Midnight's Children By Salman Rushdie

     Midnight's Children 

                By    Salman Rushdie

This blog is written on the ground as a task assigned by H.O.D Dilip Barad sir Department of English M.K.B.U. In this particular blog I am going to deal with two questions from this unit `Midnight's Children', and try to justify each question.

Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children is a complex and ambitious novel that explores the themes of colonialism, identity, and history. It is a powerful and moving story that has had a lasting impact on Indian literature.

As he grows up, Saleem realizes that his life and the lives of the other "midnight's children" are shaped by historical events, political changes, and personal struggles. The novel provides a sweeping portrayal of India's post-independence history, blending magical realism with historical facts. Rushdie uses Saleem's story as a lens to explore the complexities of identity, nationhood, and the impact of historical forces on individual lives. The novel is celebrated for its intricate narrative structure, vivid characters, and thought-provoking themes. It won the Booker Prize in 1981 and is considered one of Salman Rushdie's most significant works.

Here are some of the key elements of the novel:

The use of magical realism: Midnight's Children is a magical realist novel, which means that this novel blends elements of fantasy and reality. This is evident in the way that Saleem Sinai is granted special powers.

The historical context: Midnight's Children is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India, which was a time of great violence and upheaval. 

The narrator: The novel is narrated by Saleem Sinai, who is an unreliable narrator. Saleem's perspective is shaped by his own experiences and biases, and it is up to the reader to decide how much weight to give his words.

Midnight's Children is a challenging and rewarding novel that is essential reading for anyone interested in Indian literature or postcolonial studies.

Salman Rushdie 

Salman Rushdie is a renowned British-Indian author known for his imaginative and often controversial works. Born on June 19, 1947, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, Rushdie has been a significant figure in contemporary literature. His writing is characterized by a rich tapestry of cultural references, magical realism, and a deep exploration of the complexities of identity, politics, and religion.

Salman Rushdie was born into a Kashmiri Muslim family. His father, Anis Ahmed Rushdie, was a Cambridge-educated lawyer, and his mother, Negin Bhatt, was a teacher. Growing up in a culturally diverse and cosmopolitan environment, Rushdie was exposed to a variety of influences that would later shape his writing.

Rushdie's literary career took off with the publication of his second novel, "Midnight's Children" (1981). This groundbreaking work, which won the Booker Prize, blends history and magical realism to narrate the story of Saleem Sinai, a boy born at the exact moment of India's independence. The novel explores the cultural and political upheavals of post-colonial India.

However, it was with "The Satanic Verses" (1988) that Rushdie catapulted into international fame and controversy. The novel, which weaves together elements of Islamic history and folklore with a satirical exploration of religion, led to accusations of blasphemy by some Muslim communities. The book was banned in several countries, and Rushdie faced a fatwa, or religious decree, issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, calling for his assassination.

Rushdie's works often grapple with themes of cultural hybridity, the impact of colonialism, the clash between tradition and modernity, and the complexities of identity. His writing style is marked by a lush and imaginative use of language, drawing on a wide range of literary and cultural traditions. Magical realism, a literary technique that combines fantastical elements with reality, is a recurring feature in many of his works.

Midnight's Children as a  Postcolonial Novel  

Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is a key text in postcolonial literature describing an allegory of events since India’s independence. The novel depicts the historic events which shaped the life of Postcolonial India that we know today through the portrayal of personal history of Sinai family.

Midnight’s Children follows Saleem Sinai, the novel’s narrator, as he selfconsciously explains his family history to the reader and to his listener, Padma. While describing his grandfather and grandmother’s personal history, Saleem intertwines Indian history within his narrative.

This combination of his own familial history and Indian history culminates in the moment of his birth. Born at precisely midnight, August 15, 1947, Saleem echoes the birth of an independent India, which gained its independence from Great Britain at the same exact moment as Saleem’s birth. In this moment, Saleem gains the ability to communicate with the other “midnight children,” those also born on the same day as Indian independence. The novel aligns Saleem’s narrative to the narrative of a newly independent India, creating an allegorical reading of his character. 

Post-colonial identity is the way a person or group of people is affected by colonization. Characteristics of post-colonial identity include being dehumanised, marginalised, voiceless, hybrid, and being classed as ‘other’ or ‘subaltern’.

Rushdie tries to show how the colonised people were inhumanly dehumanised by the colonizers in the text with the extensive use of metaphors. In one instance Salim said he was “mysteriously handcuffed to history”. This infers that Salim experienced a feeling that he was a slave to his life and his decisions were not his to make, his interests were forced, and he had no control whatsoever over his life. 

This signifies dehumanization, as the colonizers brainwashed the indigenous inhabitants of the subject country, convincing them that their native culture and standards were inferior and animal-like.

Salim also talks about the insults that he had to endure throughout his life. He was called Piece-of-the-moon’ which is a metaphor that originates from Arabic, where it directly translates to ‘baby gazelle’. This is an example of dehumanization, as the people using this to insult Salim because of his skin colour, comparing him to an exotic and wild animal, showing that they believe he does not qualify to be a human. 

Rushdie presents the colonized people as ‘voiceless. An example of this is when Salim reveals that he doesn’t have the power to open up about his experiences as he had been a ‘swallower of lives’.

This signifies that he has bottled up all of his and other people’s experiences and their inevitable destiny and purpose inside because he had no power and his opinion would not matter even if he had voiced his thoughts. Another example of this is when he expresses that his destinies were ‘indissolubly chained to those of my country’. This can imply that he was psychologically as well as physically being forced to follow the crowd and to not be out of the ordinary.

Hybridity is another key feature of Postcolonialism. In simple terms hybridity refers to any mixing of east and western culture. Within colonial and postcolonial literature, it most commonly refers to colonial subjects of the colonized countries who have found a balance between eastern and western cultural attributes. 

Write an essay on Narritive tecvnique in Midnight’s Children

 One of the notable narrative techniques employed by Rushdie is the use of the first-person narrator, Saleem Sinai. Serving as the protagonist, Saleem shares his life and experiences, establishing an intimate connection between the reader and the events that shape his life and the lives of other "midnight's children." Rushdie introduces complexity by portraying Saleem as an unreliable narrator, infusing the storytelling with personal biases, insecurities, and the fallibility of memory. This adds layers of intricacy to the narrative, prompting readers to critically assess Saleem's account.

Rushdie's narrative approach also incorporates a non-linear structure that interlaces multiple timelines and perspectives. The novel unfolds in a non-chronological manner, reflecting the fragmented nature of memory and enabling Rushdie to delve into the interconnectedness of past, present, and future. This structure mirrors the tumultuous and evolving landscape of post-independence India, where historical events, political shifts, and personal stories intertwine. Magical realism emerges as another narrative technique that Rushdie deftly employs. 

Throughout the novel, fantastical elements seamlessly blend with reality, from Saleem's telepathic abilities to symbolic connections among the midnight's children. These magical elements serve as metaphors for overarching themes in the novel, such as the interconnectedness of individual lives with the destiny of the nation.

 The integration of magical and mundane aspects underscores the exploration of blurred boundaries between reality and imagination, along with the impact of myth and storytelling on collective memory. Rushdie's narrative technique extends further into his rich use of language and symbolism.

 The novel features wordplay, puns, and linguistic creativity that mirror the diversity of languages, cultures, and voices in India. This linguistic experimentation contributes to the vibrant and kaleidoscopic narrative style of the novel. Symbolism, exemplified by the recurring motif of the "nose," serves as a unifying thread connecting characters and events, infusing the storytelling with depth and resonance.

In essence, Rushdie's narrative technique in "Midnight's Children" is a multi-faceted tapestry, incorporating the first-person narrative, non-linear structure, magical realism, and linguistic richness. 

These elements work in harmony to create a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of individual and collective histories, cultural complexities, and the dynamic interplay between reality and imagination.

The protagonist of the novel Saleem Sinai also becomes a face of Postcolonial India. The novel is narrated through the first person, is the history of an individual, who identifies himself with the history of the nation. 

Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" showcases a remarkable use of the English language that goes beyond mere communication. His linguistic inventiveness, incorporating wordplay, linguistic diversity, and magical realism, enriches the narrative and reflects the complexities of post-colonial India. Through his creative linguistic choices, Rushdie not only tells a compelling story but also engages in a larger discourse on language, identity, and the evolving nature of cultural narratives. The novel stands as a testament to the transformative power of language in shaping literature and cultural understanding.

Thank You… .