The Love Laws are a central theme in The God of Small Things. They decide who can be loved, how, and how much, and are inextricably tied to social class in the context of the novel. The Love Laws determine society’s view and treatment of Ammu and her twins, which ultimately leads to the series of events that wreck their lives.
In breaking the Love Laws, Ammu ‘s social status and society’s view and treatment of her deteriorates. Ammu breaks the Love Laws twice—first by marrying a Hindu, and then by loving Velutha, an Untouchable. Both cases result in negative events. When Ammu breaks the Love Laws, society judges her and treats her according to their judgement. It is a "commonly held view that a married daughter had no place in her parents ' …show more content…
However, Mammachi’s rage is entirely due to the Love Laws, and what society will think of the Ipe family if knowledge of Ammu and Velutha is spread. If such knowledge is spread, “people would point at them…they’d nudge and whisper” (244). This kind of public reaction is what Mammachi fears. The Love Laws decree that most of all, Ammu should not, cannot, love an Untouchable. To do so brings shame and society’s censure upon the family. And this fear of the public reaction is what drives Mammachi’s uncontrollable rage and decision to lock Ammu in her room. Without the Love Laws, Ammu and Velutha’s relationship would not have created half the stir it did. The very existence of the Love Laws shapes Ammu’s life, determining the reactions of others to who she loves, how, and how much. Ammu’s rage over being locked away leads her to scream at Rahel and Estha, which leads directly to the twins’ flight and Sophie Mol’s subsequent death. Sophie Mol’s death and Baby Kochamma’s manipulation causes Chacko to expel Ammu from Ayemenem, ultimately resulting in her death. The Love Laws are at the heart of the whole conflict. Their very existence sets off a chain of …show more content…
They are “Half-Hindu Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry” (44). The Love Laws determine who can be loved, and under them, Rahel and Estha, as “Half-Hindu Hybrids,” cannot be loved. This fact leads them to be treated as lesser by others. Chacko permits them to only call him by his given name, refusing to let them call him “Uncle”, or any sort of name that implies familial connection. Baby Kochamma actively “disliked the twins, for she considered them doomed, fatherless waifs” (44). Throughout the novel, she treats them as lesser. Sophie Mol’s arrival, as the “clean white” child, leads to Rahel and Estha being considered and treated as even lesser than before (100). The Love Laws are inextricably tied to social class and the caste system, and in terms of social class, Sophie Mol is far above Rahel and Estha. Particularly due to her race, Sophie Mol is everything the twins are not. Baron von Trapp, the quintessential white father figure from The Sound of Music “cannot love them…cannot be their Baba” (102). It is “out of the question” (102). For Estha and Rahel, the Love Laws determine their inferiority, particularly in comparison to Sophie Mol. In the Play, when Sophie Mol and Margaret Kochamma first arrive in Ayemenem, Rahel and Estha are rather ignored in favor of Sophie Mol. The Love Laws decide that Sophie Mol can be loved, moreso, evidently, than Rahel and Estha. Thus, the
In breaking the Love Laws, Ammu ‘s social status and society’s view and treatment of her deteriorates. Ammu breaks the Love Laws twice—first by marrying a Hindu, and then by loving Velutha, an Untouchable. Both cases result in negative events. When Ammu breaks the Love Laws, society judges her and treats her according to their judgement. It is a "commonly held view that a married daughter had no place in her parents ' …show more content…
However, Mammachi’s rage is entirely due to the Love Laws, and what society will think of the Ipe family if knowledge of Ammu and Velutha is spread. If such knowledge is spread, “people would point at them…they’d nudge and whisper” (244). This kind of public reaction is what Mammachi fears. The Love Laws decree that most of all, Ammu should not, cannot, love an Untouchable. To do so brings shame and society’s censure upon the family. And this fear of the public reaction is what drives Mammachi’s uncontrollable rage and decision to lock Ammu in her room. Without the Love Laws, Ammu and Velutha’s relationship would not have created half the stir it did. The very existence of the Love Laws shapes Ammu’s life, determining the reactions of others to who she loves, how, and how much. Ammu’s rage over being locked away leads her to scream at Rahel and Estha, which leads directly to the twins’ flight and Sophie Mol’s subsequent death. Sophie Mol’s death and Baby Kochamma’s manipulation causes Chacko to expel Ammu from Ayemenem, ultimately resulting in her death. The Love Laws are at the heart of the whole conflict. Their very existence sets off a chain of …show more content…
They are “Half-Hindu Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry” (44). The Love Laws determine who can be loved, and under them, Rahel and Estha, as “Half-Hindu Hybrids,” cannot be loved. This fact leads them to be treated as lesser by others. Chacko permits them to only call him by his given name, refusing to let them call him “Uncle”, or any sort of name that implies familial connection. Baby Kochamma actively “disliked the twins, for she considered them doomed, fatherless waifs” (44). Throughout the novel, she treats them as lesser. Sophie Mol’s arrival, as the “clean white” child, leads to Rahel and Estha being considered and treated as even lesser than before (100). The Love Laws are inextricably tied to social class and the caste system, and in terms of social class, Sophie Mol is far above Rahel and Estha. Particularly due to her race, Sophie Mol is everything the twins are not. Baron von Trapp, the quintessential white father figure from The Sound of Music “cannot love them…cannot be their Baba” (102). It is “out of the question” (102). For Estha and Rahel, the Love Laws determine their inferiority, particularly in comparison to Sophie Mol. In the Play, when Sophie Mol and Margaret Kochamma first arrive in Ayemenem, Rahel and Estha are rather ignored in favor of Sophie Mol. The Love Laws decide that Sophie Mol can be loved, moreso, evidently, than Rahel and Estha. Thus, the