The Theme of Isolation in 'The God of Small Things' and 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' Anonymous 12th Grade

Both of Roy’s novels explore with the isolation of individual characters from each other, from society as well as from the overall narrative arch. The use of varying narrative form furthers this theme by isolating readers from the fragmented stories. Isolation is seen as almost essential in Roy’s novels, where characters must transcend the harshness of Indian society to becomes truly free- where the transgression of boundaries is thresholds into isolation.

Isolation, in both novels, is presented as something organic and inevitable, that allows marginalised characters to find sanctuary in their solitude. Roy presents Estha’s isolation as an ‘octopus’ that ‘enfolded him...like a foetal heartbeat’, The imagery of the ‘octopus’ and the ‘heartbeat’ alludes to the organicism of Estha’s isolation. This suggests that his alienation works as part of an ecosystem, where his isolation is something that, though, marginalises him from society, at the same time it allows him to become unified with the natural world. The fact that quietness ‘spread’ inside him is, in itself, paradoxical, as the silence, despite being the absence of something, becomes a symbol of growth. This is furthered by Estha’s isolation, despite being seen as a ‘dry...