The sharing of guilt in 'The God of Small Things' Anonymous 12th Grade

The God of Small Things follows a series of unfortunate events that unravel the lives of the characters of the novel. One major theme echoed again and again through the novel is the theme of guilt and the effect it has on the decisions the characters of the novel make, many of which end up changing their lives. Whenever people feel guilty, their shame and their psychological defenses act up to reject, repress and eventually suppress awareness of it. However, the characters of the novel, especially the sibling pairs (Rahel and Estha; Chacko and Ammu), display a strange tendency to share their guilt between themselves, ultimately attempting to lessen it in the process. The way in which both the sibling pairs attempt to share their guilt provides for a fascinating contrast and plays a major role in the development of the characters.

Some people like to view guilt as a virtue, as a heightened perception of morality or ethicality. However guilt, in fact, is one of the biggest destroyers of self-regard, individuality, confidence and personality. It has the ability to make someone feel immobilized in the present by events that have happened in the past. Feeling guilty is bad enough emotionally, however, failing to recognize your guilt...