[Message #1]
Mark Mandapat:
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

[Message #2]
Amy Lawlor:
begin with an overview of the novel:
What are the characters like?  What are the themes of the story?  In what way is the setting (India) important to the story?

[Message #3]
andre patterson:
So how is every one doing on this book so far?

[Message #4]
Mark Mandapat:
still going through the first chapter

[Message #5]
Caroline Chou:
bad...

[Message #6]
Caroline Chou:
i don't even know what's it's about!

[Message #7]
Richard Pelorin:
i just got the book yesterday

[Message #8]
andre patterson:
oh i guess were all on the same page.

[Message #9]
Caroline Chou:
me too

[Message #10]
Richard Pelorin:
we're screwed

[Message #11]
Caroline Chou:
very

[Message #12]
Richard Pelorin:
so what was the first chapter about

[Message #13]
Mark Mandapat:
 I think the book begins  23 years after the main events in the novel

[Message #14]
Richard Pelorin:
mark?

[Message #15]
andre patterson:
We should get started like a.s.a.p.

[Message #16]
andre patterson:
yeah i heard it starts off with a funeral.

[Message #17]
Caroline Chou:
what's it about so far, mark, in the first chapter?

[Message #18]
Mark Mandapat:
It just establishes the setting, in a town called Ayenem

[Message #19]
Mark Mandapat:
The two main characters are fraternal twins.One is a boy, Estha, and a girl, Rahel

[Message #20]
Richard Pelorin:
do they have jobs or anything

[Message #21]
Richard Pelorin:
or does it say what they're life is like?

[Message #22]
andre patterson:
yeah Estha seems to have a bit of a problem.

[Message #23]
Mark Mandapat:
so far in the 1st chapter (sigh) it talks about them growing up seperately

[Message #24]
Richard Pelorin:
cool

[Message #25]
Mark Mandapat:
they both got problems

[Message #26]
andre patterson:
yeah they were split apart from each other.

[Message #27]
Caroline Chou:
why do they have problems?

[Message #28]
Richard Pelorin:
what's Estha's problem, Andre?

[Message #29]
Mark Mandapat:
 thats what theyre gonna explain throughout the novel i guess

[Message #30]
Caroline Chou:
how old are they supposed to be? does it say?

[Message #31]
Richard Pelorin:
ahh....

[Message #32]
andre patterson:
well hes a lil sub concious about his feelings i believe and tends to keep to himself really.

[Message #33]
andre patterson:
ooops

[Message #34]
Caroline Chou:
is everyone trying to read it right now?

[Message #35]
Mark Mandapat:
yeah, and the twins have that unspoken bond thing going on, and i think the book will elaborate on that and how their separation plays into it

[Message #36]
andre patterson:
well yeah i am.

[Message #37]
Mark Mandapat:
yeah i just got it

[Message #38]
Richard Pelorin:
yup

[Message #39]
andre patterson:
Estha's father sends him away to an all boys school.

[Message #40]
Caroline Chou:
and rahel stayed with the father or what?

[Message #41]
andre patterson:
This book is very blunt i must say.

[Message #42]
Mark Mandapat:
true

[Message #43]
Caroline Chou:
it seems kinda interesting tho

[Message #44]
andre patterson:
it doesnt say much about rahel in the beginning.

[Message #45]
Richard Pelorin:
yea it seems like easy reading

[Message #46]
Mark Mandapat:
it's very detailed too

[Message #47]
andre patterson:
yeah i think so too.

[Message #48]
Caroline Chou:
but what's blunt about it?

[Message #49]
Caroline Chou:
what page or chapter are we suppose to be on?

[Message #50]
Richard Pelorin:
we have to finish the book by wed

[Message #51]
Mark Mandapat:
wed?!!

[Message #52]
Caroline Chou:
omg

[Message #53]
Richard Pelorin:
yea

[Message #54]
andre patterson:
you have to read on because as it goes on with Estha's inner thoughts and feelings.

[Message #55]
Richard Pelorin:
good luck folks

[Message #56]
andre patterson:
he has a very odd mind.

[Message #57]
andre patterson:
yeah.

[Message #58]
Mark Mandapat:
yeah we just barely scratched the surface, its a long book

[Message #59]
Caroline Chou:
i know...

[Message #60]
Mark Mandapat:
time to go, bye

[Message #61]
Caroline Chou:
bye bye

[Message #62]
Richard Pelorin:
peace

[Message #63]
Amy Lawlor:
end 9/12

[Message #64]
Amy Lawlor:
What are the main issues The God of Small Things deals with? Give examples

[Message #65]
Richard Pelorin:
good morning folks.

[Message #66]
Caroline Chou:
morning to u too

[Message #67]
Richard Pelorin:
i think one of the main issues is how life is when india is trying to adjust after colonialism or when they are trying to adjust

[Message #68]
Caroline Chou:
so what are the main issues, guy?

[Message #69]
Richard Pelorin:
during colonialism

[Message #70]
Richard Pelorin:
what about you?

[Message #71]
Richard Pelorin:
what do you think?

[Message #72]
Richard Pelorin:
some examples are how a lot of people are very euro or euro wannabees but they still have the same core values like the caste system and things like that

[Message #73]
Alla Shtilvasser:
What are we supposed to be doing?

[Message #74]
Caroline Chou:
i do agree with u... and i guess the destruction of a family

[Message #75]
Richard Pelorin:
true

[Message #76]
Richard Pelorin:
that's what it all leads to

[Message #77]
Caroline Chou:
yeah..

[Message #78]
Richard Pelorin:
yea, were supposed to answer the question up at the top

[Message #79]
Richard Pelorin:
oh yea good morning

[Message #80]
Caroline Chou:
did u guys get to finish the book?

[Message #81]
Richard Pelorin:
yea

[Message #82]
Caroline Chou:
i didn't even finish the whole thing yet.. but just about

[Message #83]
Richard Pelorin:
it's kinda slow in the beginning but it turned out to be pretty good

[Message #84]
Richard Pelorin:
what about you

[Message #85]
Caroline Chou:
yeah it does seem slow in the beginning

[Message #86]
Richard Pelorin:
do you guys know about the caste system

[Message #87]
Caroline Chou:
were their other issues? hmm...

[Message #88]
Richard Pelorin:
well the caste system was one of them....like the whole touchable untouchable thing

[Message #89]
Richard Pelorin:
let me think..hmm

[Message #90]
Richard Pelorin:
what to you think alla

[Message #91]
Alla Shtilvasser:
about the caste system?

[Message #92]
Caroline Chou:
well.. just about the main issues the book deals with

[Message #93]
Caroline Chou:
so we have caste system, adjustment to evironment, and the destruction of a family

[Message #94]
Richard Pelorin:
like if we wanna break it apart it deals with spousal abuse, and other things like umm...abandonment,  segregation

[Message #95]
Alla Shtilvasser:
superiority of the british

[Message #96]
Caroline Chou:
i really think the destruction to the family messed them all up

[Message #97]
Richard Pelorin:
why do you feel it showed superiority of the british?

[Message #98]
Alla Shtilvasser:
the whole sophie mol and her british mother, so i would say it's rather a perceived superiority

[Message #99]
Richard Pelorin:
yea

[Message #100]
Alla Shtilvasser:
during colonization, the people of India were made to feel inferior to the brits and it shows that it left a lasting effect by the magnitude of preparations for a visit from someone who was half british

[Message #101]
Richard Pelorin:
maybe, but they kinda made fun of Chacko for acting like he was british even when he went to oxford

[Message #102]
Richard Pelorin:
but i can see what you're saying

[Message #103]
Richard Pelorin:
caroline what's up dude

[Message #104]
Richard Pelorin:
what do you think

[Message #105]
Alla Shtilvasser:
well maybe they made fun of him because they thought that he was trying to act like something that he is not, and not because he was trying to be british, or maybe they thought that it was just silly for him to think that he may be close to reaching the same status as the brits?

[Message #106]
Richard Pelorin:
or maybe the secretly envied him perhaps...but then that's breaking it way down

[Message #107]
Caroline Chou:
i think both of u guys are right..

[Message #108]
Caroline Chou:
yeah.. that is breaking it down, but it is something to think about though

[Message #109]
Alla Shtilvasser:
what about velutha? the whole untouchables deal?

[Message #110]
Richard Pelorin:
it's part of the caste system

[Message #111]
Caroline Chou:
the lowest in the caste system

[Message #112]
Alla Shtilvasser:
so he was basically considered less human?

[Message #113]
Richard Pelorin:
the caste system consists of four different levels shudras-laborers, vaishyas-traders, kshatryas-warriors, brahmins-priests

[Message #114]
Richard Pelorin:
and caroline's right untouchables are even lower than laborers

[Message #115]
Richard Pelorin:
they deal with the cleaning of toilets and garbage disposal and since they deal with human fluid they are considered untouchable

[Message #116]
Caroline Chou:
at first i thought that the untouchables were the highest... but i gess not

[Message #117]
Caroline Chou:
yeah...

[Message #118]
Richard Pelorin:
it was established by the hindu culture around 1200bce

[Message #119]
Caroline Chou:
i mean doesn't untouchables sound like they're almost god...?

[Message #120]
Alla Shtilvasser:
so basically untouchables are considered less human, since they deal with human waste, so to speak

[Message #121]
Caroline Chou:
yeah

[Message #122]
Richard Pelorin:
yea and they a banished into a state of permanent impurity called harijans

[Message #123]
Richard Pelorin:
oh no sorry take that back

[Message #124]
Richard Pelorin:
ghandi called them harijans or children of God

[Message #125]
Alla Shtilvasser:
caught up on your history, richard? =)

[Message #126]
Richard Pelorin:
i'm reading the worlds religions

[Message #127]
Caroline Chou:
haha

[Message #128]
Alla Shtilvasser:
right on!

[Message #129]
Richard Pelorin:
seriously...it's for some individuality class

[Message #130]
Richard Pelorin:
i'm a nerd..it's cool though

[Message #131]
Caroline Chou:
haha... that's a good thing... but ur not a nerd

[Message #132]
Richard Pelorin:
cool

[Message #133]
Alla Shtilvasser:
Knowledge will never put you in the nerd category, it'll only make you one step ahead of the ignorant...So anyway, so far we got the cast system, the perceived british superiority, divorce - destruction of family...

[Message #134]
Richard Pelorin:
yups

[Message #135]
Richard Pelorin:
fifteen minutes to go

[Message #136]
Caroline Chou:
hm.. what else is there?

[Message #137]
Alla Shtilvasser:
have you guys finished the book?

[Message #138]
Richard Pelorin:
i did

[Message #139]
Caroline Chou:
almost... you?

[Message #140]
Richard Pelorin:
alla?

[Message #141]
Alla Shtilvasser:
nope

[Message #142]
Richard Pelorin:
well if ya guys need help i'm here every monday wed fri from 10 to 11 peace

[Message #143]
Caroline Chou:
koo... thanks

[Message #144]
Alla Shtilvasser:
thanks

[Message #145]
Amy Lawlor:
END 9/26