The story of Midnight's Children

records more than half a century

of the history of India and also
the personal history of Saleem's
family, but reading it is not like
reading some kind of history
book, because it is not calmly
enumerating the happenings. The
timeline is fragmented and the
events are filled with emotion and
personal judgment of the
narrator. So reading this book is
more like listening to a story told
orally, rather than going through
a history book.
Date of Birth:
June 19, 1947

Place of Birth:
Mumbai (Bombay), India

Childhood:
 Wealthy Muslim parents, sheltered life
 Favorite book was The 1001 Nights (1001 Arabian
Nights)
 At age 14, sent to school in England
 Moved to Pakistan in 1964 with his family

Education:
M.A. in History, University of Cambridge
 Published in 1981
 “Midnight’s Children” is considered as a Post-
colonial novel containing all aspects of post-
colonial literature
 It is the story of the clash between two religions
 Saleem, Shiva and Parvati are the main
characters
The writer, Salman Rushdie, uses a specific type of
narrative voice from the very beginning of the novel
Midnight's Children. The narrator of the book is the
central character called Saleem Sinai, who mostly
speaks directly to the reader in first person singular.
Like in a real- life conversation, it seems that the
narrator speaks spontaneously, without refining his
words. It is like he speaks out his thoughts as they
come to
his mind. Of course this is not true for the writer,
Rushdie, whose genuine lies in the fact that he can
create a narrative rich in meanings and symbols
without making it sound too literary. The story of
Midnight's Children records more than half a century
of the history of India and also the personal history of
Saleem's family, but reading it is not like reading some
kind of history book, because it is not calmly
enumerating the happenings.
The timeline is fragmented and
the events are filled with
emotion and personal
judgment of the narrator. So
reading this book is more like
listening to a story told orally,
rather than going through a
history book. A kind of 'device'
helping Rushdie to create this
sensation in the reader is the
character of Saleem's wife
Padma, who is the virtual
listener of the story told by
Saleem. However, Padma
doesn't listen passively to the
story all the time, on some
occasions she questions her
husband, makes comments, or
gently directs Saleem in
storytelling.
As I previously said the narrator of the book is Saleem, who is
also the protagonist. He starts his story by explaining the
circumstances of his birth. He was born on the 15th of august,
1947 at midnight; the exact moment when the 'crown jewel' of
the British Empire, India has gained its independence, after a
long period of violent and peaceful protests and struggling. This also
explains the title of the novel: midnight's children are people
belonging to the first generation that was born into a free India, since
the country has become a British colony. However, Saleem's identity
is defined by fate right from the beginning of his life, him being
secretly switched with another baby right after birth. As a
consequence Saleem is raised by a rich family in the capital, while his
counterpart, a boy named Shiva after the Hindu god, is raised in
complete poverty. The two would become rivals later on in the novel.
Saleem is gifted with the innate ability of telepathically reading thoughts of
other people, a skill which is replaced by a very refined sense of smell later
in
his life as a result of a nose surgery. His sense of smell allows him to find
other gifted people belonging to his generation, and to create the Midnight's
Children's Conference. He also uses his smelling successfully in the army.
Saleem is driven to tell his story by the negative presentiment that he will
die
as he approaches his thirty- first birthday; so he rushes with the storytelling.
His tale begins with presenting how his grandfather got to know his
grandmother, thus recording the lives of two generations before his own
birth. Saleem doesn't only tell us his private life- story; he also tells us the
history of pre- and postcolonial India. The major events of Saleem's and his
ancestor's lives, coincide with important historical events in India, which
makes the narrator compare his story with some religious texts. Because he
possesses 'magical' powers, way beyond those of ordinary people, the prime
minister of India, Indira Ghandi wants to execute him along with the other
midnight's children.
Saleem starts his story with telling the reader about his grandfather Aadam Aziz,
because that is the farthest he can trace back his family history. The figure of his
grandfather clearly refers to the biblical Adam, not only because the similarity of their
names. Adam was the first man on Earth according to the Christian bible, from whom
all mankind originates; while Aadam is the first founder of Saleem's family, from
whom all future generations descend. Also Aadam's hometown in Kashmir is
presented as a beautiful, paradisiacal place, which can be compared to the Garden of
Eden in which the biblical Adam lived with his companion Eve. Saleem uses the story
of his grandparents, Aadam and Naseem as a starting point to everything, from which
he can trace the whole evolution of his family and which gives meaning to his life. This
biblical reference is typical in Rushdie's style of writing. Rushdie in his books always
portrays a multicultural society, praises it and constantly tries to integrate the traditions
of different cultures into his own novels, by this elevating the value of his works.
Many important themes and symbols in Midnight's Children are introduced to the
novel through the figure of Tai. As Aadam's friend we could say that he is merely a
marginal character, but in fact he is of great importance. Most of the citizens of
Kashmir are presented as being simple- minded; they often talk nonsense or behave
stupidly, some of them are even insane. Tai is an exception from them because he is
wise. Tai is the one who draws Aadam's attention to the importance of his large nose.
He tells Aadam to trust his nose and his instincts because it will tell what is right and
what is wrong. He also foresees that the nose will play an important role in Aadam's
family and it will be inherited by the upcoming generations. In his view one should
trust his/her senses because it leads to an instinctual behavior.
Near the nose, the knees are also important body parts, which repeatedly appear in
significant moments of the novel. The nose and knees either complement each other or
they appear as counterparts and together they are the most important symbols in
Midnight's Children. These symbols first appear when Aadam kneels down to pray, but
ends up hitting his nose into the floor. In this sense the nose and knees are symbols of
humbleness, which is later rejected by Aadam. The symbols also appear when Farooq, a
soldier assigned to work with Saleem in the army, dies. Farooq is shot to death by a
sniper;
he falls on his knees and hits his nose in the ground. The scene is quite similar to that of
the praying Aadam; the difference is that instead of humbling to a god this is a
symbolical
submission to death. Of course the most significant presence of the nose and knees
symbols is in the case of the two boys, Saleem and Shiva. In this case the nose carries the
power of knowledge and discovery, while the knees are symbols of power and
destruction.
It is like a divine hand would have divided these abilities between the two boys, Saleem
receiving the capability to learn more about the world merely using his nose, while Shiva
gained great combat skills and power to destroy.
 Saleem's telepathic powers originate from his nose. This becomes clear when after his
nose undergoes a medical surgery, he looses his powers of hearing other people's
thoughts. However, he gains a new power, a very refined sense of smell, by which he
can sense emotions. While Saleem's nose can be used for positive things, his counterpart
and rival, Shiva has his power to do negative things in his knees. Shiva's ability of
destruction is also suggested by his name, which he shares with the Hindu god of
destruction. As the boy receives his name he is in a way predestined for destroying
things.
 Tai's comments upon Aadam's nose and its effect on the upcoming generations suggest
that personal and public matters collide, which is the most important theme in the novel.
In the book the personal lives of the characters are very closely linked to the main
political events in India. For example Aadam treated a woman called Naseem, who
would later become Saleem's grandmother. During the treatments Naseem's body would
always be covered with a large sheet, with a hole in it, to dispose only the small body
part on which the treatment was supposed to be made. This way it was possible for
years to pass without Aadam being able to see Naseem's face. The doctor was able to see
his beloved's face at the exact same day the First World War has ended in 1918. A
positive global event is reflected in the private lives of the characters. Sometimes the
family history and world history intersect directly too. Like for example when Aadam
participates on a demonstration demanding independence he is almost shot to death, but
fortunately stays alive thanks to his instincts.
Modern India is one of the newest and most rapidly
developing countries of the world. It really is the country
of diversity, may it be ethnic, linguistic, cultural or
religious. It has 22 official languages, including the old
Hindi, the new English and various regionally used ones.
In India there are also present all the big religions of the
world, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamic and
Christianity. Indian culture has also become a very rich
and diverse one during the three thousand years of its
existence. However this diversity has enriched the Indian
culture, it was also a source of conflict which finally
resulted in the separation of India and Pakistan. This
conflict appears in the novel when the young Saleem
witnesses the attempt of people to divide Bombay along
linguistic lines.
Saleem was born at the exact same moment India gained independence from Britain and he
claims that when he dies his body will fall into approximately 630 million “anonymous”
pieces of dust. The number roughly represents India's population at the time Rushdie wrote
the Midnight's Children. If we take these facts into consideration we can conclude that Saleem
is the embodiment of the entire Indian population and culture. The concept that a single
person could contain such a large and rich nation as India contains one of the most important
themes of the novel, namely the relationship between the individual and the world. The fact
that Saleem's true father proves to be an Englishman, William Methwold, makes the parallel
between the protagonist and the history of India even more evident. When Saleem was born
India became free and at the same day Saleem was switched with another baby by Mary
Pereira. Even is Mary's initial intentions were, to provide a poor child with the chance of
growing up in a prosperous family, Saleem looses his English father, as India looses Britain.
However both Saleem and his country still continue carrying the British heritage within them.
The close relationship between Saleem's life and the history of his country suggests that
distinct persons and the entire society will always influence each other, but it is left upon the
reader to decide which one is more powerful or more important than the other. Throughout
the novel, Saleem constantly tries to integrate India, to mix his life story with the history of
his country only to fall apart in the end.