Causes Of The Terror In Arundhati Roy's The God Of Small Things

Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things revolves the event known as “The Terror” in the lives of the Ipe Family. Due to the fact that the story is told through a series of nonlinear flashbacks, the audience learns of the effects of the Terror long before the narrative reveals its causes. As the story progresses, the reader is able to piece together not only the events which directly lead to the deaths of Sophie Mol and Velutha, but also the historical and societal systems at play which informed the environment in which these tragedies took place. While the Terror was undeniably traumatic for every character involved, trauma is something that builds and experience is what builds it. Estha’s earlier traumatic experience with the the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man laid the foundation for a series of traumatic events which later irreversibly changed the lives of the Ipe Family and Estha’s (and his twin sister Rahel’s to an extent) personality and worldview. And through this, the novel demonstrates how the large things - history …show more content…
If Estha had not been molested, he would not have had those Two Thoughts. If he did not have those Two Thoughts, he would not have needed to create the hideout. If they did not need the hideout at the History House, then there would be no need for the boat. If there was no boat, Sophie Mol would not have drowned. Of course, it is entirely possible that Sophie Mol would have died anyway, Estha’s molestation is the reason that the Terror played out the way that it did. Estha and Rahel are not to blame for the terror because, due to their youth and powerlessness, their small actions were informed by the larger systems at play around them and their small actions contributed to the larger tragedy that unfolded around them, which shows that just how the god of large things informs the god of small things, the god of small things can create a large thing as