Clashes of Ideologies and Authorial Intrusion operating inArundhati Roy’s Novel theGodofSmall Things

Abstract

This thesis shows that Arundhati Roy’s novelThe God of Small Things(1997) mirrors the ideological conflict of various political, social, economic, religious and cultural forces operating in the postcolonial/independent India. The thesis classifies these forces into three categories. The postcolonial state, the ruling class, religious institutions, the media, the main stream political parties and the global culture comprise the dominant/oppressive group. The mainstream/parliamentarian lefts make the middle way force. The working class, women, the ‘untouchable’ and the Naxalites make the oppressed group. I have shown that the novel synthesises the conflicts in the realm of ideologies because the characters are motivated by ideologies rather than by their socio-economic position they belong to. I have shown that the dominant and the unconscious oppressed class share false consciousness as their ideology, whereas the conscious oppressed groups are guided by the Maoist/radical thought which I have identified as the emergent ideology. I have associated the parliamentarian lefts with enlightened false consciousness. I have also shown that there is no one to one correspondence between the class and one’s ideology. The thesis shows that Roy’s radical views articulated in her non-fictional writings such asThe Algebra of Infinite Justice, An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire, The Shape of the BeastandListening to Grasshoppershave found fictional rendering in her novel and determined its ideology.The thesis is an attempt to show that, despite her avowed disagreement with the Naxalitemovement, Roy’s radical views and the Maoism converge inThe God of Small Thingsas the emergent ideology.