Film Analysis: The God Of Small Things

The God of Small Things, a novel written by Arundhati Roy, tells the story of two twins, Estha and Rahel, whose life is influenced by the social norms and cultures in India. The novel mirrors the injustices made by the unjust traditions in India, such as the Caste System, and other issues, which were prevalent during the 1960’s – 1990’s were discussed, such as violence against women, child abuse and communism. The novel is titled The God of Small Things because one of the characters named Velutha,who is affected by all the issues seen in the novel, is described in a dream of the twins’ mother as a god of small things. Velutha was seen as a god of small things because of his position in the Indian society, which dictates his fate because he is discriminated and treated poorly, regardless of his abilities. Putting all of these into consideration, the appropriate title for the film adaptation of the novel is “That Destroyed Itself”. The film is titled as such because of the injustices that occur in the plot of the novel. Because of these cruelties in the traditions and social norms the society is tearing itself apart. The cruelties not only affect the society in the plot but also the humanity of the characters. The issues that are present in the plot that would also be seen in the film are: The Caste System, Communism, Child Abuse, Discrimination,Forbidden Love and Violence Against Women. As seen in the novel the workers in India are divided because of the presence of