"Midnight's Children" Post 6a

In this chapter an American character is introduced and I thought that it was interesting how she was described, both stereotypically and not. Evie Burns, or Evelyn Lilith Burns, lives "with her widower father in an apartment in one of the two squat, ugly concrete blocks which had grown up, almost without our noticing them, on the lower reaches of our hillock, and which were oddly segregated: Americans and other foreigners lived (like Evie) in Noor Ville" (207). The foreigners are sequestered in area, the rich success Indians are in a similar building but not intermingled. Evie, of course, is the quintessential American with her braces: "her teeth lived in a metal cage... (I permit myself this one generalization: Americans have mastered the universe, but have no dominion over their mouths; whereas India is impotent, but her children tend to have excellent teeth.)" (208). Another generalization, related to expansionism and Manifest Destiny of the United STates: "It has been observed that all Americans need a frontier: pain was hers, and she was determined to push it out" (208). Her way of talking is poked fun at: "'Hey, you widda leaky nose! Stop watching the schoopid ball, ya crumb! I'll showya something worth watching!'" (208). Evie's differences as an American go beyond where she lives, how she looks, and how she speaks: she comes in as a whirlwind and takes control of the boys lives. She is not a wife-to-be, has no romantic aspirations, is instead ready to occupy the position of "chief" (208). From a culture where women were traditionally expected to throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre (called sati), this is quite a departure and shows the difference in her role as an American girl. However, its interesting to note that the boys don't mind her taking charge: Saleem falls in love with her and all of the others listen to what she commands, even from the first day. They don't resent that she is lording over them but is only a girl; they simply follow her. Either her personality simply makes it so or these boys are being raised in a more modern time. 

"Midnight's Children" Post 5b

Sometimes this book has a very unique writing style that is helpful, and makes it special cause it says something that could be said in a conventional way but in the way that the author expresses himself it actually makes more sense and is more natural when you think about it, besides inherently being rather beautiful. As this is rather vague, here are several examples: 

"Muffled shrilling of a bell penetrates the washing-chest, in which a nearlynineyearold boy lies uncomfortably concealed" (182). This one works well because Saleem is not yet nine but almost here, in a way that he is not eight any longer. I'm certain that when he is asked his age he rattles off this phrase "nearlynineyearsold" all in one thing: it has somehow taken on a meaning of its own, that stage of being on the verge, in between two states.

"I was gripped by hot fingers of excitement- the agitated insects of excitement danced in my stomach" (186). I enjoyed this metaphor because it does not seem as cliche as butterflies in one's stomach, it seems a little less sugar coated as insects are not quite as appealing. The repetition of the word "excitement" makes it really stick in one's mind, especially with its staccato sounds, and the juxtaposition of the words "agitated insects", which has a slightly disgusting connotation, and "excitement", which is generally a positive term, really describes that feeling of nervous apprehensive excitement-  not quite comfortable or happy but  not unpleasing.

Overall, although sometimes his writing style comes off as unnecessarily confusing or different, for the most part it's not only beautiful but purposeful, putting the reader more fully in the place of the story. 

"Midnight's Children" Post 5a

"In a country where any physical or mental peculiarity in a child is a source of deep family shame, my parents, who had become accustomed to facial birthmarks, cucumber-nose and bandy legs, simply refused to see any more embarrassing things in me; for my part, I did not once mention the buzzing in my ear, the occasional ringing bells of deafness, the intermittent pain. I had learned that secrets were not always a bad thing" (194), "This was it; the beginning of the repayment of their investment; my first dividend- first, I was sure of many" (187). These two quotes show the relationship between Saleem and his parents, most likely similar to the relationship of children and parents across India. Here, Saleem feels that he must repay his parents for the time and effort that he has put into raising him, most likely a social obligation expected of children. It is sad that his parents have no room to understand him; it seems that children are an extension of their parents and some of the standing of the parents is based on the standing of the child. In this setting, it takes a rather extreme measure when Saleem's father beats him as recompensation for attempting to tell them about the voices in his head. However, this is not a specific cultural aspect to India: some of the odd relationship in the expectations of parents for their children is still found today, here in the United States. All of the parent pressure regarding colleges, grades, and sports ties into this connection between a child's success and their parent's standing. Unfortunately, this seems only to complicate Saleem's family further. 

"Midnight's Children" Post 4b

This section really shocked me! Saleem is Saleem yet at the same time he is not, all due to the meddling of Mary. "And when she was alone- two babies in her hands- two lives in her power- she did it for Joseph, her own private revolutionary act, thinking He will certainly love me for this, as she changed name tags on the two huge infants, giving the poor baby a life of privilege and condemning the rich-born child to accordions and poverty... On the ankle of a ten-chip whopper with eyes as blue as Kashmiri sky- which were also eyes as blue as Methwold's- and a nose as dramatic as a Kashmiri grandfather's- which was also the nose of grandmother from France- she placed this name: Sinai" (130). I felt rather cheated after this section: all the history leading up to this moment of Saleem's birth was not his own? He wasn't even born at midnight! Is he still endowed with these powers? I was overall confused; the story had thrown me for a loop on the constant leading up to this point, which was the birth of the narrator Saleem. However, a quote the next page, as his lover Padma protested the same way reassured me, in a way, that despite this switch, this complication the story is still Saleem's as we know him: "It's this: when we eventually discovered the crime of Mary Pereira, we all found that it made no difference! I was still their son: they remained my parents. In a kind of collective failure of imagination, we learned that we simply could not think our way out of our pasts..." (131). Even though he is biologically not their son, Saleem is his parents' child: he has been raised by them and by their history; even if the story described preceding his birth is not technically his, if those mentioned are not his ancestors, it is still his story: it shaped the events that brought him to the moment in which he became his family's child and affected their actions from there on out. 

"Midnight's Children" Post 4a

The conflict between Mary, Saleem's new ayah, and Musa, the family's servant for years, shows that the issue between the Muslims and Hindus in India (a) is not as simple as it seems, with other religions and viewpoints complicating it, (b) may not be solved by the creation of Pakistan and (c) also must work with the difference of generations and ages. A quote on page 164 defines the struggle between Mary and Musa: "What remnants of guilt fear shame, pickled by time in Mary's intestines, led her willingly? unwillingly? to provoke the aged bearer in a dozen different ways- by a tilt of the nose to indicate her superior status; by aggressive counting of rosary beads under the nose of the devout Muslim; by acceptance of the title mausi, little mother, bestowed upon her by the other Estate servants, which Musa saw as a threat to his own status; by excessive familiarity with Begum Sahiba- little giggled whispers in corners, just loud enough for formal, stiff, correct Musa to hear and feel somehow cheated?" (164). This section outlines a conflict not only between Mary and Musa but most likely across India. On one hand, we have Musa: old fashioned, aged, devout Muslim, clinging onto his life and afraid of it being pulled out from underneath him. On the other hand, we have Mary: a Western, Christian name to compliment her faith, familiarity with her masters, Catholicism as her religion. Perhaps it wasn't always the Christian-Muslim conflict, but the meeting of the old ways and the rapidly encroaching new ones must have been quite a struggle. And of course, the fate of Musa tells all: he is convicted of stealing from the house and leaves of his own accord, dooming his own fate. 

"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.

"Midnight's Children" Post 3a

One extremely interesting cultural aspect of India showcased in this novel is the conflict between the Muslims and Hindus. The Sinai family is Muslim and consequently experiences a significant amount of racism, especially from the group Ravana, named after a many-headed demon in Hindu mythology, who burn down his store house of clothing supplies, ruining his business. Hinduism originated in India, but Islam became prominent in the northern areas as the Islamic caliphates extended their rule. The Muslim Mughal Empire even ruled India for a period of time, and even the Taj Mahal was built by the Muslim Shah Jehan for his wife. Although Muslims comprise a major part of India's population, Hindus are still in the majority and there is much conflict from this division. Another issue discussed in this novel was an effect of this strife: the creation of Pakistan. Pakistan was envisioned as a state for Indian Muslims who did not wish to continue to experience discrimination there, and was supported by Muhammed Ali Jinnah, head of the Muslim League. Although both Nehru and Gandhi opposed it, it was created around the birth of the independent India. It is interesting to watch the path of the Sinai family; after their traumatic experience one would expect them to move further towards the west, back towards their homeland of Kashmiri, and least of all eastwards towards the heart of India, but they do just that.