THE GOD OF SMALL THINGSChapters Four and Five

THEMES

Book Wide

• Harmful words

• What is reality? Points of View

• Family and society

Chapter specific

• The uselessness of the Kerala Communist party.

• The watered-down tourist culture.

FORESHADOWING – MORE CLUES

• “He remembered vaguely a whiff of scandal. He had forgotten the details, but remembered that it had involved sex and death. It had been in the papers. After a brief silence and another series of small nods, the man handed Comrade Pillai the sachet of photographs.” Comrade Pillai remembering Rahel’s back story.

• “Minutes before that picture was taken, she had finished explaining patiently to Estha and Rahel (arguing away any evidence to the contrary, photographs, memories) how there was a pretty good chance that they were bastards, and what bastard really meant. This had entailed an involved, though somewhat inaccurate description of sex. “See what they do is…””

• “Chacko, do you love Sophie Mol Most in the World?” “She’s my daughter,” Chacko said. Rahel considered this. “Chacko? Is it Necessary that people HAVE to love their own children Most in the World?” “There are no rules,” Chacko said. “But people usually do.””

FAMILY AND SOCIETY

• Estha is molested by the Orangedrink Lemondrink man but feels like he has done something wrong.

• “He knew that if Ammu found out about what he had done with the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, she’d love him less as well. Very much less. He felt the shaming churning heaving turning sickness in his stomach. He longed for the river. Because water always helps.”

• Even though we know that this is an incredibly wrong thing, Estha takes no action.

• Public opinion is very important

HARMFUL WORDS

• Harmful words cause a lot of damage in the book.

• This is shown with Rahel asking about marriage with her mom.

• “So why don’t you marry him then?” Rahel said petulantly. Time stopped on the red staircase. Estha stopped. Baby Kochamma stopped. “Rahel,” Ammu said. Rahel froze. She was desperately sorry for what she had said. She didn’t know where those words had come from. She didn’t know that she’d had them in her. But they were out now, and wouldn’t go back in. They hung about that red staircase like clerks in a government office. Some stood, some sat and shivered their legs.”

POINTS OF VIEW

• You hear about the same event but often from different points of view.

• Why has Roy used this? What points is she making?

THE USELESSNESS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY

• Comrade Pillai is both taking business from the pickle factory and trying to start a strike.

• In chapter five this extends to a private hotel now being full of ex communists.

TASK

• Lets list the events of chapter four and five.

• Where do they go on our timeline?

TASK

• I want you to pick out 10 of the most important quotes of chapters four and five.

• Transform them into a comic book style and make it look boot-ee-ful.

• You have Mondy and Tuesday to prepare the comic book strip.