Journal Entries for the God of Small Things

Journal Entries for The God of Small Things Write five reading journal entries over The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Each entry will be no less than one and no more than two pages each, typed in MLA format (single spaced) in 12 point, Arial or Times New Roman font. Each entry needs a thesis statement , textual evidence, and commentary. Entry 1: Symbolism. Choose one recurring symbol from the novel and discuss, in detail, what it represents and its significance to the work as a whole. Evidence must come from at least two different places in the novel. Entry 2: Narrative structure and point of view: The fragmented structure of The God of Small Things is one of its most striking and challenging features. In the novel, narrative time does not correspond with chronological time. In other words, the way in which the story unfolds does not follow a conventional route from beginning to middle to end. Instead, Roy employs alternating narrative threads, flashbacks, and flashforwards to tell her story out of sequence in a non-linear fashion. Although this is initially difficult for the reader, understanding why Roy writes in this way can enhance our understanding of key themes in the novel, in particular the lasting effects of trauma and the enduring legacies of historical events. Form and content are thus profoundly interconnected, as Roy herself explains: [The structure] was the most challenging part of writing the book. It begins at the end and ends in the middle. . . . if it had been a straight, linear narrative, it would have meant something altogether different. Each ordinary moment becomes more heightened, more poignant because it is viewed through the complex lens of both past and present. Choose an extract from the novel, and analyze how the nonlinear structure of the extract enhances the understanding of the thought (theme) and feeling (tone) of the particular scene and the novel as a whole. Be sure to type and attach a copy of the extract.

Entry 3: Passage Analysis: Choose a passage that you believe strongly relates to the theme, and retype it or make a copy of it to staple to your response. Explain the context of the passage (what is happening immediately before and after it). Formulate a theme statement, and explain, using textual evidence, why the passage is so important to theme. Be sure to discuss how the passage relates to an earlier or later event or section in the work. Entry 4: Allusion and Intertextuality. Choose one recurring allusion, and analyze its significance in terms of plot, character, theme, and effect on the reader (tone). Entry 5: Character analysis. Choose any character from the novel to analyze. Explain briefly who the character is, the character’s experience of the events, his or her multiple relationships in the novel, and why the character is important to the reader’s experience of the work as a whole.