Children's Suffering in Arundhati Roy's The God Small Things

This study aims to analyze the forms and effects of children’s suffering caused by the family in the novel The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. The analysis employs a literary sociology approach, especially based on Wellek and Warren’s theory, which explains that literature cannot be separated from the social conditions of society. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. The data are collected by reading and analyzing the novel deeply: identifying relevant quotations, collecting supporting theories from academic references, and grouping the data based on the topic of children’s suffering. The data are analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results show that the children’s suffering in the novel appears in four main forms. First, the lack of love and emotional attention from the family makes the children feel unloved and neglected. Second, psychological violence and social pressure come from strict rules and expectations within the family. Third, rejection and neglect by parents and other family members cause deep emotional wounds. Fourth, the long-term impacts of this suffering are seen in trauma, loss of identity, and difficulty forming social relationships in adulthood. Through this research, readers are expected to be more critical to see the hidden suffering that children experience in their families and to understand the serious effects of emotional neglect and injustice in family power dynamics.