Caste and Hierarchy Exploration in The God of Small Things

Dr Tarun Kumar Yadav Assistant Professor Department of English S R P S College B R Ambedkar Bihar University Official Email: [email protected] ORCID iD: 0009-0005-7563-1581 VIDWAN ID (INFLIBNET - UGC): 652669 Researcher ID (Web of Science): OJT-0076-2025 Google Scholar ID/URL (Google): https://scholar.google.com/citations?a uthuser=2&user=l86cIqQAAAAJ Abstract The paper examines the repercussions of social and caste hierarchy in the novel The God of Small Things, a Man Booker prize awarded novel written by Arundhati Roy. It explains the story of Ayemenem, a social space where caste functions overtly, silently, shaping desires, policing bodies and structuring memory. The central character to analyze is the male protagonist named Velutha, a Paravan. He is a skilled labour whose political alliance and intimate relationship with Ammu disclose the limits of society which considers itself rhetoric but in real remains rigid. The study analyses that Roy projects caste as a “law of small things”. It shows dispersed in everyday system of rules and prohibitions which demonstrate inequality through gestures, silences, and ritualized violence. The research comparatively situates Roy’s novel along with Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable (1935), Rohinton Mistry’s A Fire Balance (1995) and Bama’s Karukku (Tamil: English translation in 2000) to plan in detail the continuities and divergences in literary representations of caste and religion. The small incidents at different time expose the caste and social inequality prevalent in the society. The novelist poignantly depicts the pathetic situation of the male protagonist, Velutha and female central character, Ammu, throughout the novel. The conclusion of the research paper reflects on Roy’s temporal disruption, child perspective and lyrical irony, which show caste visible and devastating. It will also discuss social and political reality. Keywords Repercussions, hierarchy, Paravan, ritualized, Velutha, Ammu