Arudhathi Roy

            In God of Small Things, Roy's uses "Heart of Darkness- to show a similarity to Conrad's novel by relating how the colonial powers invasion of India promoted darkness. The reference to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad occurs many times, but most notably in chapter five in the quote, "The old colonial bungalow with its deep verandah and Doric columns, was surrounded by smaller, older, wooden houses, "ancestral homes "that the hotel chain had bought from old families and transplanted in the Heart of Darkness."" (God of Small Things, 120) The Heart of Darkness here pertains to European style intrusion into the Indian landscape, which creates darkness. Roy relates the "Heart of Darkness- to the History House by showing the change from the History House to the Heritage House. The Hotel hides itself from poverty and is found in the quote, "The history house could no longer be approached from the river. It had turned its back on Ayenenem. The hotel guests were ferried across the backwaters, straight from cochin-. (God of Small Things, 119) The hotel does this to hide the smell from the river and excrement stemming from Ayenemen. The hotel's property is also the setting where Velutha's beating took place, Estha's sexual encounter, and Sophie Mol's death, which show how the Heart of Darkness has been hidden by its history as well. The description of the plays performed in the Hotel is ironic, since the scenes that are acted out directly relate to the painful events that happened at the History House years earlier. (God of Small Things, 121) The use of "Heart of Darkness- also pertains to the exploited nature of one scene, in which the police men are beating up Velutha. The brutality of this event is similar to horrifying events against Africans in Heart of Darkness, in which many were killed without moral reason. The subaltern relationship between Velutha and the Africans shows the power that can be related between the police men and the colonists, thus showing the full extent of the Heart of Darkness.