Allusion

ContextandDirectQuotation

Heartof
Darkness

KariSaibushouse.TheBlackSahib.TheEnglishman

Meaning/Significance

ThisistheintroductionandthefirsttimeRoyalludestotheHeartof
whohadgonenative.WhospokeMalayalamandwore Darkness.ThereisevenanexplicitreferencetoKurtz,acharacterinthe
mundus.AyemenemsownKurtz.Ayemenemhis
HeartofDarkness.KariSaibuisthemanwhoiscomparedtoKurtz,and
privateHeartofDarkness.
(25)Chackoisexplainingto Chackosaysthathehasgonenativewhichindicatesthatheismentally
thetwinshowtounderstandhistory.TheHistoryHouse unstableandthathehadbeencorrupted.AsChackoexplainstothetwins,
isarepresentationoftheHeartofDarkness
itismadeclearthatAyemenemisKarisHeartofDarkness.However,on

Thehouseontheothersideoftheriver.Loominginthe thenextpage,itappearsthattheHistoryHouseistheHeartofDarkness.
TheHeartofDarknessistheareathatisattemptedtobeimperialized,and
HeartofDarkness.
(26)
wherethenormalisbeingchanged.Similarly,intheHistoryHouse,the

Hesteppedontothepaththatledthroughtheswamp
castesystemisbeingbrokenbyAmmuandVelutha,andtheLoveLaws
totheHistoryHouse.Heleftnoripplesinthewater.No
arebeingbrokenbyRahelandEstha.
footprintsontheshore.Heheldhismunduspread

abovehisheadtodry.Thewindlifteditlikeasail.He
VeluthaiscrossingtherivertotheHistoryHouse.Theideathatheleaves
wassuddenlyhappy.Thingswillgetworse,hethought
noripplesinthewaterandnofootprintsgivestheimpressionthatthere
tohimself.Thenbetter.Hewaswalkingswiftlynow
towardstheHeartofDarkness.Aslonelyasawolf.The willbeonindicationthathewenttotheHistoryHouseortheHeartof
Darkness.Similarly,inHeartofDarkness,Marlowistheonlysailorto
GodofLoss.TheGodofSmallThings.Nakedbutfor
hisnailvarnish
.(136)Veluthaiscrossingtheriverto
returnfromhisjourneytotheHeartofDarkness.Alltheothersailorsthat
theHistoryHouse
havetraveledtotheHeartofDarknessneverreturned.Theloneoneto

returnisMarlow,leavinghimlonelyasawolfastheonlyonetoreturn,as

Unlikethecustomoframpagingreligiousmobsor
Kurtzdies
conqueringarmiesrunningriot,thatmorninginthe

HeartofDarknesstheposseofTouchablePolicemen
actedwitheconomy,notfrenzy.Efficiency,notanarchy. TheideabehindthisquoteistorelatetotheHeartofDarknesshowever,
Responsibility,nothysteria.Theydidnttearouthishair thepurposeisnottocreateasimilaritybetweenthetwobooks,butrathera
orburnhimalive.Theydidnthackoffhisgenitalsand
difference.InHeartofDarkness,theEuropeanswerecrueltothepeople
stufftheminhismouth.Theydidntrapehim.Orbehead whowereuncivilized.Theycommittedatrocities,abused,andtook
him.Afteralltheywerenotbattlinganepidemic.They
advantageofthepeoplesofAfrica,believingtheyweresuperiorandwere
weremerelyinoculatingacommunityagainstan
abletodoanything.InTheGodofSmallThings,however,thetouchable
outbreak
.(144145)ThePolicemenweresearchingfor
policemendonotcommitatrocitiestoVelutha,theuntouchable.Infact,
Velutha
Roygoesintoexplicitdetailaboutthethingsthatthepolicemendidntdo

thatcouldpossiblybeconsideredinhumane.

The
Tempest

TheTempest
isaplaybyWilliam
ShakespeareinwhichArielservesprospero
afterhefreesherfromthespellofawitch.

BabyKochamma,whohadbeenputinchargeoftheir
formaleducation,hadreadthemanabridgedversionof
TheTempestbyCharlesandMaryLamb.Wherethe
beesucks,theresuckI,EsthaandRahelwouldgo
aboutsaying,InacowslipsbellIlie.

(28)

DyouknowwhoArielwas?BabyKochammaasked
SophieMol.ArielinTheTempest?SophieMolsaid
shedidnt...ShakespearesTheTempest?Baby
Kochammapersisted.(69)

ThemainplotofTempestbyShakespeareistheservingofProspero(the
master)byanapparitionnamedAriel.ThefactthatBabyKochammais
readingthisemphasizestheideathatBabyKochammaistryingtoimpose
theoldways(thecastesystem)ontothenewgeneration,andhowthey
belongintheupperpartofthesystem,andareallowedservants.

ThiscanbeseenascommentarybetweenthesechildrenandArieldirectly.
LiketheTwins,Arielis

TheSound
ofMusic

TheSoundofMusicisanAmericanMovie,
released1959,whichtakesplaceinAustria
justbeforeWWII.ItisaboutMaria,whois
leavingthebeautiful,naturalhillstojointhe
abbeyasanun.Throughoutthemoviethe
inevitableinvasionbyNaziGermanyis
discussed,anditoccursinthesecondoftwo
acts..

TheIpefamilywenttoseetheSoundof
musicthreetimes.Itismentionedseveral
times.ChackosaidthatgoingtoseeThe
SoundofMusicwasanextendedexercisein
Anglophilia.Ammusaid,Ohcomeon,the
wholeworldgoestoseeTheSoundof

Thethemeofnaturalbeautyagainstsociety'sdemandsonthe
individualaresimilarlypresentthroughout
GodofSmallThings.
ItissomewhatironicthismovieinwhichNaziinvasionisshown
asadestructive,evilactistheheraldto,ifnotthebeginning
catalystof,theInvasionofWesternmediaintoIndia.

Thisconversationpitstwoargumentsaboutthesignificanceof
goingtoseeTheSoundofMusic.Throughsubtext,Chackois
arguingthatthemovieispopularbecauseitisproducedby
westernvalues.
That
isthereasontheyarewatchingit,which
relatestotheculturalinvasionofIndia.Ammuarguesthatitis
justareallygoodmovie.Inthesameparagraphtheyargue
aboutthevalueofChackoscredibilityasaresultofhisOxford
education.Ammusargumentsmakesense.Chackosstatement
thatafterreadingatOxfordyou
comedown
seems

Music.ItsaWorldHit.(p27)After,Chacko
andAmmuargueaboutwhetherhisOxford
educationmakeshimthecleverestmanin
IndiaasMammachiasserts.

Esthasingsthesongsinthetheaterduring
thesoundofMusic
,andtheaudiencehissed
athimtoleavewithsharkteeth..like
stickersonapostcard.
TheAudiencewasaBigMan.Esthawasa
LittleMan,withthetickets.(p48)

hegoesoutsideandismolestedbythe
orangedrinklemondrinkman.

meaninglessandwouldsupporttheargumentsthathisliterary
argumentsarehighlyabstract,andsincearenotgroundedin
realityarenotapplicable.Thus,thepassageimpliesthat
Anglophiliaishighlyabstractliteraryconceptwhichcannotbe
appliedtotheviewingof
theSoundofMusic
asthereasonitis
popularinIndia.Inthis,Ammusassertion,thatitisjustapopular
movieandnothingmore,isgroundedandapplicable.

Thecharacterizationoftheaudiencetryingtoquiethimistied
intothelargerconceptsofBigManandLittleMan.Hissimplejoy
insingingthesongsisinnocent,yetthepredatoryintoleranceof
theaudienceforceshimoutfromthemovie,whereheis
molestedbylemondrink.ThiscouldbeinterpretedonhowBig
ManisresponsibleforthedestructionofSmallManinsome
ways.