https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb Chapters 1-2 Discussion Questions en-us 2018-04-05 13:53:12 UTC 2025-10-04 07:13:11 UTC hello@padlet.com MsFitzpatrick https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248874847 Please post a discussion question or questions to help guide our discussion today. Make sure your question/s are connected to a specific moment/s in the text. As people continue to add questions, "like" your favorites so that we can choose a popular one with which to begin our discussion.]]> 2018-04-05 13:57:58 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248874847 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881075 What is the significance of Ammu's dual nature? 
("It was what she had battling inside her. An unmixable mix. The infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber." (44))]]> 2018-04-05 14:10:04 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881075 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881406 Our narrator makes the observation that the church, in which Sophie Mol had her funeral, was an "old church with new paint" (6). Why do you think this distinction was made?]]> 2018-04-05 14:10:40 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881406 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881451 What is the story of Sophie Mol? Why is her death so significant? ]]> 2018-04-05 14:10:45 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881451 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881826 What is the significance of Sophie Mol's funeral? Why is it significant that Rahel believed Sophie was still alive? (Adult's reality vs children's reality)]]> 2018-04-05 14:11:24 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248881826 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882088 What is the significance of "The Sound of Music?" Why does Roy reference it so often? What meaning does it add to the novel? "Chacko said that going to see The Sound of Music was an extended exercise in Anglophilia" (54).]]> 2018-04-05 14:11:54 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882088 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882125 how does the change in estha's and rahel's relationship affect the two, and how might this relationship be significant for the future?

]]> 2018-04-05 14:11:59 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882125 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882340 The Indian Bee goddess Bhramari Devi derives her name from the word Bramari, meaning ‘Bees’ in Hindi. In Indian mythology, goddesses frequently turned into Bees to ward off demons and purify the land. At Sophie Mol's funeral, "a bee died in a coffin flower". Do you think that this was in reference to something else dying simultaneously? Peace? Innocence? Hope?]]> 2018-04-05 14:12:24 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882340 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882534 Why does Baby dislike the twins so much? Do they represent something painful for her?]]> 2018-04-05 14:12:45 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882534 PublicPoetryProject https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882630 What do Rahel's "red sunglasses" (37, 71) symbolize? Does their meaning change/evolve?]]> 2018-04-05 14:12:56 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882630 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882896 Do you agree with Chacko's insights about adoring one's conquerors and Anglophilia? How does that relate to Estha and Rahel's love for "The Sound of Music"?]]> 2018-04-05 14:13:24 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248882896 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883202 Why is Velutha's relationship to Ammu so important in shaping his social status? ]]> 2018-04-05 14:14:01 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883202 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883363 the Returning (capital R!!) of Estha

]]> 2018-04-05 14:14:18 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883363 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883518 What is it that started the unraveling of this family? Sophie Mol's death? Unhappy marriages?]]> 2018-04-05 14:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883518 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883789 During Ammu's encounter with Inspector Thomas Mathew in Chapter 1, the officer made it clear that he, and the rest of his colleagues, would not "take statements from veshyas or their illegitimate children"(9). Is "illegitimate" the equivalent of untouchable? Where do you think police fall in the caste system?]]> 2018-04-05 14:15:10 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248883789 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248884494 Bearing in mind Estha's silence and quiet demeanor, how does silence play a role in the lives of our characters
? What power is there in words unspoken?

]]> 2018-04-05 14:16:28 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248884494 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948046 Why did Estha and Rahel sit separately from the rest of the family during the funeral of Sophie Mol?]]> 2018-04-05 16:27:14 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948046 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948290 Roy writes, "Moments like these the twins treasured like precious beads, on a (somewhat scanty) necklace" (60). What effect do Roy's metaphors, especially as a means of capturing memories, have? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:27:39 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948290 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948408 Why did Roy choose to capitalize certain adjectives and nouns? Examples: "Grief and Trouble" (75), "June Rain" (11) ]]> 2018-04-05 16:27:53 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948408 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948796 What is the significance of Rahel's belief that Sophie Mol was buried alive?  How/why does it matter?]]> 2018-04-05 16:28:38 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248948796 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949116 "It is curious how sometimes the memory of death lives on for so much longer than the memory of the life it purloined" (17). What do you find interesting about this quote and in particular the context of which it's said? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:29:17 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949116 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949152 Is there a pattern in which words Roy begins with a capital letter? Why do you think Roy manipulates language in this way?]]> 2018-04-05 16:29:22 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949152 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949168 What is the significance of the Grandmother owning a pickle shop and also the fact that the pickle business died under the hands of Chacko?]]> 2018-04-05 16:29:24 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949168 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949202 Why do you think Arundhati Roy started the novel off in the way she did? Why do you think the first paragraphs are dedicated to vivid details of local nature?]]> 2018-04-05 16:29:29 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949202 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949489 Why is it significant that Inspector Mathew calls Ammu an "veshya" and calls her children "illegitimate" (9)? What is the significance of him tapping her breasts with his baton as "though he was picking mangoes from a basket" (9)? What does this description reveal about how Ammu is seen?]]> 2018-04-05 16:29:54 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949489 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949646 Why was Sophie Mol depicted as being buried alive? What does this moment contribute to the text and what does it tell us about Rahel?]]> 2018-04-05 16:30:14 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949646 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949684 What does the scene of the twins reading words backwards symbolize? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:30:19 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949684 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949942 Consider the quote "she's living her life backwards" (23). Does this quote apply to any of the other characters in the novel? How does it connect to Ammu's life? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:30:51 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248949942 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950071 Why do you believe Roy utilizes the function of going back and forth in time? How does this further meaning of the story and connect to the title "The God of Small Things"?]]> 2018-04-05 16:31:10 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950071 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950499 In what ways has Baby Kochamma "lived her life backwards" (23)?]]> 2018-04-05 16:32:04 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950499 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950641 The novel begins with a detailed description of the weather, and the weather is often mentioned when important events transpire. What is the purpose of these descriptions?

]]> 2018-04-05 16:32:26 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950641 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950740 How does the setting of the book influence certain aspects of characters and their relationships? What would the book lose/lack if it was set in the europe or america ]]> 2018-04-05 16:32:42 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248950740 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248951143 How are women depicted in the novel vs men? In what ways do they defy the gender norms at their time?]]> 2018-04-05 16:33:34 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248951143 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248951490 Does it seem as though Sophie Mol's death causes Rahel's disruptive behavior or are Rahel's actions just normal childhood misbehavior? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:34:24 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248951490 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248952050 Would the book be better or worse if it was told in chronological order ]]> 2018-04-05 16:35:35 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248952050 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248952886 Note the differences in children perspectives vs adult perspectives]]> 2018-04-05 16:37:27 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248952886 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953377 Rahel says that "they all broke the rules. They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much." What is the significance of this observation, and to what extent do all of the characters break some sort of societal rule/norm?]]> 2018-04-05 16:38:31 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953377 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953638 in what ways is numbness displayed throughout the first two chapters? ]]> 2018-04-05 16:39:07 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953638 https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953797 Significance of events being mentioned or referenced before they are actually described.]]> 2018-04-05 16:39:31 UTC https://padlet.com/MsFitzpatrick/pubg2cr6jikb/wish/248953797