In the book The Book of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, the character Velutha embodies the god of small things for his small gifts of kindness and his ability to sacrifice for others. To the twins Rahel and Estha, Velutha offers them small kindnesses every day, and each gift makes him the god of small things in their eyes. He is the father figure that they lack in their childhood for example “It was Velutha who made Rahel her luckiest-ever fishing rod and taught her and Estha how to fish.” (75) He helps Rahel and Estha fulfill their childhood with happiness and memories that a father should give. As Rahel and Estha play he never disrupts or downplays their games, instead he embraces them and lets them enjoy their moments of fun and happiness. He also offers small gifts like a boat “Velutha set the boat up for them. The boat that Estha sat on and Rahel found.” (203) It seems that Estha and Rahel are happiest when they are with Velutha because of the small things he gives them each day. Velutha is also a god of small things to Ammu, the twin’s mother. In one aspect he offers a small gift to Velutha by bringing happiness to her children, but those gifts grow as their relationship does. Velutha gives Ammu the gift of tomorrow, and when they are together they admire the small things in life that they would otherwise ignore like a spider’s web or the silver of a wasp wing. “They grew to love his eclectic taste. His shambling dignity” such a small thing became so beautiful because Ammu shared it with Velutha (321). Velutha is also the God of Small Things because of his ultimate sacrifice; he dies for the sins of others without complaint. He accepts his fate for his love of others. He takes the blame for kidnapping the children and the rape of Ammu despite the deeper passion they shared. Velutha is a character of compassion and a man of small gifts of happiness which makes him the God of Small Things.
Class Segregation
A major theme in The God of Small Things is the untouchables vs the touchables, and the class segregation. Each character in the novel depicts some example of class tension and cultural boundaries for example the twins' relationship with Sophie Mol, Chacko's relationship with Margaret, Pappachi's relationship with his family, and Ammu's relationship with Velutha. With the class segregation there comes laws that forbid relationships between the touchables and untouchables. When it is come to light that Velutha and Ammu have been intimate, Velutha's own father is willing to have his son killed for his crime.I found this video on YouTube and it shares clips from the film The God of Small Things along with quotes and images depicting the caste system in India.
Background on India's Caste System
The caste system in India is an important part of ancient Hindu tradition and dates back to 1200 BCE. The term caste was first used by Portuguese travelers who came to India in the 16th century. Caste comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word "casta" which means "race", "breed", or "lineage". Many Indians use the term "jati". There are 3,000 castes and 25,000 subcastes in India, each related to a specific occupation. These different castes fall under four basic varnas:
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