The God of Small Things

Lesson 13
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ELA

Unit 3

12th Grade

Lesson 13 of 37

Objective


Analyze the author’s use of juxtaposition to characterize adult Estha.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy  pp. 84 – 89

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Target Task


Multiple Choice

The narrator describes Baby Kochamma having the “air of a game warden,” mainly to show that she does not

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The main purpose of the final paragraph is to

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Writing Prompt

How does the author characterize Estha the adult in this chapter? Use evidence from the chapter to describe him.

Explain how Rahel reacts to seeing Estha after all of these years. How would you describe her feelings? Why?

Key Questions


  • Note the setting of the chapter. Describe how and why things look as they do.
  • What is the meaning and purpose of the phrase “television-enforced democracy” on p. 84?
  • By the bottom of p. 85 we have seen multiple references to dreams—big dreams, small dreams, subway dreams, etc. Why? Track this idea through the chapter.
  • What does the “coolie” mean by Big man and Small man?
  • After the page break on p. 86, what is the setting?
  • Who does the metaphor of the Game Warden refer to? What does it convey on p. 86?
  • Track the diction and figurative language used to characterize Estha.
  • What does the narrator say is positive about Estha’s obsessive cleanliness? How does this help to characterize Estha in 1993? What do the preserved toys add to the characterization?
  • What is the impact of the repetition of “a viable die-able age” on p. 88?
  • How does the narrator describe Rahel’s eyes on p. 88? How does this description contribute to the overall mood of the chapter thus far?
  • “Both things unbearable in their polarity…” What is the Rahel juxtaposing in her mind on p. 89? What makes it “unbearable”?
  • What is Rahel’s reaction to seeing Estha? What is Estha’s response to seeing Rahel?
  • What is Estha doing in the final sentence of the chapter? Compare this final sentence to the first sentence of the chapter. What is the significance of this contrast? How is the author using the motif of dirty and clean here?
  • How does this adult Estha compare to the singing, dancing, Elvis-loving child Estha?
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Lesson 12

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Lesson 14

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