Mammachi’s pickle factory, next to the Ipe house, becomes symbolic for the theme of preservation in the novel. Its literal method of preservation, extending the shelf life of a food for an indeterminate amount of time, is in line with the figurative message it’s very existence is trying to relay. It helps the reader understand that certain constructs, like the factory, follow old ways which are not easily persuaded to change. Even the factory's workers, who have been deeply involved in marxist ideals, represent the freezing of time because their relationship to the factory has not changed.
Pickling the fruits and vegetables is essentially preserving them so they last forever. Examples of this preservation can be found by seeing how members of the Ipe family preserve past events by keeping them in the light, specifically the memory of Sophie Mol’s death. Further evidence to support this claim rises from the focal point which Roy chose to center the story around. The factory and Sophie Mol’s death can be thought of as two of many epicenters, causing ripples to spread outwards. There are many events along Estha and Rahel’s timeline which suggest this overlap of consequences along with the revival of memories. The preservation and persistence of certain memories, S is central to the novel’s purpose in showing how change impacts the lives of the characters within the plot.
The pickle factory also creates an even wider barrier of the old divides between landlords and laborers, between the Touchables and Untouchables of the Indian caste system. Within the pickle factory itself, the banana jam Mammachi makes is also symbolic, as banana jam is illegal to sell because it cannot be properly categorized as either jam or jelly. Rahel compares this to much of the family’s conflict, as lines of religion and caste are blurred and this confusion of categories leads to tragedy. All in all, the factory survives the multitude of tidal waves produced by the many life changing events spoken about in The God of Small Things.
The pickle factory is an important symbol of the theme of preservation of a certain time, as the Ipes (especially Mammachi, the founder) preserve old traditions and class divisions.
Pickling the fruits and vegetables is essentially preserving them so they last forever. Examples of this preservation can be found by seeing how members of the Ipe family preserve past events by keeping them in the light, specifically the memory of Sophie Mol’s death. Further evidence to support this claim rises from the focal point which Roy chose to center the story around. The factory and Sophie Mol’s death can be thought of as two of many epicenters, causing ripples to spread outwards. There are many events along Estha and Rahel’s timeline which suggest this overlap of consequences along with the revival of memories. The preservation and persistence of certain memories, S is central to the novel’s purpose in showing how change impacts the lives of the characters within the plot.
The pickle factory also creates an even wider barrier of the old divides between landlords and laborers, between the Touchables and Untouchables of the Indian caste system. Within the pickle factory itself, the banana jam Mammachi makes is also symbolic, as banana jam is illegal to sell because it cannot be properly categorized as either jam or jelly. Rahel compares this to much of the family’s conflict, as lines of religion and caste are blurred and this confusion of categories leads to tragedy. All in all, the factory survives the multitude of tidal waves produced by the many life changing events spoken about in The God of Small Things.
The pickle factory is an important symbol of the theme of preservation of a certain time, as the Ipes (especially Mammachi, the founder) preserve old traditions and class divisions.