Remapping the Small Things: Place and Life Space in Arundhati Royâs The God of Small Things

In The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy depicts a world constituted by small things, and each small thing attaches its significance with those who live in Ayemenem, especially for the twins Rahel and Estha. By remapping the small things scattered in Ayemenem, this thesis aims to explore the interrelation between place, people, and space. Place is meaningful for those who live there when their personal history, social relation, and personal experience produce life space and thus have the sense of place. Therefore, place is defined by the personal experience, not the changes of landscape or political history. The sense of place is developed from life space which is formed by small things that people perceive and conceive. Chapter One focuses that place is identified by personal history and experience, not by the changes of landscape. The twins are traumatized by the small things that trace Veluthaâs death and are confined in the space constructed by the past memories. Even though the landscape and people of Ayemenem become different, the twins still sense Ayemenem consistent with its past. The small things are left in Ayemenem by the god of small things, Velutha, who belongs to subaltern group. Chapter two illustrates the social relation between place and people through the dilemma and oppression he faces. By remapping the small things of the novel, Chapter Three represents how people identify place to produce their life space. Life space is produced from the interrelation between people and place, while the sense of place is constructed by peopleâs life experience and life space.