Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children

File:Midnights children.jpg Midnight's Children cover
Author	Salman Rushdie
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Jonathan Cape
Publication date	April 1981
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	446 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 022401823X (first edition, hardback)

Midnight's Children is a 1981 novel by Salman Rushdie. It centres on the author's native India and was acclaimed as a major milestone in post-colonial literature.

Plot introduction

Midnight's Children is a loose allegory for events in India both before and, primarily, after the independence and partition of India, which took place at midnight on 15 August 1947. The protagonist and narrator of the story is Saleem Sinai, a telepath with a nasal defect, who is born at the exact moment that India becomes independent. Saleem Sinai's life then parallels the changing fortunes of the country after independence.

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler The novel opens with the narrator Saleem Sinai's description of his birth at midnight on August 15, 1947, which coincided with the precise moment of India's independence. In Kashmir in 1915, Saleem's grandfather, Aadam Aziz, decides he does not wholly believe, nor wholly disbelieve, in the existence of God. Doctor Aziz learns that Ghani the landowner's daughter Naseem has grown ill. Naseem stands behind a sheet during his examination of her, and a single hole cut in the sheet allows Aadam to examine the area of concern. Naseem experiences many ailments over the years, but because she never develops pains in her head, Aadam does not lay eyes upon her face until the day on which World War I ends, at which point he falls even further in love with her. Naseem and Aadam get married, and Naseem, also known as "Reverend Mother," bears five children with Aadam: Alia, Mumtaz, Hanif, Mustapha, and Emerald.

A significant pro-Indian Muslim political figure, Mian Abdullah, dies at the hands of assassins during a visit to the university campus with his personal secretary Nadir Khan. Nadir, however, escapes, and Doctor Aziz hides him in his cellar, despite Naseem's resistance, which manifests itself in her oath of silence. Mumtaz attends to Nadir Khan's needs during his stay in the cellar and begins to fall in love with him. Mumtaz and Nadir Khan marry, and two years later, Aadam discovers that Mumtaz has remained a virgin. Naseem finally breaks her vow of silence to speak against the marriage. Meanwhile, the youngest daughter, Emerald, breaks her promise of secrecy by notifying her lover Major Zulfikar of Nadir's presence. Nadir escapes from the cellar, leaving a note divorcing himself from Mumtaz, who remarries to Ahmed Sinai and who changes her name to Amina Sinai. Amina becomes pregnant and the Times of India announces that it will award a prize to any mother who gives birth to a child at the precise instance of India's independence.

Mary Pereira, a midwife at Doctor Narlikar's nursing home, becomes distressed over rumors of her lover Joseph D'Costa's relationship with her sister Alice. At midnight on August 15, 1947, both Amina Sinai and Vanita give birth to sons; Vanita dies during childbirth. Wishing to please Joseph, Mary switches the two babies, condemning the son of wealthy parents to a life of poverty and guaranteeing Vanita's son a life of comfort. In his infancy, Saleem grows at an incredible pace. Ahmed receives a formal letter notifying him of the freezing of all his assets. Amina begins to gamble at the racetracks, despite her belief in the sinful nature of the activity. One night a commotion in the nearby watchtower stirs the members of the Sinai household, and when the police arrive they discover that Joseph D'Costa has planted several explosives in the watchtower. Meanwhile Saleem's mother gives birth to Saleem's baby sister The Brass Monkey.

The Brass Monkey develops into a mischievous young child, but high expectations remain for Saleem's young life. Saleem begins to hide in his mother's washing- chest when the outside world overwhelms him; on one such day, Saleem hears his mother answer the telephone and repeatedly call out Nadir's name while masturbating. A pajama cord becomes lodged up in Saleem's nose and he soon discovers his ability to listen to others' thoughts. When he announces this new skill to his family, they react with anger and scorn and Saleem apologizes.

Saleem forms the M.C.C., the Midnight Children's Conference. Saleem secretly accompanies his mother on one of her supposedly urgent shopping trips, and, hiding in the back of her car, witnesses his mother's rendezvous with Nadir Khan. When Saleem arrives at the hospital after he loses half his middle finger in a slammed door, the doctor announces that he shares neither Ahmed's nor Amina's blood type. Amina terminates her affair with Nadir after an acquaintance's jealous husband kills his wife and her lover in a fit of rage.

In 1958, Mary Pereira, consumed by guilt, finally divulges the secret of the switched births eleven years previous. After the Sinais' marriage deteriorates even further, Amina leaves Ahmed, with the Brass Monkey and Saleem, to move to Pakistan, where Saleem finds he has lost his ability to read others' thoughts. The Brass Monkey soon discovers her tremendous singing talent and becomes known by the name of "Jamila Singer."

Amina, Jamila, and Saleem return to Bombay after Ahmed has heart troubles, and Amina and her husband fall deeply in love. Ahmed and Amina trick Saleem into an operation in which doctors clear out his nasal passages; upon awakening, Saleem can no longer read others' thoughts. Amina soon convinces her husband to emigrate to Pakistan. Saleem realizes his somewhat incestuous love for his sister, but his confession of this love renders Jamila horrified and ashamed. Amina becomes pregnant once again, but when the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 erupts, a bomb kills Amina, her unborn child, Ahmed and her sister Alia.

Saleem joins the Pakistani army, where he cannot seem to retrieve any of his memories nor feel any emotions. Saleem and three other soldiers enter the jungle of The Sundarbans. A poisonous snake bites Saleem, causing him to miraculously recover from his memory loss. However, his first name, mysteriously, still eludes him. When Saleem encounters Parvati-the-witch, her exclamations at last result in Saleem's recollection of his name. Through her magic Parvati enables Saleem to travel back to India by hiding in a basket. Frustrated by her unrequited affection for Saleem, Parvati-the-witch summons Shiva, who impregnates her. Parvati has become pregnant in order to convince a supposedly impotent Saleem to marry her. After their marriage, Parvati gives birth to Aadam Sinai on June 25, 1975, on the stroke of midnight. The baby is perfectly formed but has a set of colossal ears; he also does not speak a single word during his entire infancy.

On New Year's Day, 1977, a nurse administers anaesthetic to Saleem and the doctors perform a vasectomy on him; finally his self-professed infertility has in fact come true. They also systemically perform operations on all of the living midnight's children in order to render it impossible for them to give birth. Saleem encounters increasingly forceful reminders of his mortality, and senses imminent death. Aadam Sinai, who has not spoken a word in the more than three years since his birth, says, "Abracadabra." On his thirty-first birthday, Saleem expects to marry Padma soon, but also becomes overwhelmed with the multiplicity of his various lives and with the specter of death lurking in his psyche.

Characters in "Midnight's Children"

The character detail research was sourced from Sparks Notes

• Saleem Sinai - Born at midnight on August 15, 1947, at the moment when India gained independence from British rule, Saleem Sinai is the son of poor parents but is switched with another child at birth. Therefore Amina and Ahmed Sinai raise him in relative comfort and wealth, unlike Shiva, who is born at the exact same moment. Saleem possesses supernatural powers, the most unusual of which is his ability to read others' thoughts. His life mirrors India's development as a nation.

• Aadam Aziz - Aadam Aziz is a doctor and the father of Amina Sinai, or Mumtaz. He has many children with Naseem Ghani, and struggles with questions of the existence of God throughout his life.

• Tai - A boatman, Tai is a friend of Aadam Aziz. At times he demonstrates his ability to predict the future and, while most people consider him insane, he in fact makes several insightful remarks, the most important of which is his advice to Aadam Aziz to "follow his nose."

• Naseem Ghani - Naseem Ghani is the daughter of a landlord and the mother of Amina Sinai, or Mumtaz Aziz. She is a dramatic and strong-willed character who possesses a lot of power in her relationship with her husband Aadam Aziz.

• Ghani the landowner - Naseem's father.

• Padma Mangroli - Saleem's lover and, eventually, his fiancée, Padma plays the role of the listener in the storytelling structure of the novel.

• Oskar and Ilse Lubin - German anarchist friends of Doctor Aziz.

• Alia - The sister of Amina Sinai, or Mumtaz, Alia suffers from a lifelong love for Ahmed Sinai, whom her sister Mumtaz marries. Her resentment toward her sister manifests itself in the meals she cooks, and therefore affects those who eat what she prepares.

• Mumtaz - Rushdie repeatedly describes Amina Sinai as "assiduous" in her wifely efforts. By sheer willpower, she forces herself to love her husband Amina Sinai. However, during her marriage to him she also has an affair with Nadir Khan, to whom she was married for two years in her youth.

• Hanif - Saleem's uncle Hanif is an actor who enjoys some fame in his youth, but who grows disillusioned later in life with Bollywood and the superficiality of the film industry, and commits suicide.

• Mustapha - Saleem's uncle, the brother of Mumtaz, marries Sofia.

• Emerald - Saleem's aunt, the sister of Mumtaz, marries General Zulfikar.

• Mian Abdullah - A pro-Indian Muslim political figure, who dies at the hands of assassins.

• Nadir Khan - Mumtaz's first husband, Nadir Khan is the Hummingbird's personal secretary. After the Hunningbird's assassination, Nadir hides in the Aziz household for a few years, where he has a relationship with Mumtaz.

• Rashid the rickshaw boy - A boy who informs Doctor Aziz that Nadir Khan needs a place to hide.

• General Zulfikar - The husband of Emerald, who is involved with Pakistani political events.

• Lifafa Das - A peep show street man who leads Amina to seer.

• Shri Ramram Seth - A seer Amina visits while pregnant.

• William Methwold - An Englishman from whom the Sinais buy their house in Bombay, the biological father of Saleem.

• Ahmed Sinai - Saleem's father and Amina's husband.

• Wee Willie Winkie - Shiva's father and Vanita' husband.

• Vanita - Saleem's biological mother, who dies during labor.

• Mary Pereira - A midwife and servant, who switches Shiva and Saleem at birth.

• Doctor Narlikar - A Gynecologist and businessman.

• Evie Lilith Burns - Saleem's American childhood sweetheart.

• Sonny Ibrahim - Saleem's neighbor and friend.

• Joseph D'Costa - Mary Pereira's lover, who is politically radical.

• Shiva - A boy who is born at the same moment as Saleem. They are switched at birth, and Shiva possesses an amazing ability to fight.

• Parvati-the-witch - One of midnight's children, and a friend to Saleem.

• Homi Catrack - A man who has an affair with Lila Sabarmati and is subsequently murdered by Commander Sabarmati.

• Lila Sabarmati - Commander Sabarmati's wife, who is murdered by him for having an affair with Homi Catrack.

• Commander Sabarmati - The husband of Lila Sabarmati who murders his unfaithful wife and her lover.

• Alice Pereira - Mary's sister, who works for Ahmed Sinai.

• Uncle Puffs - Jamila Singer's agent.

• Tai Bibi - A 512-year-old whore who Saleem visits.

• Farooq, Shaheed, and Ayooba - Saleem's fellow soldiers in the Pakistani army.

• Sofia - Mustapha's wife

• Durga - A wet nurse for Aadam Sinai and a succubus to Picture Singh.

• Aadam Sinai - Saleem's son.

• Picture Singh - A snake charmer and a friend to Saleem.

Major themes

The technique of magical realism finds liberal expression throughout the novel and is crucial to constructing the parallel to the country's history. It has, therefore, been compared to One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

The narrative framework of Midnight's Children consists of an tale -- comprising his life story -- which Saleem Sinai recounts orally to his wife-to-be Padma. This self-referential narrative (within a single paragraph Saleem refers to himself in the first person: 'And I, wishing upon myself the curse of Nadir Khan....'; ' "I tell you," Saleem cried, "it is true...."') recalls indigenous Indian culture, particularly the similarly orally recounted Arabian Nights. The events in Rushdie's text also parallel the magical nature of the narratives recounted in the Arabian Nights (consider the attempt to electrocute Saleem at the latrine (p.353), or his journey in the 'basket of invisibility' (p.383)).

The novel is also an expression of the author's own childhood, his affection for the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) in those times, and the tumultuous variety of the Indian subcontinent. Recognised for its remarkably flexible and innovative use of the English language, with a liberal mix of native Indian languages, this novel represents a departure from conventional Indian English writing. Compressing Indian cultural history, "Once upon a time," Saleem muses, "there were Radna and Krisna, and Rama and Sita, and Laila and Majnu; also (because we are not unaffected by the West) Romeo and Juliet, and Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn" (259), Midnight's Children chronological entwines characters from India's cultural history with characters from Western culture, and the devices that they signify -- Indian culture, religion and storytelling, Western drama and cinema -- are presented in Rushdie's text with post-colonial Indian history to examine both the effect of these indigenous and non-indigenous cultures on the Indian mind and in the light of Indian independence.

The foundations of religious authority are a central concern in the novel. As with Judaism and Christianity, Islam's authority resides in scripture and rests on the belief that its words come directly from God (Allah). Saleem Sinai, the novel's narrator, seems to want to appropriate some of the Islamic tradition's authority while at the same time questioning its legitimacy. Comparing himself to Muhammad, the vessel through whom the Quran is believed to have been dictated by Allah, Saleem claims to have heard "a headful of gabbling tongues" (p. 185), and, though he was initially perplexed and "struggled, alone, to understand what had happened," he later "saw the shawl of genius fluttering down, like an embroidered butterfly, the mantle of greatness settling upon [his] shoulders" (p. 185). Saleem's use and abuse of scriptural authority, by turns playful, blasphemous, and reverential, points to his (and Rushdie's) desire to unsettle some of the easy dichotomies that individual people as well as entire cultures use to make sense of themselves.

Literary significance & criticism

From its publication in 1981, Midnight’s Children has become a standard work on university syllabuses and has enjoyed an international readership that catapulted its author almost overnight to the very forefront of world authors. It was awarded the 1981 Booker Prize, the English Speaking Union Literary Award, and in 1993 it was awarded both the James Tait Prize and the Booker of Bookers Prize. (This was an award given out by the Booker committee to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the award.) In 2003 the novel was adapted to the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

It has been compared in its scope and execution to works such as James Joyce’s Ulysses, Günter Grass’s The Tin Drum and Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. Like them, Rushdie’s novel presents an encyclopaedic exploration of an entire society through the story of a single person. It is able to do this, in part, by merging with the novel form a number of non-Western texts such as the Sanskrit epics, The Ramayana, The Mahabharata and, most consciously (and not unproblematically) The 1,001 Nights.

The novel ran into some controversy for its open criticism of Indira Gandhi, India's then prime minister, and the Emergency that she imposed on the country.

Awards and nominations

The novel won the 1981 Booker Prize and was later awarded the 'Booker of Bookers' Prize in 1993 as the best novel to be awarded the Booker Prize in its first 25 years. Midnight's Children is also the only Indian novel on Time magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels since its founding in 1923.

See also

• Freedom at Midnight, a non-fiction examination of the same topic by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins.

References

Rushdie, Salman (April 1981). Midnight's Children (1st ed. ed.). London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 022401823X. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)

External links

• A summary of the novel and some interesting links.