As Non-Western Literature loves to tackle binaries, I'm going to attempt to work with the binary that I find most interesting - the educated versus the non-educated in "The God of Small Things". I find myself still approaching Francis Bacon when I think of this binary - "education is power". In light of that approach to education, the haves and the have-nots become more pronounced in "The God of Small Things".
Education, and the ability to have it or not, is most definitely a power struggle in this book. What a better pair to compare then Chacko and Velutha? Chacko is an Oxford educated man. He has had the best education and finds himself turning to Marxism as an educated soul. Velutha is an Untouchable. He is continually subject to discrimination and oppression as a member of the lowest caste. Velutha also turns to Marxism as well.
The Spivak handout that we looked at as a class also works within this. She discusses the "subaltern" - the colonized person, the unorganized masses who never fully consent to the power of colonialism. This feels like a Marxist idea.
Are these all related? Is Marxism an idea for the educated or the non-educated? Is Marxism merely a poorly concealed way of the educated gaining power of the non-educated? Or perhaps is Marxism the ultimate equalizer...we all can live without the presence of a government? Because as much as Marxism would like to be an equalizer, it in the past has had the nasty effect of separation of peoples.
I don't know if I can answer these questions. I don't even know if I fully understand them. However, one thing shows undeniably clear. Education is a political entity. Even in a political system that works to promote the unity of the educated and the non-educated, separations occur along the lines of education (p. 66) as Chacko, a follower of the Marxist ideas, sits attacked in his vehicle by people whose ideas he still follows, including Velutha.
What does education as a polticial entity mean for us, mean for "The God of Small Things"? Well, perhaps it isn't education itself that is the political entity, but the withholding of education from some but not others that makes it a polar topic. Would sharing the wealth of knowledge change anything?
I say yes.
Empowering people to advocate for what's right as infinite potential to change things. Sharing education equally de-polarizes it.
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Let me riff on your most recent post. One of my problems with Chacko is his theoretical approach to Marxism that comes off as an intellectual pose more than anything else. Velutha, on the other hand, practices Marxism not only in his participation in rallies and protests, but also in his relationships with Rahel, Estha, and Ammu. In my teaching, I try to follow Velutha's lead by having Marxist thought influence my teaching strategies.
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