Discussion Topic
Salman Rushdie's purpose and the values he aims to preserve in writing Midnight's Children
Summary:
In Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie aims to preserve the values of cultural identity, historical memory, and the complexities of post-colonial India. He seeks to highlight the country's rich, diverse heritage while critiquing the political and social changes that followed independence. Through magical realism, Rushdie underscores the importance of remembering and understanding the multifaceted history of India.
What was Salman Rushdie's purpose in writing Midnight's Children?
One purpose in writing Midnight's Children was to demonstrate the impossibility of a perfectly accurate retelling of history.
When we normally think of "history," our mind drifts to an undisputed account. There is a belief that history has to be an objective and absolutely correct retelling of how factual events took place. When we believe in this single notion of history, we tend to silence other voices or perceptions. Embracing this retelling of history lends power to people who lay claim to the "truth" in the retelling of historical narratives.
One of Rushdie's purposes in writing Midnight's Children was to challenge this view of history. Rushdie wants to address the history of modern India and Pakistan through the embrace of different stories. There is no singular "authority" in Rushdie's version. Saleem is the narrator, and claims to be infallible. However, he makes many errors in retelling the narrative of...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
India, Pakistan, and the division that created both nations. As a result, the view of history we get is not entirely accurate. This underscores how any account that professes to be totalizing must be questioned.
Through Saleem, Rushdie presents an imperfect account of history. That is his purpose in writing Midnight's Children. Rushdie believes that history is a collection of individuals, not infallible accounts: "History is always ambiguous. Facts are hard to establish, and capable of being given many meanings. Reality is built on our prejudices, misconceptions and ignorance as well as on our perceptiveness and knowledge." Rushdie wants to develop a history of India and of Partition that reflects the limitations intrinsic to human identity. In doing so, his presentation of history in Midnight's Children causes the reader to wonder about what constitutes truth.
What values is Salman Rushdie trying to preserve in Midnight's Children?
Salman Rushdie shows history as a burden that the people of India, especially those born at the time of independence, must bear. Among the positive aspects of the nation’s history is diversity, symbolized by the many spices needed for the pickles made in the pickle factory Saleem manages. Saleem also uses the symbolism of pickles to frame and organize his memoir. Rushdie also argues for religious tolerance, which the violence of Partition had seriously jeopardized. Saleem is Hindu and British by heritage but Muslim by upbringing. The combination within him of these three important strands of Indian history offers the hope for greater social unity. Although Rushdie argues for the importance of traditional values, which were disrupted by British imperial rule, he also cautions against the rigidity of the caste system. Saleem’s hybridity and Shiva’s low-caste origin are portrayed as positive elements of the country’s future trajectory, while in traditional society they would have been denied the chance of making positive contributions.