2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

How does Arundhati Roy explore the impacts of cultural values on the lives of individuals in ‘The God of Small Things’? but rather as a positive aspect of his identity that she wants to obsess over. As such, Roy indicates the importance of sex in allowing Velutha to find salvation, as Ammu appreciates Velutha for his whole identity, even his dark skin, which people typically use to discriminate against him. When attempting to analyse the novel, and specifically Ammu and Velutha’s sexual relationship, from a political perspective, Ahmad concludes that Ammu’s death is completely arbitrary, as “if Ammu were to live on, she would have to face the fact that the erotic is very rarely a sufficient mode for overcoming real social oppressions”. In response to this, Bose suggests that “Roy’s protagonists… choose to be political and burdened, and die for it.” Rather than attempting to comment on sex as a realistic method of overcoming social discrimination, Roy uses sex to metaphorically represent Velutha and Ammu’s acceptance that they are burdened by the political issues of Keralan society. Because Ahmad sees little value in Roy’s political commentary as a whole, stemming from his dismissal of Roy’s interpretation of communism in Kerala, he cannot understand the metaphorical significance of the events of the novel, only the significance of a literal interpretation. Therefore, while Ahmad’s interpretation is valuable in starting a political discussion about the novel, his instant dismissal of Roy’s ability to provide useful political commentary leads to his interpretation losing value. Overall, Roy represents how individual human connection can lead to salvation from traditional Indian values through the metaphorical significance of the Love Laws.

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