Hum sari achchi kham karenge.

I have scanned throught the packets we recieved in class over a newest novel, The God of Small Things. I have heard from reliable sources that the novel displays a contemporary India, and Mr.Heidkamp stated that one of the main themes of the novel was inescapability.

When I think about it, the biggest example of inescapability is the caste system. This system defined people by thier "dharma" or duty in the country. There were different levels of the caste that signified what people's dharmas were, and there would often be discrimination between the caste members. Particularly to the ones who were destined to be outcast from the system and live as rejects. These people were seen as unholy since god had not assigned them a specific dharma. In addition, by being a reject from society, you were also a reject from temples of worship meaning that holy figures like Brahmins could not bless them. Therefore, these people were known as "untouchables" because they could not be touched by god.

I am not sure if the caste system will play a role in this novel, but I feel as though elements of this will appear in the story. If this is taking part in a region in Malyasia, I think this could be true since the caste system is far more pronounced there.

Comments

[Mike A.]

What also interests me about the caste system is the individual's ability to wait for the next life. Untouchable can only move up in the caste system when they die and if they have good karma they will come back as a higher caste member. It intrigues me so much that people for hundreds of years accepted this system without revolt. The untouchables accepted their role and were willing to wait to move up.