Ray Gerard D.

Angeles
August 3, 2014
Emergent Literature
Midnights Children by Salman Rushdie
Did I Hit the Spittoon?
The first thing that I thought of when reading Midnights Children are the following
words: it seems fun, but what does this even mean? Here, I am referring to the manner it was
written. Initially as you read this book, it comes off as a light hearted book, written in a very
nonchalant manner. It was like a breath of fresh air from all the heavy readings I needed to read.
At the same time however, there were many words foreign to me as a reader since I do not know.
Apart from that, the length of the book is shall we say, intimidating
Now, one of the very distinct characteristic of this story is the fragmentation of the story
line. Somehow, it reminds me of A Thousand and One Nights that is written in a very post
modern way. There is a framing story line, the one with Saleem and Padma, while there were
anecdotes being narrated by Saleem making up the whole book. I think they even gave a nod the
Arabian Nights when they mentioned the initial number of Midnights Children. However, that is
also how the novel felt; it was very long but it left room for plot progression which is significant
in this type of setting. This was due to the fact that the historical transition as presented to us by
the novel was, I think, the main focus of this book. This historical transition also makes the
fragmentation more obvious since the present inserts itself in the historical survey on what was
happening, in relation to the life of Saleem.
Another thing that is distinct in this story is that it felt like time becomes cyclical in a
sense that the events regarding Saleems life and the beginning of this novel meet since what
happens to Saleem in the end, for the most part, echoes what has happened to Aadam Aziz and

Ahmad Sinai. So in a sense the storyline may seem confusing at times since the story line,
already fragmented in itself, reaches a full circle as well.
Magical realism is also in play in this story, where supernatural themes meet reality, such
as the presence of ghosts, or the mere fact that Saleem is telepathic. In line with this, there are
also moments when doubt was incurred, when the truth was questioned by blurring the lines of
fantasy and reality, as well as using a character as a narrator that may or may not be as reliable as
we may think.
Given the said characteristics, it makes me think that this is a postmodern story.
Although, I am still having doubts about that since, despite it being almost comically written, the
themes of the story becomes heavier as the story progresses, pushing modern themes into the
readers faces in a very post modern manner, leaving a reader like me (or maybe its just me) not
knowing if I should laugh at this very serious matter presented as something light hearted.
Apart from what I said above, this book is also heavy on symbolisms and foreshadowing.
The perforated sheet which had a recurring role seems to have a very significant meaning to the
story, as well as the silver spittoon that Saleem had acquired. It seems that these items give
Saleem the connection to his past. We can also say that its recurring appearance can be a
representation of the tradition emulated by these items trying to resist its disappearance in the
changing society. Foreshadowing on the other hand is more explicitly seen through the
unconventional way that the story was written. It goes hand in hand with certain events that
causes other events, as well as the story, like what I have said before, coming in full circle. These
two factors in the story shows that the storys events and their chronology was well thought of.

Overall, Salman Rushdies Midnights Children entertained me initially, but then behind
the light hearted demeanor, I noticed more and more how dark the historical context and story
implications of this book. It left me strangely satisfied, yet disturbed and confused at the same
time. I think I will get a clearer picture of this book as I read it a second time and find more
meaning as I read it a third time. I just hope Ill find time to fit this book again soon.