with India. Although Indonesian women no need to pay dowry or stay at a dorm if they are widows, the society’s concept about patriarchal system is just same. Women should be multitasking and like a servant for her family. They have no own life because they have to be good at cooking and grooming, staying at home and obey. Moreover, even though there is emancipation for women but somehow this word just a cliché in these cultures or society. Women, still have to strive to be respected as human and voice their will. Woman also deserve for making decision and working for her family, but especially for herself. However, the most important thing is how she is loved and treated as human, not as property, worker, slave, or the worst, like an animal. Last but not least, as a woman, the writer feels and realizes that no other way woman can do except respect herself first before being respected by others (especially man) and do not even let herself being oppressed.

2.        The God of Small Things: A Play-Field of Linguistic Innovations by Avishek Chaudury.

This paper highlights Roy’s novel from linguistic perspectives about forms, styles, and innovations of words Roy created in this novel. She makes a breakthrough and creates her own style to communicate and emphasize meanings from this her novel. Moreover, this paper says that Roy adopts the English language, and then appropriates it into Indian context to communicate to the world the culture she represents (Malayalam language). What is interesting in this paper is more on Roy’s transgressions in words formation. She twists the language, moulds the speech sound and syntax to fit her requirements. Moreover, she also adapts the style of child’s language to represent the character speaking in this novel, such as Rahel and Esta’s style. Other styles of Roy are italicizing words, phrases, and sentences, making an extensive use of brackets, using subjectless sentences in the novel, repeating the words, and creating peculiar ways in arranging words. Even though there are many styles she had used, these are not enough for her because she had more ideas while writing this novel, such as making fun of the Indian pronunciation and using slang, similes and metaphors and also exploiting the language.

Writing response for this novel, the writer finds something different in the use of language and the writing of words.  She notices this but do not know the name of these words formation new styles until she reads this paper. First, she does not really interested in Malayalam language Roy uses but now she knows that Roy put that words in her novel to represent her culture to the world. For example, the word Veshyas which she thought at the first, has meaning as one of caste system in India. Unfortunately, she is wrong because this Malayalam word has bad meaning (something like b****?) Well, she does not really like this fact because it shows how women are not appreciated in India because a police who should be a shelter for society, on the contrary, treated women badly with verbal language. Thus, this is one of Roy’s brilliant ideas to show this world that Indian society do not appreciate women.

Besides, Roy twists the language, moulds the speech sound and syntax reflected through  Rahel and Estha language to describes children language that immature and unconventional and represent their thoughts and imagination. This style, in the writer’s opinions, enriches the beauty of this novel and creates a new style in writing that transgresses conventional linguistics words order. Thus, she is really interested in Roy’s use of language and it can be seen in her The God of Small Things response. Moreover, other styles of Roy are italicizing words, phrases, and sentences such as in Tap Tap (page 8) that is the most-remembered words for the writer.  Through this repetition and italic form, Roy wants to emphasize this word and create a deep impression to readers, and it is successful because the writer always remember this part. Making an extensive use of brackets also a style Roy uses in this novel, for instance (though she hadn’t been here) in page 2-3. The purpose of this style is to offer authorial comments and to provide necessary information to readers. Therefore, readers like the writer of this response can understand what Roy means and the description if the situation becomes clear.

Using subjectless sentences in the novel is another way from Roy that can find easily in this novel. Take a look at the meaning of P.O.L.I.C.E which is made creatively by Roy to portray the contrary facts with what has become the meaning of police itself. This words written rather separated from its paragraph to catch readers’ attention. Of course it has a deep meaning so readers can interpret and imagine by themselves what is happened at that time such as in Gate. Road. Stones. Sky. Rain. (page 285) depicts things surrounding a place and it stimulates readers imagination as what the writer has.

The writer also notices the discussion of repetitive words from this paper. Chaudhury says that these repetitions have functions as determiners and appears in several places of the novel. For example, Past repeated more than eight times in page 193. The writer assumes that it also functions as emphasize for something that should be forgotten or cannot be back. It is also connected in creating peculiar ways for arranging words because it has same effects from repetition words. Both of them gives deep and more impression to readers. We can see how Roy combines some words (without space) in Deadlypurposed and Cocacola Fantaicecreamrosemilk though these words sound peculiar and strange but it shows  how creative Roy is. The writer, at the first, also feels strange but now she can understand and conclude that these two ways gives more impression for her, personally, than other Roy’s linguistic style.

 There are still some ways from Roy, for instance, making fun of the Indian pronunciation and using slang, similes and metaphors. However, the writer does not really notice these kinds of words because these are common and can be seen in other novels. Therefore, she chooses this paper for reaction because she gets a lesson from this paper that is to be an author, people should have their own techniques to express their minds or perspectives, and the most important thing is Be Creative and Original :D

3.       Eco criticism in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things by Priyanka Maral

This short paper by Priyanka Maral is not too clear for describing the eco criticism in Roy’s novel because the writer (Maria) could not really understand what Maral discusses. Actually in the beginning, it is OK because the description is enough to make readers understand what eco criticism is. However, it is too short to analyze Roy’s depiction about nature in The God of Small Things. Maral cites that eco criticism is the study of the relationship between literature and environment that Roy uses for the novel. She puts some examples for eco criticism through some characters or things such as, Kari Saipu’s house, Rahel, Baby Kochamma and Velutha. Started with Kari Saipu whose house is changed into a hotel called heritage as a portrayal of modernization happened that place. Then, Rahel’s comparison about nature twenty three years before and nowadays also shows that many changes happened because of exploitation and industrialization by greedy people. What seems clear about eco criticism is represented through Baby Kochamma’s habit that is gardening. However, she has changed and spent her days with watching TV, so her garden is abandoned. The last depiction is from Velutho, who himself is a man of ecology making small things from wood and other materials gained from nature. His companion is nature and this theme then compared by Maral with Wordsworth’s poems Tintern Abbey. Moreover, Maral also discuss about Estha’s puppy, Chacko’s perspective about elephant and Pappachi’s moth. These are all about nature and how it changes (or changed by human?) The last quotes from Maral is Roy has tried to depict nature through trees, rivers, mountains, animals and insects. Then, human beings should exploit natural resources but to such an extent that it can regenerate itself for future needs of our coming generations.

In the writer’s opinion, this paper is good enough but it is not too clear and complete for explaining the eco criticism in Roy’s novel. It is also not too systematic because after giving some examples from some characters, Maral interrupts the discussion with a comparison from one of Wordsworth’s poem. For the writer of this response, it is OK as long as Maral does not continue explaining eco criticism with other examples from other characters, such as Estha, Chacko, and Pappachi. Honestly, she is confused while reading this paper because it feels like she is not satisfied with the first explanation but it is cut in the middle. In her opinion, Maral should completely discuss all characters or situations represent eco criticism (or perhaps just a few characters but deeper explanation) then compare that with other literary works about nature (e.g Wordsworth’s poems) in the end of the paper.

Besides the systematic order of this paper, the writer also do not satisfy with Maral’s discussion about nature theme from each character. It seems that she just gives examples but do not really notice the author’s (Roy’s) purpose. However, the writer understands that Maral’s three-pages paper is not long enough to explain all, so it is acceptable. Hopefully, she will revise her paper because, truthfully, the theme of this paper is interesting. While other paper discusses more on marriage, women’s oppression, linguistic form and social themes, this paper concentrates in the circumstances (nature) and how it reflect the change of each characters. Therefore, this paper is unique and different making the writer chooses it. Not to mention Maral’s works cited (source) that only a few for a great theme in a paper. In conclusion, a good, different and interesting theme should be a determinant for a good paper but it is not always true because it all depends on the writer’s (of the paper) ability and will to deeply examine and discuss the theme.