"Midnight's Children" Post 3b

A couple of quotes that I have noticed in my reading:
"... and Amina standing still as she is tugged in opposite directions wants to say Wait, white woman... And now Lifafa Das, with a curious expression on his face, says, "They're funtoosh! All finished! Soon they will all go, and we'll be free to kill each other."" (90). This quote was interesting in that it showed both the Indians' surprise at seeing a white woman in a comprimising situation, begging for food, pointing to the rather "myth of invicibility" that the English had apparently successfully created to establish their rule. Additionally, its interesitng that Lifafa would say such a violent remark hinting at the tension between the Muslims and the Hindus considering that Amina saved him from an angry Muslim mob.
"... but, staying despite it all, he saw the godown as it burst apart under the force of the licking red tongues, he saw pouring out of the godown an improbably lava flow of molten rice lentils chick-peas waterproof jackets matchboxes and pickle, he saw hot red flowers of the fire bursting skywards as the contents of the warehouse spilled on to the hard yellow ground like a black charred hand of despair" (99). Part of winning the Booker Prize is contemporary writing style, and this quote exemplifies this excellently. I really enjoyed how the contents of the godown aren't separated by commas, visually signifying how in the fire they are all running together and turning into one mass of ruin. The colors were also beautiful with the "hot red flowers", the "hard yellow ground" and the "black charred hand of despair".
"the Estate, Methwold's Estate, is changing them. Every evening at six they are out in their gardens, celebrating the cocktail hour, and when William Methwold comes to call they slip effortlessly into their imitation Oxford drawls; and they are learning about ceiling-fans and gas cookers and the correct diet for budgerigars, and Methwold, supervising their transformation, is mumbling under his breath.... All is well" (109). This quote I enjoyed not only for the slyness of Methwold (he requires that the new owners of his homes live with his belongings for two months so that they become accustomed to the European way of life) but the aim of his transformation. Why does he care how his homes owners will live their lives? Is he trying to protect the buildings, retain their European character? I think that he is trying to keep some vestige of England's time in India alive, by instilling the character and social traits of the English in its people, so that they will forever carry on its legacy. After all, it was his great forefather who came up with the brilliant plan to conquer Bombay; he must wish for some impact upon India as well.