"Midnight's Children" Post 2b

'"I started off as a Kashmiri and not much of a Muslim. Then I got a bruise on my chest that turned me into an Indian. I'm still not much of a Muslim, but I'm all for Abdullah. He's fighting my fight."' (39). This quote intrigued me for several reasons. First of all, the image of a bruise turning someone into a different nationality is amusing in its absurdity, but the actual event has some interesting observations. While attending a supposedly peaceful rally, Aadam witnessed a defenseless crowd be gunned down by troops. He was lucky enough to escape because his doctor's bag escaped his hands and he was down on the ground before they started shooting, but this event profoundly impacted him. The horror and outrage at what he witnessed caused him to feel more connected with these people than ever before. This makes one reconsider different foreign policy moves. Sometimes, moves aimed to intimidate can be effective, but at least in Aadam's case, they encouraged him to connect more with the Indian cause and be willing to risk more for it, almost the opposite of the intention of the soldiers. The other interesting thing about this statement by Aadam is his comment about Abdullah "He's fighting my fight". I feel like this phrase is used often, but it seems to cliché-y and doesn't really mean much. Is he really fighting your fight? Shouldn't you be fighting your own fight? Is he representing you in your fight? I suppose its catchy, it just seems that people can take leaders blindly with this phrase without really thinking of what it represents.

"Midnight's Children" Post 2a

This chapter brought up more interesting cultural perspective on the roles of women in Indian society. Aadam marries Naseem in this chapter, and their courtship takes a most unorthodox manner. He comes to diagnose her for various illnesses, of which she has one each week. Each time a small part of her is revealed to him through a sheet with a hole cut in it. Apparently this is not creepy or abnormal in any way, and they eventually get married. Aadam is a more modern person than Naseem's father, and he finds it unnecessary for her to wear purdah. One would think that this liberation would be welcomed by her, but she rejects it strongly: "'You want me to walk naked in front of strange men." (He has told her to come out of purdah.) He says, "Your shirt covers you from neck to wrist to knee... Wife, are your face and feet obscene?" But she wails, "They will see more than that! They will see my deep-deep shame!"' (32). One would think that restrictive practices such as this would not be accepted by women, that they would enjoy more freedom and less restriction, but here this doesn't seem to be the case. These practices seem to have been so deeply ingrained in Naseem that she can't imagine any other way, and that she truly believes that she is disgracing herself by not following purdah. Perhaps this has to do with the period; Aadam is a fairly modern person and I suppose it would be awkward if you were the only one following the new fashion. However, wouldn't the freedom from the second class status that wearing special garments that obscure and restrict you outweigh the potential social pressure? How can one adjust to not being allowed freedom? If you've grown up with something all your life, can you always have adjusted to it? How far does one have to go to have something one cannot adjust to?

"Midnight's Children" Post 1b

Why did I choose to read "Midnight's Children"? There are several reasons. First of all, the name Salmon Rushdie came up as I was doing research for my award from last quarter, the Man Booker Prize. I was curious and looked into it, finding that his novel "Midnight's Children" had not only won the Man Booker for the year it was published; it had also won the Booker of Bookers! This award was given after the first twenty-five years of the prize to the best book out of all of the Booker winners, and "Midnight's Children" had been that novel. This award seemed significant to me because, as one judge described it, it was awarded to the best contemporary fiction novel that was not necessarily the most fun read, but that would make an impact on literature for years to come. Sometimes books such as these are a struggle to read, but you always feel satisfied that you have completed them and taken something from the experience in the end, and I was in the mood to read such a book. The story sounded interesting as well: when reading the Odyssey, the thing that fascinated me was the involvement of the gods in the mortals lives, and this dealt with the similar subject of fate, in Saleem's fate being tied to that of India's. This novel also sounds interesting in that it deals with a foreign country, and in learning about Saleem one also learns of India's culture and history. Finally, Rushdie is supposed to be a more difficult author, and I have to admit that this challenge drew me to his writing. Others of his novels, such as "The Satanic Verses", are supposed to be a little more dense, whereas this novel looked to be a good balance between a tough writer, an impressive award, and an interesting plot. We'll see how it goes!

"Midnight's Children" Post 1a

"This mother, who had spent her life housebound, in purdah, had suddenly found enormous strength and gone out to run the small gemstone business (turquoises, rubies, diamonds) which had put Aadam through medical college; so he returned to find the seemingly immutable order of his family turned upside down, his mother going out to work while his father sat hidden behind the veil which the stroke had dropped over his brain" (7). 

This quote from the book was interesting because it talked about the restrictions of purdah which I initially had no idea what it was. Purdah, according to Wikipedia, is "the practice of preventing men from seeing women. This takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes, and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form. Purdah exists in various forms in the Islamic world and among Hindu women in parts of India. Physical segregation within a building can be done with walls, curtains, and screens. A woman's withdrawal into purdah restricts her personal, social, and economic activities outside her home... with... a veil to conceal the face". This step by Aadam's mother shows how she is independent, and although their family had been quite strict, she was a modern person and dedicated to her son. It is also interesting to note that the father's new role after his stroke is characterized by a veil, a piece usually worn by women when following purdah. Aadam's mother and father have truly switched places, and this must make him rather uncomfortable. 

"Midnight's Children" by Salmon Rushdie

For my outside reading novel, I'm going to try reading Salmon Rushdie's "Midnight's Children". India seems like such a vibrant place and truly, I don't know much about it. This novel explores the nation after it gains its independence through the voice of a child as he grows up in this new India. I was interested in Salmon Rushdie in particular after seeing his name mentioned in the information regarding the Man Booker Prize (this novel won not only the Booker but the Booker of Bookers as the best book out of the first twenty-five winners of the prize). I loved "The Blind Assassin" so much and I hope this book will be similarly good. 

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" Post 7b

This book is very odd, but beautiful to read. It's tone is so even, calm, and matter of fact; after Anna Karenina it's quite a nice change. No one is sentimentalized and everyone has faults or makes mistakes: José Arcadio Buendía wastes his time on silly alchemical experiments, Úrsula is domineering and pushes Arcadio to his doom, Amaranta pushes Pietro to commit suicide, Rebeca spurns her lover, and many others. This very up front, clear tone contrasts with the almost dream-like confusing nature of the plot. The relentless sound of the bones of Rebeca's parents, the founding of the town itself, José Buendía's slip into madness, Arcadio's take over of the town, the flying carpet, the power of alchemy, the return of Melquíades from death: all of these events have a mystical aspect to them. Pilar Tenera embodies this idea: not only does she bring out the passion in almost every man, including her own son, but she has the power to read the future in cards. This contrast of real and mythical is the foundation for the novel. One Hundred Years of Solitude also plays an interesting role in literature. For me, it seems much like Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner. In Faulkner's novel of a Southern family's twisted history, Thomas Sutpen and his Hundred slaves like devils seem just as mystical, and his family's legacy becomes just as confusing with different relations between members. It also focuses on a patriarch's ensuing clan. However, in perhaps a Southern way it makes things extremely complex and connected, each part of a sentence bringing the reader to the next thought, and then the next, and then back to the beginning, weaving the story in circles. Márquez's novel's writing is much more straightforward, it is the relations between people that become confusing. Perhaps this novel represents Latin American thinking much as Faulkner's novel does.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" Post 7a

Vocabulary
soporific (72): causing or tending to cause sleep
encyclicals (78): a papal letter addressed to the bishops of the Church or to the hierarchy of a particular country

Literary Elements
'"None of that, because he's alive," was the answer of José Arcadio Buendía, who finished the seventy-two hours with the mercurial incense as the body was already beginning to burst with a livid fluorescence, the soft whistles of which impregnated the house with a pestilential vapor" (79). The use of the verb "impregnated" or filled gives this passage a rather creepy air, aided by the use of the words "livid" and "pestilential". It describes how, as the mercury burst in the body of Melquíades, the whistling sound it gave off filled the house with a rather malevolent air. Impregnated makes the house seem especially full with this sound.
"The Italian, whose head covered with patent leather curls aroused in women an irrepressible need to sigh, dealt with Amaranta as with a capricious little girl who was not worth taking seriously" (80). This simile mocks not only the Italian but Amaranta as well. It undermines her plea and demands to her sister and fiancé, showing her rather selfish nature in doing so. However, the addition of speaking of Pietro's hair perhaps points to a vain part in his nature, as women are constantly admiring him. Perhaps the author is trying to make the point that both Amaranta and Rebeca are too good for him. Perhaps this more of a sibling rivalry than true love.
"She would arrive at any hour of the day, like a flock of goats, and would unleash her feverish energy in the hardest tasks" (83). This simile relating to Pilar seems like a rather odd one. Firstly, other than for milking and such I don't think goats are especially useful, especially not for doing work. Actually, they are more thought of as contrary creatures. Secondly, Pilar is just one person, not a group as suggested by the simile. Thirdly, a group of goats is not commonly called a flock, usually a herd.

Quote
"Father Nicanor Reyna- whom Don Apolinar Moscote had brought from the swamp to officiate at the wedding- was an old man hardened by the ingratitude of his ministry. His skin was sad, with the bones almost exposed, and he had a pronounced round stomach and the expression of an old angel, which came more from simplicity than from goodness" (89). This quote was really representative of the writing style of this novel and the characters within it. They all have some odd quirk, which is explained by the narrator with such a matter-of-factness that it almost stands out more to the reader. Everything is presented with its faults and value, nothing is "sacred" but nothing is criticized more than anything else. It's nice to read in it's straightforward tone, very different from the plot itself.

Theme
Nothing is as it seems.