The God of Small Things: Structure

Structure and Form of the Novel

Non-linear narrative: Arundhati Roy’s “The God of Small Things” adopts a non-linear narrative structure, with the events flicking between different decades.
Foreshadowing: From very early on, key events like the death of Sophie Mol are foreshadowed but not explained. This creates tension and suspense which sustains the reader’s interest.
Dual narrative: The narrative is mostly divided between the twins’ perspectives – Estha and Rahel, though the adults’ perspectives are also occasionally offered.

Metafiction: The novel is a self-conscious narrative or metafiction, where the author regularly draws attention to the act of storytelling, inviting us to question reality versus perception and the accuracy of memory.
Imagery and symbolism: Roy uses dense imagery and symbolism throughout the novel such as the moth on Rahel’s heart and the term “small things”. These can be read both literally and metaphorically.
Flashbacks: The employment of flashbacks allows the reader to understand the past’s impact on the present events and the characters’ development.

Prologue: The prologue, indirectly, sets up the central tragedy of Sophie Mol’s death and introduces the idea of “small things” – themes, ideas and details that will recur throughout the novel.
Epilogue: The epilogue takes us back to the very beginning of the story, both chronologically and in terms of event sequence. It significantly fills in the gaps of the Ammu-Velutha story which has been only alluded to previously.

Roy uses thematic parallelism to reinforce her key themes and ideas. For example, the “Love Laws” are explored in both the adult world (Ammu and Velutha) and the children’s world (Estha and Rahel).