The God of Small Things

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• Note the setting.

• Note the use of color in the descriptions throughout the chapter. What is the significance of these colors? How do you know?

• Why is it surprising that Chacko is wearing a suit? Why might he make this decision? How does it relate to theme?

• What does Baby Kochamma mean when she refers to the twins as “Ambassadors for India”?

• Describe Rahel’s mood as conveyed here. Estha’s? (pp. 133–134)

• What does the phrase “with an end to grinding poverty in their Aristocrat suitcases” convey about what the returnees represent to those waiting for them at the airport? (p. 134) And how does she convey the returnees’ feelings about India and about those waiting? 

• What does the narrator mean on p. 136 when she says, “…at times like these only the Small Things are ever said…”?

• The childlike, light-hearted narration helps us to understand Estha and Rahel’s perspective. Rahel seems frightened about losing Ammu’s love. What does the author do on pp. 135–140 to convey Rahel’s fears.

• How do the twins act when introduced to their relatives? Compare this with how they were expected to act.

• What does the word “LayTer” represent to Estha and Rahel?

• There is a power dynamic established in today’s excerpt between the newly arrived (such as Margaret Kochamma) and the people who live in Kerala. Describe that power dynamic.