Post colonial analysis of Arundhati Roy's God of small things

Post colonial texts often encompass its own variety of English augmenting often on the backdrop of the native culture which is distinct in its form. Writers often portray their local situation in their work which shapes their writings and their colloquail language to depict the impact of colonialism which is highly evident in Arundhati Roy’s God of small thing. In the novel, Roy has employed the usage of a different forn and style.
It is often highighted that the form of language she has chosen to articulate her message to the readers is often a departure from the conventional usage of words and sentences of the imperial language. For example, the English Roy uses can be seen as an ammalgamation with the colloquial Malayalam language. 

She is seen to purposely familarise the theme of Indianness in her novel by featuring the hybridity of English and Malayalam, the regional language of her native state, Kerala and so procures a unique linguistic experience in a multicultural background. She includes the Kottayam dialect of Malayalam.

In the novel, she names her characters with traditional references such as Ammu (mother) Kochamma (honorable woman) Mamachi (grandmother) Papachi (grandfather) not giving the characters particular names to establish a separate identity from a traditional Indian household. In addition, it is argued that the diction she employs often follows the post colonial theme of the fragmentation of rules and rigid regulations. Therefore, her language consists of the creation of compound words such as ‘dustgreen’ or the combination of two words as one – whatisit? and so proving to the readers the flexibility of language. This can also be observed in Salaman Rushdie’s novel Midnight Children and so Roy has constantly been compared to Salman in this aspect. She often breaks free from linguistic rules and reegulations which often appear to be non-English.

The word ‘post colonial’ highlights that the writing transcends the confinement of locality, region and nation to be included in the global world and the novel encompasses a post colonial situation where it is revealed through the dialogues, characters and events. The impact of colonialism can be felt where the characters possess a hybrid identity, often conversing both in Malayalam and English as can be observed from Rahel and Estha, a set of fraternal twins. Thus we can see her trying to waddle two different cultures and with the introduction of a foreign culture, we observe this as a crucial factor in the creation of the identities of her protagonists. Hybridity is a process that often occurs due to the assimilation of the foreign culture by the colonised, producing a complex social pattern. It can also be resulted from the conscious forcing of one’s cultural values on others.

Therefore the world created in this novel itself is a merge between two different cultures and brings in multiple Western influences; Estha is passionate about Elvis Presley, uncle Chacko quotes from ‘The Great Gatsby’ and often, the English languague was emphasised in the household. The character of Sophie Mol is represented as ideal and there was a tendency to ahere to that level. Thus before she visited India, the grandmother is seen to be highly conscious of making sure her grandchildren speak properly and punishes them if they talk in their native language. The novel also depicts a sense of divided sense of self on the basis of one’s colour of the skin as argued by Frantz Fanon in his essay ‘Black Skin, White Masks.’ Sophie thus is welcomed graciously to the family due to her racial background and the behaviour of Baby Kochamma’s represents the urge to conform to the cultural norms that Sophie possesses, such as asking her on Shakespeare’s Tempest. In addition, her sense of inferiority is revealed when she tries to imitate the British accent and so attempts to set herself apart from the rest of the Indians. The imperial language is given importance and this obsession acts as a demarcation of a typical post-colonial society. This act is thus described as an unconscious subservience to the imperial modes and customs.

The adoption of Western influence can clearly be seen in the actions of Papachi who changes his lifestyle patterns to fit in with the Britishers which includes failing to don the Indian attire and smoking cigars. However, it can be noted that despite being influenced by the Western culture, his character is seen as stubbornly accepting the power structures outlined by hs traditional system. He is seen to be a chauvinist, a wife-beater and someone who displays exclusive powers of patriarchy in his household- private sphere despite being hailed as a gentleman in his public sphere.

Finally, the novel represents a clear outline of the power hierarchy of relations which can be referenced to how the Britishers controlled the upper class Indians so as to assert their dominance over the rest of the population. Mamachi, Baby Kochamma often are seen as holding the realms of power over Ammu, Rahel and Estha.

Therefore the novel questions and responds to the practices that resulted from colonialsm and brings focus its political intent. It attempts to re-tell and re-write the colonial experience from a colonised voice and so aims to rework the sense of history.