Sunday, May 16, 2010
The river is the background for most of the events in this book. Flowing on and on, it has the feeling of agelessness, as it has been there since the beginning of time. Everything in their lives involves the river, including Sophie Mol's death and Ammu and Velutha's relationship. Amma tastes river on Velutha's skin. Estha and Rahel played and rowed on the river, and it is constantly present in their lives, as it is right near the History House and Mammachi's house. The river plays a big part in everyone's life.
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2 comments:
Good observation. This book has many central themes and reoccuring symbols. The moth, the violence, the river and countless others. All of the symbols have a very important role and this one seems to be both violent and loving. ammu and velutha's love and sophie mol's death.
Right on. I keep on stressing about the differences in the world of Big Things (the typical Ayemenem scene, the Communist rally, the police station, the movie theater and such) and the world of Small Things (Velutha, the History House, Estha and Rahel. I find that the river is sort of the bridge between the two worlds. In that sense, it is pivotal throughout the book, and is where many of the key events ocurred. Sophie's death, Velutha's beating, and every amorous encounter between Ammu and Velutha. It's sort of like the story's spinal chord.
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