Evaluate Ammu-Velutha relationship in “The God of Small Things.”

Answer

Evaluate Ammu-Velutha relationship in “The God of Small Things.” [2021]

Arundhati Roy (1961-Present), in her Booker Prize–winning novel “The God of Small Things” (1997), presents a tragic and forbidden love story between Ammu and Velutha. Ammu is a divorced upper-caste woman, and Velutha is a low-caste untouchable carpenter. Their relationship breaks the “Love Laws” that decide who should be loved and how much. This love, though pure and beautiful, becomes a symbol of resistance against caste, class, and social injustice in Indian society.

Difference of Class and Caste: Ammu and Velutha belong to opposite social worlds. Ammu comes from a rich Syrian Christian family, while Velutha is from the Paravan caste, considered untouchable. The narrator says, 

“Where the Love Laws lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much?” 

Their love breaks the old caste rule that separates human hearts. Velutha’s skill and dignity make him different from other Paravans. However, society never forgives him for loving a woman from the upper class. This difference becomes the root of tragedy.

A Love Born in Pain and Loneliness: Ammu lives a life full of suffering. She escapes from an abusive husband and returns home with her twins. She feels lonely and unwanted. When she meets Velutha, she feels love and peace. The narrator says, 

“She hoped that under his careful cloak of cheerfulness he housed a living, breathing anger against the smug, ordered world.” 

Both find comfort in each other’s pain. Their love grows in silence and secrecy, away from the cruel eyes of the world.

Rebellion Against Social Injustice: Their love is not just emotion; it is rebellion. Ammu and Velutha challenge a system that denies freedom of choice. Velutha represents the courage of the weak, and Ammu stands for a woman’s right to love. The narrator says, 

“It was a time when the unthinkable became thinkable.” 

Their affair becomes a protest against caste,