Prompt

Please consider the questions that we've been asking in class about aesthetics and poverty (or caste, class, etc.). Why does Arundhati Roy write the novel in this particular way? What is gained from a view of tragic events of "history" in which beautifying the overlooked details helps us to tell the story differently (than the official version of history)? And how is blame apportioned in this aesthetic? Is anyone to blame for what happens to Velutha? Everyone?