The God of Small Things Fear Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"Take mine!" Estha said quickly, not wanting Rahel to go near the [Orangedrink Lemondrink] man.

But Rahel had already started towards him. As she approached him, he smiled at her and something about that portable piano smile, something about the steady gaze in which he held her, made her shrink from him. It was the most hideous thing she had ever seen. She spun around to look at Estha.

She backed away from the hairy man.

Estha pressed his Parry's sweets into her hand and she felt his fever-hot fingers whose tips were as cold as death.

"'Bye, Mon," Uncle said to Estha. "I'll see you in Ayemenem sometime." (4.219-223)

How creepy is this moment? It presents two reasons for Estha to be completely terrified: he's worried that the Orangedrink Lemondrink man is going to do something to Rahel, and he also realizes the possibility of his tracking him down.

Quote #2

Ammu said a grown-up's Hello to Margaret Kochamma and a children's Hell-oh to Sophie Mol. Rahel watched hawk-eyed to try and gauge how much Ammu loved Sophie Mol, but couldn't. (6.86)

We see the twins experiencing different kinds of fear about very different issues throughout the book. Here, Rahel is scared that Ammu will be enchanted by Sophie Mol and thus begin to love her more than she loves Rahel.

Quote #3

That night in the lodge, Ammu sat up in the strange bed in the strange room in the strange town. She didn't know where she was, she recognized nothing around her. Only her fear was familiar. The faraway man inside her began to shout. This time the steely fist never loosened its grip. (7.49)

In the moment of Ammu's death, she's paralyzed by fear. What makes this moment so awful is that everything is strange to her except the fear that she feels. What a terrible way to die – not knowing what's going on except that you're completely terrified. Somehow, that makes the whole experience scarier, doesn't it?