Thoughts on The God of Small Things

In the past two novels we have read, both which take place in India, a sexual assault has occurred.  I believe Estha's assault did not have as much to do with the caste system, but a child being taken advantage of.  The language during the assault seems so matter of fact and not villainous. Estha's assault become a major event as after the assault he is in constant fear of what is going to happen next. Estha is in such a state of terror that the Lemondrink man is coming for him that it shapes his actions for the rest of the novel. When waiting to greet Sophie Mol at the airport he thinks the Lemondrink man could come at any second, and this leads him to get in trouble with Ammu. I think that Estha is afraid to tell anyone what happened because the Lemondrink man was older. In the conversation after his assault Estha is punished for not being respectful to the Lemondrink man. This puts in Estha's head that he should not stand up to the Lemondrink man and let it slide. Estha is so scared of repercussions from the Lemondrink man that he does not tell Rahel who seemingly knows everything that happens to Estha. Estha's mentality reflects that of many Indians in the novels we have read because they do not want to stand up to the norms of their culture.