Postcolonial Identity and Resistance in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

Abstract

The study analyzes postcolonial identity and resistance in Chinua Achebe‘s Things Fall Apart and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, which both examine how colonialism has continued to affect cultural, individual, and national identities. Comparative literary analysis shows how both authors represent the mental and social consequences of being ruled by colonial authorities and then by postcolonial governments. Through the novel, we see the encounter between Igbo customs and British influence, with Achebe presenting resistance as something important in culture as well as in people's lives. Unlike Omar, Roy describes how caste, class, and family structures in India after independence are still impacted by colonial history, and this resistance often remains hidden inside people's minds. Across a blend of postcolonialism and close reading, the analysis discusses how the texts stand against mainstream narratives, give authority to native persons, and stress the messiness of mixed ethnicity. It is revealed that literature motivates postcolonial struggles and explains the hidden ways people challenge colonial rule in everyday matters.