Within the God of Small Things, seemingly insignificant characters and symbols play vastly important roles. In relation to the post-colonialism of India, occurring when the British pulled out in the late 1940’s, the country has become far more commercialized. Within the novel, The God of Small Things, Police Inspector Matthew, Baby Kochamma’s television, and the pickle factory, are all tainted by commercialism and each display a hidden message to society.
Police Inspector Matthew represents the commercialized stance of India in the 20th century and exploitation of the weak. He is described as having, "mustaches [bustle] like the friendly Air India Maharajah's"(Roy 9). According to Lutz in his article, which compares the novel to Marxist ideas, “the comparison of Inspector Mathew to the trademark insignia of Air India…alludes to the role of the trademark as a stereotyped view of India turned into an object of consumption for tourists” (Lutz 2). Through this comparison of the inspector, who represents a social standard of moral rectitude, to the famous airline of India, it shows the degradation of a culture for the consumption of that culture as a tourist attraction by the West. This idea of consumption in relation to the inspector also points to his dealings with Ammu, where he sexually exploits her position for his own consumption, when he views Ammu’s breasts with “sly and greedy eyes…packed and delivered" (Roy 9). The inspector views Ammu, a single mother, as a prostitute and object that he can disrespect. Through Inspector Matthew, the commercial stance of India becomes clear, along with the sinister undertones of sexual exploitation that permeate society as a whole.
Baby Kochamma television is a direct link to the westernization within India, and her actions reveal her desire to escape reality. The television, which represents modernization and westernization, is always turned to American stations. She watches sports, talk shows, and soap operas. Baby Kochamma is directly related to the evils that happen throughout the novel, and her desire to exclusively watch tv while being holed up in her house borders on a fetish (Lutz 2). Roy writes, “She presided over the world in her drawing room on satellite TV” (Roy 27). The commercialized western idealisms, which have permeated India, show that to Baby Kochamma and others, old archaic value systems have been replaced with commercialism for the sake of convenience. She wants to stay within her house and control the remote, showing her desire to ignore the events surrounding her. Baby Kochamma’s desire to exert control over her own man-made sphere of influence shows a total break with reality, because in India, Baby Kochamma has no power as a single woman. The type of television, American television, shows America’s influence in modern India. The presence of the TV shows the extent of commercialism in India, as well as showing Baby Kochamma’s desire to exert control, thereby breaking with her surrounding reality.
The Pickle Factory, a symbol of wealth and commercialism, also shows political exploitation as means to an end. The family has made its wealth by owning the factory since the British arrived. There are billboards across Ayemenem, and everyone knows that Mammachi owns the pickle factory. This ownership of a factory, complete with workers of lower castes, shows that commercialism runs rampant in the post-colonial era. Likewise, the dissatisfaction with the working conditions in the factory, exemplified by Comrade Pilli and Velutha, shows that beneath the façade, there is a deep political turmoil. Comrade Pilli wants to create a union within the factory, and because Velutha, the untouchable, is part of the Communist Party, Comrade Pilli sees Velutha as a threat to that possibility. In chapter 14, Comrade Pilli uses Velutha as a means to an end, trying to remove a “political barrier” to his success in the factory. The novel writes that Comrade Pilli, “lived in a society where a man's death could be more profitable than his life had ever been" (Roy 130). Through the pickle factory, it is evident that commercialism has taken a firm stance in India, and political exploitation of others brews just beneath the surface.
Within the God of Small Things, insignificant characters and symbols take center-stage to prove the extent to which capitalism has taken control in the post-colonial world of India. The commercialization also highlights deeper issues within society: sexual exploitation of women, desire to escape reality, and political exploitation of the weak. Within the novel, The God of Small Things, Police Inspector Matthew, Baby Kochamma’s television, and the pickle factory, are all tainted by commercialism and each display a hidden message of turmoil within India.
Essay Comparison to:
Commodity Fetishism, Patriarchal Repression, and Psychic Deprivation in The God of Small Things. By Lutz, John, Mosaic (Winnipeg)
Police Inspector Matthew represents the commercialized stance of India in the 20th century and exploitation of the weak. He is described as having, "mustaches [bustle] like the friendly Air India Maharajah's"(Roy 9). According to Lutz in his article, which compares the novel to Marxist ideas, “the comparison of Inspector Mathew to the trademark insignia of Air India…alludes to the role of the trademark as a stereotyped view of India turned into an object of consumption for tourists” (Lutz 2). Through this comparison of the inspector, who represents a social standard of moral rectitude, to the famous airline of India, it shows the degradation of a culture for the consumption of that culture as a tourist attraction by the West. This idea of consumption in relation to the inspector also points to his dealings with Ammu, where he sexually exploits her position for his own consumption, when he views Ammu’s breasts with “sly and greedy eyes…packed and delivered" (Roy 9). The inspector views Ammu, a single mother, as a prostitute and object that he can disrespect. Through Inspector Matthew, the commercial stance of India becomes clear, along with the sinister undertones of sexual exploitation that permeate society as a whole.
Baby Kochamma television is a direct link to the westernization within India, and her actions reveal her desire to escape reality. The television, which represents modernization and westernization, is always turned to American stations. She watches sports, talk shows, and soap operas. Baby Kochamma is directly related to the evils that happen throughout the novel, and her desire to exclusively watch tv while being holed up in her house borders on a fetish (Lutz 2). Roy writes, “She presided over the world in her drawing room on satellite TV” (Roy 27). The commercialized western idealisms, which have permeated India, show that to Baby Kochamma and others, old archaic value systems have been replaced with commercialism for the sake of convenience. She wants to stay within her house and control the remote, showing her desire to ignore the events surrounding her. Baby Kochamma’s desire to exert control over her own man-made sphere of influence shows a total break with reality, because in India, Baby Kochamma has no power as a single woman. The type of television, American television, shows America’s influence in modern India. The presence of the TV shows the extent of commercialism in India, as well as showing Baby Kochamma’s desire to exert control, thereby breaking with her surrounding reality.
The Pickle Factory, a symbol of wealth and commercialism, also shows political exploitation as means to an end. The family has made its wealth by owning the factory since the British arrived. There are billboards across Ayemenem, and everyone knows that Mammachi owns the pickle factory. This ownership of a factory, complete with workers of lower castes, shows that commercialism runs rampant in the post-colonial era. Likewise, the dissatisfaction with the working conditions in the factory, exemplified by Comrade Pilli and Velutha, shows that beneath the façade, there is a deep political turmoil. Comrade Pilli wants to create a union within the factory, and because Velutha, the untouchable, is part of the Communist Party, Comrade Pilli sees Velutha as a threat to that possibility. In chapter 14, Comrade Pilli uses Velutha as a means to an end, trying to remove a “political barrier” to his success in the factory. The novel writes that Comrade Pilli, “lived in a society where a man's death could be more profitable than his life had ever been" (Roy 130). Through the pickle factory, it is evident that commercialism has taken a firm stance in India, and political exploitation of others brews just beneath the surface.
Within the God of Small Things, insignificant characters and symbols take center-stage to prove the extent to which capitalism has taken control in the post-colonial world of India. The commercialization also highlights deeper issues within society: sexual exploitation of women, desire to escape reality, and political exploitation of the weak. Within the novel, The God of Small Things, Police Inspector Matthew, Baby Kochamma’s television, and the pickle factory, are all tainted by commercialism and each display a hidden message of turmoil within India.
Essay Comparison to:
Commodity Fetishism, Patriarchal Repression, and Psychic Deprivation in The God of Small Things. By Lutz, John, Mosaic (Winnipeg)