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Discuss the development of the twins in The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. How does Roy use language to make a clear distinction between the twins before and after the death of Velutha? In The God of Small Things the twin's mother, Ammu, breaks the laws that lay down 'who should be loved, and how and how much' when she has an affair with Velutha (an Untouchable). A relationship with an Untouchable is inconceivable in India, even today, as a woman would be expelled from her Caste if she were to carry out such an undignified act.
Before this occurs Ammu is already frowned upon for being a divorced woman, a common view in Indian society, and returns home with her children.
She is therefore thought of as a hindrance. Estha and Rahel, the twins, manage to accept that they have no 'Baba' but are greatly affected when their mother's affair is revealed and the heroic Untouchable is killed.
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Roy uses differentiated vocabulary and grammar to inform the reader of the obvious change to the twin's relationship and alteration of their individual personalities before and after the death of Velutha.
It is very important to note the structural complexity of The God of Small Things. The events do not appear in chronological order except when the twins are described after Velutha's death. Roy decides to use a linear structure for the twins after the death of Velutha, perhaps to indicate the progressive reconstruction of their relationship. Therefore by studying these sections of the novel where the twins are mature one can refer to elements of the twin's childhood and Roy's use of language to compare and contrast certain ideas whilst also giving a clear representation of how the twins begin to re-establish their relationship.
It is also important to understand that the 'fraternal twins' have an 'emotional connection to one another that is stronger than that of most siblings' (Manorama Mathai).
Therefore when Estha is sent away Rahel feels as though she is losing a part of herself and they both find it incredibly hard to maintain their fun-loving personalities and sense of security that they once felt. Just after Estha has been sent away, following Velutha's death, Rahel explains the hate that she feels towards her mother.
An atmosphere of sadness and unease is conveyed by Roy's use of direct and honest sentences that can be seen when Rahel is disgusted by the way her ill mother is behaving and 'She thought of phlegm and nearly retched. She hated her mother then. Hated her. ' The italics used to emphasise Rahel's feelings make the word harsh and passionate; showing just how despised Ammu was by her eleven-year-old 'twin-egg' child. The short sentences heighten this idea of Rahel's anger and the monosyllabic words give a staccato and bitter feel to the phrase.
This can be compared to the children's view of Ammu before the death of Velutha when they are seven years old. Roy uses longer sentences, expressing a more relaxed and pleasurable mood, when she states that the twins 'loved the fact that the brown of the backs of their hands was the exact brown of their mother's stomach skin'. The children's innocence of loving something so simple makes them seem beautifully nai?? ve, full of pure and loving thoughts. Roy chooses to use their skin colour to represent their love for Ammu as it also gives the family a sense of unity; being proud to be exactly the same colour as their mother.
Roy's language is in no way subtle; she uses the words 'hatred' and 'loved' to create an obvious and sudden contrast of how the twins feel. This blatant use of language exaggerates the difference between the twins before and after the death of Velutha so the reader is therefore aware that the twins have altered. Before this description of Rahel, Rahel herself does not appear to be an angry and hateful person as there are no verbal signs of this hatred that she has developed.
However she often wears her red, 'Angry-coloured' glasses and we also see the jealousy that she feels towards Sophie Mol (her cousin). This perhaps indicates that Rahel's anger was a developing personality trait but the obvious and sudden atmospheric change between this section of the novel and the previous, light hearted description of Sophie Mol's arrival, suggests otherwise. Roy uses similar ideas but in a different context to show the clear change to Rahel's personality. The author uses positive vocabulary when Ammu observes, before Velutha's death, 'the simple, unswerving wisdom of children'.
She then uses negative words to describe how Ammu's attitude has changed towards the same subject when later in the novel '[Ammu] seemed terrified of what adult thing her daughter might say'. It is as though Rahel's knowledge has changed from a nai?? ve eagerness of learning to a real understanding of the world and events that have passed. This implies that Rahel has been forced to grow up faster than she would otherwise, learning the truth about her mother and Velutha, and without the most important part of her life; her brother.
She therefore reverts into this passive and angry state and in this way part of her youth and innocence are destroyed. Estha then returns home and we are introduced to the twins as adults at the age of 24. He is now a mute and the twin's relationship seems distanced and disconnected. Roy creates a sombre atmosphere, in a bathroom setting, to show how the twins no longer have their special relationship. She does this in a variety of ways. For example in the first passage, when Estha and Rahel are older, the author uses poetic and sensitive language to conjure up this melancholy atmosphere in the house.
She firstly uses personification to describe the place by saying 'the room had kept his secrets. It gave nothing away'. Roy also uses this technique when conveying how quiet it is; she states that 'Silence hung in the air like secret loss'. Roy's use of listing the 'impossible-to-forget toys' creates a monotonous mood that is heightened by her use of onomatopoeia when she states 'water drummed into a plastic bucket'. This never-ending feeling, given to these parts of the passage, suggests that 'The terror' has affected the children so badly that they will perhaps stay in this silent and unenthusiastic state for the rest of their lives.
Free indirect speech is then used when Rahel watches Estha change his clothes. Rahel's observation is very detailed, as though she is looking at him for the first time, when she sees 'A dark brown man in pale honey clothes. Chocolate with a twist of coffee. ' The use of words such as 'coffee, chocolate and honey' creates a sense of sweetness and also gives this phrase a sensual and relaxed quality. Roy's description of a chocolate that has a 'twist' of coffee creates an image of some delicious delicacy, and by comparing Estha to this kind of treat one sees him in a very sympathetic light; as he becomes something precious and vulnerable.
It is apparent from Roy's use of language that Rahel has lost the anger that she previously had and has become thoughtful and introvert. She studies her brother as another human being, which conflicts with the view that they had of each other as children. When they were young Ammu would say "Promise me you'll always love each other"... "Promise" Estha and Rahel would say. Not finding words with which to tell her that for them there was no Each, no Other. ' A common feature of Roy's work is her use of short and precise sentences.
This use of sentence structure, during this same bathroom scene, breaks up Rahel's thoughts and slows down the reading so that we are aware of every word that is being used; 'The cupboard closed. Shoes arranged. The dustbin empty'. This description of Estha's room gives the reader an impression of order and organisation. Roy uses the same technique towards the end of this description of Estha and Rahel; 'A raindrop glistened on the end of Estha's earlobe. Thick, silver in the light, like a heavy bead of mercury. She reached out. Touched it. Took it away'. This passage is made very poignant and emotional.
The fact that this is the first time that the two have touched each other since Estha was sent away and they are therefore both deeply aware of this physical contact, and both have ambiguous feelings about the encounter, is made obvious by the author. Roy uses a 'raindrop [that] glistened' to be on Estha's earlobe. This is a precious and delicate symbol, representing the moment that the twins are experiencing. By using alliteration in the letter T, a harsh sounding consonant, Roy manages to show how such a simple and kind action is perceived differently by Estha when he 'didn't look at her.
He retreated into further stillness'. Roy uses a parallel between this bathroom scene and another bathroom scene, which takes place previous to Velutha's death, and in doing so manages to clearly contrast the two different atmospheres. In the earlier bathroom scene, chronologically speaking, a light-hearted mood of enjoyment is expressed by Roy when she states that 'Rahel giggled. Ammu giggled. Baby Kochamma giggled'. Instead of using poetical language here the author uses factual language to create straightforward accounts of the situation, which often result in comedy.
For example there is a description of Baby Kochamma in the toilette; she 'waited for half a moment. Head thrust forward. Silly smile. Bosoms swinging low. Melons in a blouse. Bottom up and out'. Once again, as in the previous passage, short sentences are used. They are used here for a comic effect, which is achieved by these short, slightly random observations that Rahel is making about her Grand-Aunt. During the beginning of this chapter Rahel feels a great sense of community 'like friends' and feels unembarrassed which is an obvious contrast to the awkwardness that she experiences in the later bathroom scene when she touches her brother.
Estha's organised personality is described here when he 'organized the rusty cans of nothing in front of the urinal'. Also the delicate side of him, which we see in the later bathroom description, appears here when he 'pissed carefully, with minimal wobble'. There are also ironic parallels to be made to these two separate bathroom scenes when Estha believes, at the age of seven that he went to the toilette on his own and therefore is 'Like a Man'. The irony occurs because Estha is forced to become 'a Man' early on in his life when he is sent to his father's house and therefore loses out on part of his childhood.
It is interesting to compare this view that Estha has of himself, in 1969, to the view that Rahel has of him in 1990 when his bottom 'evokes... memories of childhood' and there are therefore elements of youth in him. It is also important to note, when referring to Estha's two eras, that on page 92, after Velutha's death, Estha has 'high cheekbones and hunted eyes', which are signs of age and wisdom, whereas on page 96, before Velutha's death, Estha is 'dwarfed' by the size of his mother's comb which are signs of youth, naivety and the need for protection.
Therefore from this evidence I agree with the critic Rochelle Somers that this book 'deals with the hardships of losing innocence' however it also deals with the hardships of losing people that you love; Rahel and Estha lose each other when Estha is sent away, Ammu loses Velutha and when she dies they all lose Ammu. By using the similar setting of the bathroom but different attitudes and atmospheres Roy shows very clearly how the twin's relationship has, at this point in the novel, been partially destroyed.
The author does not only use similar settings but also uses the same imagery to re-enforce this idea of their disintegrating relationship. Firstly the use and references to water suggest the themes of fertility and life. The seven-year-old Estha manages to make the 'soggy then' cigarette stubs 'wet now'. He also 'Wet[s] his hair' at one point in the novel enforcing the idea that he is a young boy, full of life and cleanliness.
However, when the twins are older the symbol of water becomes more disturbing when Estha comes in from outside and is soaking. He takes off his 'sodden jeans. Stiff. Dark blue'. These words 'sodden' and 'stiff' let us know of Estha's negative attitude towards the water and therefore his negative attitude to what water represents. During the same Chapter Rahel's eyes are described as being 'drownable in'; another negative quality of water, yet also romantic and mysterious.
The next time that we are introduced to the adult twins, subsequent to Velutha's death, is when they are watching a Katakali performance and we begin to see their relationship improve. During this show 'Something altered in the air. And Rahel knew that Estha had come'. This recognition of her brother suggests that they are beginning to re-build the special relationship and closeness that they once had. The hope that this phrase creates is heightened when Roy tells us that 'a glow spread inside' Rahel.
This 'glow' represents warmth and happiness; two emotions that we have not yet seen from the older twins. During the Katakali show the twins 'sat there Quietness and Emptiness, frozen two-egg fossils, with hornbumps that hadn't grown into horns'. This can be compared to Roy's similar use of language earlier in the novel when the family is at the Airport, waiting for Sophie Mol to arrive and Rahel is described as 'an Airport Fairy with hornbumps and yellow rimmed re plastic glasses'.
Therefore when the word 'hornbump' is mentioned Roy instantly manages to evoke images of their childhood and youth. From these comparative descriptions we are aware that the twins have not yet grown their 'horns' and therefore have not properly progressed into adults, most probably because they were not able to share the remains of their childhood together, even though at such a distressing time they needed one another more than anyone else.
It is apparent throughout the novel that when the twins experience moments of distress in their life they need one another for comfort. The final time that we see the twins is towards the end of the novel when feeling 'hideous grief' they attempt to regain the closeness that they once had and they 'break the love laws'. Some believe that 'the incest scene at the end was unnecessary' (Manorama Mathai).
However, when the twins return after being separated it is obvious that Estha and Rahel see one another in a different fashion from when they were young. Rahel's description of Estha's body in the later bathroom scene is distinctly physical and in some ways romantic. It is apparent that they have become sexualised beings but have missed out on those important steps in their childhood where there relationship would grow into physical, sibling, non-sexualised affection.
They therefore feel that the only way to regain the closeness that they once had is to have sex. Unlike Manorama Mathai I believe that Roy was not wrong in writing this incest scene as it shows how the twins have not fully become adults; as they don't understand 'the love laws' and the non-sexual relationship that as brother and sister they should automatically possess, and it also shows how desperate they are to regain the intimacy that they once shared.
Another reason that I believe Roy was correct in her writing of the incest scene is the comparison that it has to a previous scene, before Velutha's death. Rahel has just been told off by Ammu, and Estha is, during the day, sexually abused by the 'orange-drink-lemon-drink-man'. They therefore need comfort from one another but are forced to sleep in separate rooms. Roy uses language to create an atmosphere of silence and distress when Estha 'stood quietly outside Rahel's door' and without any words or signs Rahel 'stood on a chair and unlatched the door for him'.
This atmosphere is continued when the two characters 'slept with their arms around each other...... Somehow not wholly unaware of the hint of doom and all that waited in the wings for them'. This directly compares to the final twin scene as the twins do not speak about their feelings or emotions and this same distressing atmosphere is created when Roy explains that 'what they shared that night was not happiness but hideous grief'.
From these parallel scenes we compare the adult, sexual twins to the young, non-sexualised twins and in this way recognise in what way these characters have changed. It is certainly true that 'the great pleasure of The God of Small Things flows from its language' (Wood). Roy's use of words, images and symbols makes us constantly compare the younger and older relationship of the twins so we can understand its development and the change that occurs.
It appears that the twins are attempting to regain what they once had and are able to mysteriously feel each other's presence once again by the end of the novel. However, whether they manage to reunite and overcome the separation that occurs is left ambiguous. The only way that they would be able to rectify what they once had is if they realised that they are 'not the sinners. You're the sinned against. You were only children. You had no control. You are the victims, not the perpetrators. '
The God of Small Things. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/god-small-things-1814-new-essay
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