Orientalism in Books

In God of Small Things (1997), by Arundhati Roy truly illustrates the heavy shadow that Orientalism has on Asia and specifically the characters in the novel. One specific example comes to mind when we are introduced to Sophie Mol. Besides the fact she is Chacko's long lost daughter, her appearance in the novel creates a binary between with Rahel by her actions, appearances, and motives. Sophie Mol is given the royal treatment and is easily illustrated as a foreigner to the Paradise Pickles franchise.

For Sophie Mol, she is given individualistic praise for her whiteness and how her features are similar but obsessed over because she offers a distinct difference between her western world and their Indian culture. Colorism plays a vital role in how Orientalism, Sophie Mol arrival is glorified, her hair "the smell of London in her hair. Yellow bottoms of bells flapped backward around her ankles. Long hair floated out from under her straw hat(6.57)", her appearance often contrast to Rahel's appearance of an "Airport Fairy with appalling taste."

Orientalism impacted the way we expected Sophie Mol to be, a pristine Indian Whitewashed little girl visiting her father, we expected her to act differently due to her lifestyle of raised in Europe. Sophie Mol apperance is what we perceive of her, we truly know nothing of her besides the fact she's compared to Esta and Rahel, making her seem to be too big for her boots(pun intended)."Sophie Mol arrived on the Bombay-Cochin flight. Hatted, bell-bottomed, and Loved from the Beginning (5.116)." Rahel feels that she needs to earn the love, nuture, and attention she feels she deserves, by being careful and reputable. Sophie Mol, on the other hand, she has it from the moment she steps off the plane. The way the family treats Sophie Mol, by softly speaking to her, and filtering her food,"There would be two flasks of water. Boiled water for Margaret Kochamma and Sophie Mol, tap water for everybody else (2.59)", as though she's too honorable to be drinking the same water as the family. So, once again we experience the western world in books and how it still impacts and is exposed in our present and our past.