Wang AP Lit

At the 2003 Porto Alegre meeting of the World Social Forum, Arundhati Roy said: "Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay  siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones  we're being brainwashed to believe."          How does this message relate to The God of Small Things ? What idea about colonialism does Roy argue? How does the context of "Men's Needs" change throughout the novel? Even though the context changes, does the definition change? What is the significance of the Heart of Darkness? Why does Roy constantly allude to Conrad's novel while describing Ayemenem? Is there any irony in this description? How does the meaning of sex change throughout the novel? How are the relations between Chacko and stra...

“Over the din Kochu Maria shouted Vellya Paapen’s story to Baby Kochamma. Baby Kochamma recognized at once the immense potential of the situation, but immediately anointed her thoughts with unctuous oils. She bloomed. She saw it as God’s Way of punishing Ammu for her sins and simultaneously avenging her (Baby Kochamma’s) humiliation at the hands of Velutha and the men in the march–the  Modalali Mariakutty  taunts, the forced flagwaving. She set sail at once. A ship of goodness ploughing through a sea of sin” (243).              Baby Kochamma emerges as the villain of  The God of Small Things.  Throughout the novel, Roy notes how Baby Kochamma is constantly judgmental of both Ammu and the twins and how she seems to think they are plotting against her. Baby Kochamma uses Ammu’s sexual relationship with Velutha to her own advantage and gains a sense of satisfaction from ruining Ammu’s life. In this pa...

“History” What is going on with the ghost in the History House? What is the significance of the electrified elephant? What does “God of Small Things” mean in Ammu’s eyes?

In  God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy exposes the differences in gender standards in Indian society. She effectively brings to light these differences through perceptions of siblings: in particular, Ammu and Chacko. Throughout the novel, Ammu is described as a woman beaten down, depressed, and seemingly having burned out her chances at a “normal” life. After all, she divorced her alcoholic husband and father of her children, and is left alone to raise her twins Rahel and Esthappen. Additionally, she lacks the sense of hospitality and grace that is expected of her when Margaret and Sophie Mol visit India because, as the reader learns, she had an abusive father. Despite her troubled past, the characters in the novel treat her poorly and do not offer any sympathy to her. Roy suggests that Ammu and Veluthra have a forbidden sexual relationship, and this relationship leads to disgrace of her and family, for Chacko tells her to depart because she has “destroyed enough already” (151). W...

"Anglophile" Why does the arrival of Sophie Mol place so much pressure and anticipation on the family, especially Ammu, Rahel, and Estha? What role does Comrade Pillai play? What is the significance of television in Baby Kochamma's life?

Why does Roy capitalize words with seemingly no significance? What role does the legacy of British imperialism play in the novel's family? Who does Velutha love?

How does Milkman understanding of his family history impact his own self-identity and influence how he perceives himself? How does each character define love in Song of Solomon ? What role do women play in Song of Solomon ? What is the significance of Pilate's death? How does Guitar develop over the course of the novel, and why does he despise Pilate and her family? What is the significance of the parallel between Hagar and Reyna?

           Song of Solomon is peppered with many different allusions. Ranging from classical myths to traditional folk tales, these stories enhance the text and establish parallels between Morrison’s characters and well-known figures. One such allusion is the Brothers’ Grimm tale of “Hansel and Gretel.” At the start of Part II in the novel, Morrison describes the tale of “Hansel and Gretel” and compares the two children’s journey to Milkman searching for Circe’s home. In “Hansel and Gretel,” two children abandoned in the woods by their parents who cannot afford to care for them anymore come across a witch’s house from which they must escape after she attempts to eat them. The story reflects an era’s financial hardships, but also a loss of innocence for Hansel and Gretel. “Hansel and Gretel” functions in Song of Solomon in two different ways. First of all, Macon and Pilate are Hansel and Gretel. After all, their beloved father is killed by racists, and the...

      Song of Solomon is a bildungsroman. After all, the novel chronicles the life of Milkman Dead as he grows up and attempts to find meaning in life. Milkman has two defining characteristics: self-absorption and a lack of identity. Throughout the novel, Milkman seemingly acts in his own interests and ignores the well-being of those around him. He becomes intimate with Hagar, but when he becomes bored, he disregards her and refers to her as a third beer that one drinks simply because it is there. Similarly, he hardly speaks with his sisters Magdalene called Lena and First Corinthians, and he does not view his mother Ruth as a real person with emotions, but rather as an extension of himself. Additionally, he feels manipulated by his family members and friends. He thinks, “Somehow everybody was using him for something or as something. Working out some scheme of their own on him, making him the subject of their dreams of wealth, or love, or martyrdom. ...

We have heard about the ghosts haunting Freddie's mother and Pilate's father's ghost giving her advice. What is the significance of ghosts in the novel? Who is Circe and what is her relationship to Pilate and Macon? How does the lack of familial roots and identity shape and influence the characters in the novel?

Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon is peppered with many different unusual metaphors. Often appearing at unexpected moments, this figurative language enhances the text and offers more meaning into the characters’ minds. The following are a few of my favorite metaphors: “There was the pain and shame of seeing his father crumple before any man–even himself. Sorrow in discovering that the pyramid was not five-thousand-year wonder of the civilized world, mysteriously and permanently constructed by generation after generation of hardy men who had died in order to perfect it, but that it had been made in the back room at Sears, by a clever window dresser, of papier-maché, guaranteed to last a lifetime” (68) In this passage, Milkman reflects on hitting his father after Macon abuses Ruth. The act of retaliation represents Milkman’s loss of innocence and transition into full adulthood; he realizes that he no longer fears his father. Prior to this moment, his father, like the pyramid, is...