Eloquent Silence: A Study in Caste with Special Reference to ‘The God of Small Things’

Authors

Vinita Sharma

Abstract

The Caste system in India is an integral part of ancient Hindu tradition and dates back to 1200 BC. When caste taken as synonymous with Indian social system, it forms a ‘cultural’ category as it is indicated by the Hindu lawgiver, Manu, who is regarded as its architect. Untouchables have been in a very ambiguous position for many centuries in the context of Indian society. Seen from the view point of the Vedas, Untouchables have actually procured no place in the whole Hindu social order. Hindu society, as it came to be known, was clearly divided by Vedas into four categories or varnas which denoted certain social occupations. They can be listed as Brahmin (priest and teacher), Kshatriya (ruler and warrior), Vaishya (trader), and Sudra(servant). The term ‘Untouchable’ appears to be highly evocative in its suggestion as it insinuates towards a pernicious form of subordination known ever in history. The very idea that some people are so inferior or degraded as not to be touched physically or morally, makes such a strong appeal and impact as to make this term stand out of all and the best known all over the world.
Though from time-to-time various literary writers have voiced their concerns for the Dalits, the underdogs or the downtrodden section of the Indian society, Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small Things’, the debut novel of the author and winner of Booker Prize in 1997, exposes the social consciousness and class discrimination prevalent in the caste-ridden society, leading to tyranny and exploitation in the face of apparent just and law- governed social order. It is interesting to note that caste-based divisions in the Hindu society have been present since ages, but Arundhati Roy presents a cross-caste clash in the novel, which is not the widely popular divide between the touchable and the untouchables of the Hindu society, but between the Syrian Christians and the Untouchables.

Keywords

Caste, Untouchability, Dalits, Paravans, Exploitation, Oppression, Tragic.

Eloquent Silence: A Study in Caste with Special Reference to ‘The God of Small Things’. Vinita Sharma. 2023. IJIRCT, Volume 9, Issue 1. Pages 1-6. https://www.ijirct.org/viewPaper.php?paperId=2403071