Posts should refer at least partly to 206-271. Make them analytical: try to work out
some question of meaning, significance, the structure of the book, etc. Avoid posting generalized responses.
Read all the questions. They are intended to spur ideas about this extravagant work of literature.
- relating to the question of religion as a presence in Rushdie's world, consider the transformation of Saleem's mother ("she took on the world's guilt") into a saintly, even Christlike figure just before the bathroom incident.
- the question of impotence: Padma's attempt to cure Saleem using herbs; Ahmed's confession of impotence to Narlikar and Dr. Narlikar's reaction, followed by Narlikar's unexpected passion for his wife... which is described in terms reminiscent of tantric practices... the awakening of chakras and prana (energy) from the lowest to the highest... try to intepret or discuss these strange passages.
- conflict or strife between the sexes: Narlikar's female relatives who wish to build a female-only colony on Methwold's estates after Narlikar's death.. the "strong, hairy-armed women" at the beginning of "All-India Radio." Female bodybuilders in Ghani's house... etc. Are these comic elements or signs of a female revolt or the breakdown of traditional sex roles...?
- Consider the passage at the beginning of "All India Radio." How does the book deal with questions of history and truth as measured and recorded by modern devices: such as radios, medical instruments, movies, public address systems, etc.? If you like, compare this to the problem of truth and history in Naipaul.
- On p. 193, Saleem performs an act of contrition. The story contains many such incidences of punishment and atonement. What are the transgressions for which characters are likely to be punished? What does this say about concepts of authority or morality in the novel? (Power relations in Naipaul were largely social or political. Here power and authority are often within the family...)
- Consider the types of events that lead to Saleem's transformations: an encounter with his nude mother, trauma to one ear at the hands of his father and to another during a bicycle accident... Later, trauma to the nose causes a change in his powers. Why do these mundane physical events (including the time of his birth) - rather than something more mystical or spiritual - cause such transformations?
- Comment on Sonny's and Saleem's courtship of the American Evie Burns, which involves a lot of bicycle-riding. Bicycling fits with the "carnivalesque" because it is a part of circus life. Consider this in light of love as a whole in the novel.
- Starting on 224, we have a lengthy description of the Midnight's Children, including all their various powers. Comment on Rushdie's choice of powers and abilities. They are not like the Justice League or something. Is there a comic message here?
- Alternatively, comment on the Children as an alternative family in light of the families in the novel in general. Alternatively (again) consider the Children as a parody of some political body (then the novel as a whole would be an allegory).
- p. 242: passage about the selectivity of memory followed by a discussion of world religions: obviously history, autobiography, and folk stories all involve selective memory... The passage may suggest that all stories are "maya" or illusion. Discuss.
- Brahma is a many-headed god: a many-headed monster hardly worshiped in India. On page 217, there is a line referring to language as an "endless ant-trail." This may in turn refer to a famous Hindu story involving a trail of ants. Brahma, remember, is the creator god. Can you relate this story to the idea of creation or building in this novel?
- This book's form may be more associative than linear: that is, it jumps from one thing to another connected thing in a "hypertext" manner, rather than telling a straightforward story. Consider the passage about blood on 258-259, containing the line "Everything has shape if you look for it. There is no escape from form."
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