Examine the tension the narrator develops between Big Things and Small Things. Provide examples of the Big Things and a similar list of Small Things. Which does the novel appear to endorse?

Using the information provided about his childhood, his contentious relationship with his father, his flirtation with communism, his indifference to authority, his charisma, and his way with the children, define how Velutha, the Black carpenter, occupies the moral center of the novel. In what way is he a Christ figure?

Chart how the novel defines sex. Use Estha’s encounter in the movie theater, Ammu and Velutha’s assignations at History House, and Rahel and Estha’s taboo night together. Do you see any relationship between love and sex? Does sex save or corrupt?