The God of Small Things: A Critique of Postcolonial Condition

Abstract

Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997) is a postcolonial literary text. It presents the Indian scenario in the light of the aftermath of European colonization. Through her presentation of characters, language, dialogues, and other events Roy has brought into focus the postcolonial condition of India in her novel. The novel shows how the Indians have lost their original cultural identity and found themselves in between two cultures---Indian and European. At the same time, it also presents the wretched condition of the ‘subaltern classes’ of contemporary Indian society. By creating a postcolonial discourse in the novel Mrs. Roy is seen to criticize, question, and subvert the old dominance of the European colonizer.