One of the most interesting elements of the narrative thus far are the parallels seen between Salman and Saleem and their birth into independence and the turmoil that follows historically. Saleem’s story reflects some of the experience of Salman Rushdie probably quite literally. Along with this parallel, Saleem’s life parallels the story of the entire nation. His life experiences align with significant historical events allowing for the individual story of Saleem to represent that of the entire nation of India. Although this is a retelling of personal events there is an element of connectivity that shows a representation greater than self.
ENGL 3630: Haunted Texts
Melissa McLeod
Ashley Martinez, Anna Cutherall, Alex Lotti
How does Rashidy’s sentence structure characterize Saleem’s thought process? How does the formatting affect the reader’s perception of Saleem?
“In the brandy bottle of boatman Tai see I foretold, my own father’s possession by dinnj and there will be another bald foreign… and Tai gas prophecies another kind, which was the consolation of my grandmother’s old age, and taught her stories, too… and pier-dogs aren’t far away… enough. I’m frightening myself.” following paragraph page 17
This section’s fragmented thought process parallels with the fragmented effects of Rashidy’s narration tactics. It reveals that Saleem may be unreliable and unsure. What sort of changed would be visible in the text if the POV had shifted?
2. How does Rashidy’s projection of women and lack of education thereof, reveal aspects of the culture and what was going on during this time period?
Consider how much information and presentation of the women in the text is presented factually or from Saleem’s bias. How does this affect our perception of the female characters? Is it true to the time period or is it Saleem’s personal opinion?
“Padma- our plum Padma – is sulking magnificently. (She can’t read, and like all fish lovers, dislikes other people knowing anything she doesn’t.”
“Mary, tiny, plump, virginal, had revelled in his attentions; but not everything had changed.” 115
3. Is the imagery presented in the text always relevant to its context, what does it add or take away from the text?
Consider what the text would be without such specific details and images. Would less creative language aid more to the plot and overall themes of the story? Or is the detail necessary for us to understand the location, time period, character’s, etc.
“A Compound can be anything from a wasteland to a park. The largest compound in Amritsar is called Jallianwala Bagh. It is not grassy. Stones cans glass and other things are row alleyway between two buildings. 41
“The lake was no longer frozen over. The thaw had come rapidly, as usual; many of the small boats, the shikaras, had been caught napping, which was also normal. But while these sluggards slept on, on dry land, snoring peacefully beside their owners, the oldest boat was up at the crack as old folk often are….” 11