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The God of Small Things - themes - Coggle Diagram
The God of Small Things
- themes
Time
Age
Memory
Memory defining identity
Sophie mol's death impacts everyone's entire lives
Memories not allowing you to change
Ammu telling Rahel she might love her less
History
A living presence rather than abstract concept
Antagonistic
Twins stuck in the past
Policemen as "history's henchmen"
A trap; inescapable
The house, car, garden, all withering
Narrative structure of the novel
What we know of history dictates who is remembered or not
Sophie Mol vs Velutha
Boundaries
Definitions
Social boundaries strongly tied to labels & language
"untouchable"
Transgression
Sexual relationships that cross societal boundaries of acceptability
Ammu & Velutha; Estha & Rahel
Enforcement
Social boundaries enforced because of fear
Policemen beat Velutha out of fear & prejudice rather than justice
Relationships
Types
Family
As an obligation
Twins have to be nice to Sophie Mol
Baby K guilting Estha into "saving" Ammu
Social
Fluidity between types of relationships
Estha & Rahel's sibling relationship getting blurred
Romantic
The "love laws"
Society & history determining how much love is "deserved"
Ammu telling Rahel people might love her less
Names & nicknames
defining relationships
Velutha, twins
Rahel's relationship to Ammu vs. Estha
Judgement
Innocence
False accusations changing people's lives
Velutha; Estha
connection to age
Guilt
Internalized guilt from never being told otherwise
Twins are impacted forever because no one told them they were innocent
Complicity
Obligation to family makes one complicit to injustice
Twins have to face generational trauma because they're forced to be complicit
actual vs perceived; intentions
Baby K vs twins