Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things: Traumatic Distress in Children

Abstract

Arundhati Roy’s novel The God of Small Things (1997) narrates trauma and its deep distress in child psychology. The novel consists of multiple traumas. Rahel and Estha-- the two major characters – are haunted by past events throughout their life. I pay particular attention to child psychology affected by trauma, its causes, symptoms and responses are examined in relation to the experience of the children particularly Rahel and Estha. In this article I employ the theoretical frameworks of psychological trauma studies in relation to childhood. It provides interpretations of psychological trauma in the childhood and its long-lasting affects even in the adult life. The protagonists are two twin children Rahel and Esthappen.