Why "Midnight's Children" Rings True Thinking Activity

  Why "Midnight's Children" Rings True Thinking Activity 

Write an analysis justifying Rushdie’s choice of the title"Midnight's Children."

A title can affect a reader's judgment of a book and suggest the theme or the content of the book, thereby making them interested. In the case of Midnight's Children same thematic reflection reveled. 

Rushdie’s humour comes through in a 1985 interview in which he discusses how the concept of midnight children came to be. He claims he started with only one kid. As he considered switching them, they became two.

“Then I realised that in a nation like India, you can’t have only two children. It has to be more than two, and if it is, why these two? I used calculators to do a quantitative calculation on India’s birthrate and discovered that a thousand and one children is correct”.(“Les Fictions Du Réel Dans Le Monde Anglo-américain De 1960 À 1980”)

Let's see how the reference of the "Children of Midnight" is used in the novel. 

First time children of midnight appeares in the chapter "Tick,Tock" where Saleem said, "I give a little satisfied smile; feel the children of midnight queueing up in my head," where Padma asking him to tell the story and he recalled the children of midnight's. Then he reffered children of midnight as fathered by the history. 

"those secret, nocturnalcalk, like calling out to like... the unconscious beacons of the children of midnight, signalling nothing more than their existence, transmitting simply: 'I.' From far to the North, 'I.' And the South East West: 'I.' 'I.' 'And I.'

The quote talks about the special and mysterious qualities of the children born at midnight. They have a hidden part of their identity that is difficult to understand. These children have a strong connection to each other, like a group of people who share something in common. They are constantly trying to be heard and recognized, even though it's challenging. Their existence is a message to the world, saying "I am here." They are a diverse group of people, each with their own unique experiences.

"still the children of midnight deserve, now, after everything, to be left alone; perhaps to forget; but I hope (against hope) to remember..."They were, "children of midnight were more varied than I-even I-had dream."

The quote reflects on the experiences of the "children of midnight" and their need for peace and solitude after all they have endured. The quote also highlights the diversity of the children and their variedness, emphasizing their individuality.

"Why did midnight's child betray the children of midnight, and take me to my fate?"

It refers to the Saleem's feeling of being betrayed by their own identity or destiny. He often feels conflicted and burdened by these abilities and the weight of his nation's past. The line "take me to my fate" suggests that Saleem believes his actions, driven by his identity as a midnight's child, have led him to a predetermined outcome. This could imply a sense of being trapped or controlled by external forces, such as fate, history, or the magical powers he possesses. Jean-Paul Sartre said that "existence precedes essence" however in the case of Saleem the idea is contrdictory. 

"the magical children of midnight, were hated feared destroyed by the Widow," 

By associating the Widow with the destruction of the magical children, Rushdie suggests that Indira Gandhi's policies and actions threatened the hopes and potential of India's future.

"Test-and hysterectomized, the children of midnight were denied the possibility of reproducing themselves..."

The quote talks about a terrible time in India's history when the government forced people to stop having children. This was done to control the population and stop people from speaking out against the government. Many people were forced to undergo sterilization procedures without their consent, which caused great suffering. The magical children, who represent the hopes of the future, were also affected by this policy. They were denied the right to have their own children, which is a basic human right. This shows how the government's actions were cruel and unfair.

Now let's jump on the phrase "Midnight's Children"

In Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, the term "Midnight's Child" is used in two distinct ways:

As a collective term: This refers to all the children born within the first hour of India's independence on August 15, 1947. These children are believed to possess magical powers and are seen as symbolic of India's new beginning.

As a specific reference to Saleem Sinai: The protagonist of the novel, Saleem Sinai, is also referred to as a "Midnight's Child." This emphasizes his connection to the larger group of children born at midnight and highlights his role as a representative of their experiences and the challenges faced by India's new generation.

"It has a headline: midnight's child." the newspaper cutting is announcing the birth of a child who is symbolic of India's new beginning. 

In the chapter "My Tenth Birthday" Saleem for the first time introduced the extraordinary abilities of these children. "Midnight's children can be made to represent many things, according to your point of view"  This quote reflects the post-structuralist snd Deconstrctunist idea of no absolute truth and polyphony of meaning.

"that the purpose of Midnight's Children might be annihilation; that we would have no meaning until we were destroyed. " This could be seen as a reflection of the challenges and disillusionment faced by India's new generation, who were born into a nation struggling with the aftermath of colonialism, partition, and social unrest.

"Midnight's children: who may have been the embodiment of the hope of freedom, who may also have been freaks-who-ought-to-be-finished-off." The word "may" in the phrase suggests uncertainty and ambiguity.  The use of "may" suggests that these different interpretations are not mutually exclusive but can coexist. It highlights the multifaceted nature of the characters and lingering nature or rather fleeting nature of identity. 

"it is the privilege and the curse of midnight's children to be both masters and victims of their times, to forsake privacy and be sucked into the annihilating whirlpool of the multitudes, and to be unable to live or die in peace." 

"Privilege and the curse": The phrase suggests a duality of experience. "Masters and victims of their times": The characters, as midnight's children, are both shaping and being shaped by the events around them. They have agency but are also subject to the forces of history. This line above  emphasizes the characters' inability to maintain a private life. They are inevitably drawn into the larger social and political currents.The final phrase suggests a sense of existential turmoil. The characters' lives are marked by constant struggle and uncertainty, even in death.

Salman Rushdie wanted a title that was both beautiful and meaningful for his novel about children born at midnight, a time of great change in India. "Midnight's Children" is a better choice than "Children of Midnight" because it has a deeper meaning. "Midnight's Children" is a more poetic and powerful choice. It suggests that these children belong to the midnight hour and are connected to the history of their country. The title also hints at the magical and mysterious elements in the story.

Write an essay applying postcolonial theory to , referencing the provided article.

Barad (“Postcolonial Voices: Analysing Midnight’s Children Through Theoretical Lenses”)

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "postcolonialism, the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism." Postcolonial theorists argue that the effects of colonialism continue to shape the present, influencing everything from language and literature to politics and economics.

In the case of Midnight's Children,  the novel delves into themes of identity, history, and the complexities of nation-building in a post-colonial context. Edward Said in his 1978 book orientalism refers to the way Western cultures have historically represented Eastern societies as "other" to justify colonial dominance. However, Reshdie chellenges the idea of portraly of East by writers like E.M.Forster, Rudiyard Kiplling so on and so forth. 

Moreover, using the narrator who has fleeting and hybrid identity makes it more indegenous perspective which is against the idea of postcolonialism where the "othering" and drawing of the people as "inferior" is very much there. Rushdie used the magic realism and fantacy world and not only that in posotive manner apperantly eastern magic normally by Western narrative portrayed as savage prcatice. Another point is deliberate use of chutnified English with full of Indianess. "Listen. Listen, nakkoo...'-the brandy bottle again," , "Smile, smile, it is your history I am keeping in my head." 

Additionally, the prominent postcolonialist Homi K. Bhabha's idea of "hybridity and the third space"given in The Location of Culture (1994)  is used by Rushdie. The novel itself located in the "third space" neither Indian nor Western. Rushdie embarrsed the ambivelent hybridity which is fleeting and ambigous at the same time with the narrator of Saleem who born into India, belonging from Pakistani family. The revelation that swaping of children made him more hybrid Indian Vanita and European William Mathfold. 

Midnight Children also touches upon the idea of Gayatri Spivak, "Can sublatern speak ?" It gave the voice of marganlized Saleem Sinai, the main character, tells the story of his life and India's history. It's broken up and messy, just like the lives of the people he represents. This shows how difficult it can be for people who are not in power to tell their stories. The digression of his narrative and chunks of other narratives like of Parvati, Amina, Shiva, Nadir Khan, even Wee Willie Winky gave the voice. 

The Wretched of the Earth 1961 book by Franz Fanon talks about need of national consciousnees which Rushdie captured in his novel very well. Whether it is partition of 1947 or the Emergency of 1975 to 1977 the relics of the nation and it's independent identity was chellenged. Saleem's fractured identity with mixed blood haunted him after revelation, his inability and loss of memory metaphorically spitoon reveled the psychological truma of him.

 

"Midnight's Children" provincializes Europe by focusing on Indian history and identity rather than centering the narrative on European experiences or perspectives. Rushdie likely avoided the European "white man's burden" and the notion of a civilized Europe, even on a small scale. He used local myths like Pravati the witch's "Abra ka Dabra," Picture Singh, Padma's name and identity, and pickelification. Additionally, the fragmented structure of the historical writing makes it more Indian in nature.

While Rushdie writes in English, he subverts the colonial language by infusing it with Indian vernaculars, creating what he calls a "chutnified" English. Instead of following Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's suggested idea of "Decolonizing the Mind" 1986 by rejecting the colonizer's language as a form of cultural imperialism, Rushdie embraces English but adapts it to reflect Indian cultural nuances.

Aime Césaire's work, particularly his writings on Negritude, addresses the cultural alienation experienced by colonized peoples and the need to reclaim African identity and heritage. While Rushdie's novel is set in a different regime, it also gives voice to neglected Indian identities on a larger scale. Additionally, belonging to different cultures, Saleem embraces various cultures, including his Indian family, his aunt's Pakistani family, the Indian slums, and Meri Periya. All this reflects the colonized people's resistance by accepting and embracing diverse cultures.

Write a note on how Rushdie uses English in , focusing on the 'chutnified' or 'de-doxified' forms of English.

Rushdie's statement about the need to "re-make" English for Indian purposes aligns with the views expressed by many Indian writers, including M.K. Naik and A.K. Ramanujan. These writers argued that English, while a colonial language, could be adapted and appropriated to serve Indian needs and express Indian experiences. In 1984, in his lecture "Describing Reality as a Political Act", Rushdie described his views on English in a way that recalls Rao's views. 

Rushdie uses "Hinglish" to distinguish between characters of different social classes. Saleem, the educated narrator, speaks British English, while Padma, his less educated beloved, speaks "Hinglish." This linguistic difference highlights their contrasting personalities. Saleem's stubbornness is emphasized through his use of British English, while Padma's attempts to persuade him to eat and her expressive gestures reveal her frustration with his inflexibility. The "Hinglish" used by Padma indicates that she is not speaking fluent English, as evidenced by her use of "na" and grammatical errors. Additionally, her repetition of the word "starve" for emphasis is a common vernacular usage not typically found in standard English. Rushdie himself said,

"I found I had to punchate it (Midnight's Children ) in a very peculiar way,. . . I had to use dashes too much, keep exclaiming, putting in three dots,sometimes three dots fol!owed by semi-colons followed by threedashes.. .That sort of thing just seemed to help to dislocate the English and let other things into it. Desani does that all the time in Hatter.. . (1982)" What makes ideologies so difficult to dislodge is the conditioning since birth of the 'naturalness'of those.

Rushdie's de-doxification of the English language essentially means rewriting the existing reality while removing the reverence associated with it. This new truth is often seen in the narratives of religion, where one's own religion is proven superior by de-doxifying others. However, Rushdie, inspired by Mulk Raj Anand, did the same in his own unique way.

Analyze the depiction of the Emergency period (1975-77) in and the character of Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

The most savage satire of the book is reserved for Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru and, until her 1984 assassination, prime minister of India. Rushdie repeatedly cites a famous newspaper photograph in which her hair is white on one side and black on the other to symbolize her hypocrisy. He ridicules Sanjay Gandhi, her son, now also dead, as the mastermind of India’s slum clearance and birth-control plans. Specific members of Gandhi’s cabinet appear in the novel with appendages to their titles, such as “Minister for Railroads and Bribery.” Gandhi’s campaign slogan “Indira is India, and India is Indira,” which Rushdie often quotes in these contexts, thus becomes a dire prophecy.

Depiction of the Emergency

The novel depicts the Emergency as a time of widespread repression, censorship, and human rights abuses. Rushdie portrays the period as a dark chapter in India's history, marked by the suspension of democracy, the imprisonment of political opponents[children of midnight allegoriclly] , and the erosion of civil liberties[sterilization of the people]. The Emergency is depicted as a time when the state became increasingly authoritarian and the individual rights of citizens were trampled upon.  

Character of Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi, who declared the Emergency, is portrayed as a power-hungry and ruthless leader. Rushdie presents her as a figure who was willing to sacrifice democratic principles in order to consolidate her power. She is depicted as a manipulative and authoritarian leader who used the Emergency as a means to silence her critics and suppress dissent.  In the book "Indira" Kathrin Frank bluntly portrayed by her. 

Historical Context

It is important to note that Rushdie's depiction of the Emergency is not entirely objective. The novel is a work of fiction, and Rushdie's portrayal of the period is influenced by his own political views and experiences. However, his critique of the Emergency resonates with many historians and political commentators who have condemned the government's actions during this time. In the chapter Mr.Rushdie and Mrs.Gandhi Frank highlighted the the similar psychological upbringing of both however they are different. 

However, Rushdie depicted her as "widow" which was controversial at the same time. Indira Gandhi was in the power and she misused it in every senses. Mira Nair's portrayal of Indira Gandhi was faithful to the book. The line "India is Indira, and Indira is India" captures the zest of the character of her. 

This frame of the movie captures how the emergency push the development and democracy in the 0 year. The years of struggle of gaining Independence all was brought back to the dark ages.

The wide angle of the camera with smoky and dark background reflects the metaphorical darkness of the India while EMEGENCY. 

This frame captures Indira sitiing and astrologer predicts her fortune about upcomig danger of the her stable power. In the background the frames of Nehru and Gandhi looking in the other directon of the where Indira sitting and the vertical flag altogether symbolizes the emergency. 

5. Metaphor of Bulldozer:

The bulldozer in the novel has symbolic signification the very idea of demolition is connected with it. In this context which places are demolized is the central concern ?Is it the company, firm, or the institution in the novel ?Then no. On the name of "Civic beautification programme" goverment demolised houses of slums because it is not giving good picture of the country. 

Particularly in the novel the bulldozer distruct not only the land and the houses but people's connection with the space, their identity, their custom, habitus, rituals connected with it.  

"The Narlikar women had moved away while bulldozers did their work; we were alone  inside  the  dust-storm,  which  gave  us  all  the  appearance  of  neglected furniture, as if we were chairs and tables which had been abandoned for decades without covering-sheets; we looked like the ghosts of ourselves."

Here in the quote by the Saleem reflects how the residencal people of slum were negected as mere furniture more of non-living thing just as thing which ass no emotions. This dehumanizing effect reminds Mr. Gradgrind's school of Dickens where students were turned into the vessel and the workers as mere hands. 

Bulldozer stands for the power and as in the article,"Erasure and Oppression: The Bulldozer as a Tool of Authoritarianism in Midnight's Children" Dilip Barad mentioned that ,bulldozer is a symbol of the state's oppressive force, is repeatedly used in the novel to represent the government's harsh and controlling actions during the Emergency. Additionally, the resistence of the people of any kind is suppressed by the poweful tool like it. The overt controll of the goverment on people's life resulted in the erasing of the habitus, identity, and history. 

"The vans and bulldozers came first, rumbling along the main road; they stopped opposite the ghetto of the magicians. A loudspeaker began to blare: 'Civic beautification programme… authorized operation of #Sanjay_Youth Central Committee… prepare instantly for evacuation to new site… this slum is a public eyesore, can no longer be tolerated… all persons will follow orders without dissent.'

Rushdie here clearly mentioned the name and the agenda of the goverment. This kind of demolition programme happens time and again and especially while any outside foreigns are coming to visit the India. However, this slums are somewhere thorn for the goverment because it reveles the true picture of the India in the words of Adiga, "Indian of Darkness" and even it was captured by Vikas Swarup in his work "Q&A". Nonthless the govermnet forgets that true India is that also and their existence should not be denied.

In the article “India’s Bulldozer Raj: Over 1,50,000 Homes Razed, 7,38,000 Left Homeless in Two Years.” Anuj Behal highlighs On June 19, in a massive eviction drive in Lucknow’s Akbarnagar, the State government demolished around 1,800 structures, including 1,169 houses and 101 commercial establishments. The BJP government plans to develop this area into the Kukrail Riverfront, transforming it into an ecotourism hub. Many residents have lived there for decades, with some claiming that they had been living there even before the development authority was formed. This is the recent example of the India how bulldozers are even working today for "Civic beautification". (Behal)

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Gemini, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, for providing insightful suggestions and facilitating the organization and expression of original thoughts and concepts in the preparation of this work.

References :

Barad, Dilip. “Erasure and Oppression: The Bulldozer as a Tool of Authoritarianism in Midnight’s Children.” ResearchGate, Aug. 2024, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18505.15209.

---. “Postcolonial Voices: Analysing Midnight’s Children Through Theoretical Lenses.” ReserchGate, Aug. 2024, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16493.19689.

Behal, Anuj. “India’s Bulldozer Raj: Over 1,50,000 Homes Razed, 7,38,000 Left Homeless in Two Years.” Frontline, 24 Aug. 2024, frontline.thehindu.com/politics/demolition-eviction-drives-muslims-dalit-smart-city-lucknows-akbarnagar-housing-and-land-rights/article68331521.ece#:~:text=According%20to%20a%202024%20estimate,urban%20areas%20in%20the%20country.

DoE-MKBU. “Midnight’s Children | Mr. Rushdie and Mrs. Gandhi | Sem 3 Online Classes | 2021 07 14.” YouTube, 14 July 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mobzaun3ftI.

Ivison, Duncan. “Postcolonialism | History, Themes, Examples, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 July 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/postcolonialism.

“Les Fictions Du Réel Dans Le Monde Anglo-américain De 1960 À 1980.” Presses universitaires François-Rabelais eBooks, 1988, https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pufr.3799.

Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Analysis of Salman Rushdie’s Novels.” Literary Theory and Criticism, 4 Apr. 2019, literariness.org/2019/04/04/analysis-of-salman-rushdies-novels.