It is Ahmed who changes her name to Amina to signify her new life as his husband. Once the family finds out that the two never consummated their marriage, Mumtaz is divorced and then marries Ahmed Sinai. ![]() ![]() Born as Mumtaz, the second daughter to Aadam and Naseem, she enters a marriage to refugee Nadir Khan. Mumtaz Aziz/Amina SinaiĪmina Sinai is Saleem’s mother. She became known as “Reverend Mother” because of her religious devotion, and grew large and powerful in response to Aadam’s shriveling personhood. While she and Aadam had a unique courtship, their marriage turned sour quickly due to Aadam’s disgust with Naseem’s religious fervor. He remains a wispy figure in Saleem’s life as Aadam became increasingly absent due to a “hole” that grew inside him after he lost his faith. Saleem’s story begins with Aadam, an Indian doctor, returning to his homeland after obtaining his medical degree from Germany. Aadam AzizĪadam Aziz is Saleem’s grandfather. These manifest when Shiva puts an end to the Midnight’s Children Counsel, and in the fact that he fathered hundreds of children with women all across India during his 20’s. Two other aspects of the god Shiva are part of Shiva’s storyline: destruction and procreation. Shiva's attributes which coincide with those of the Hindu god Shiva. For example, Saleem is sickly and introverted, whereas Shiva is robust, healthy, and extremely violent. Other aspects of Shiva’s life are inverted characteristics of Saleem’s life. ![]() Due to a switch-up at birth and uncanny physical similarities between the two babies, Saleem was given to Shiva’s parents while Shiva was given to Saleem’s parents. Shiva is Saleem’s “midnight twin” although they were born to different parents. Her disbelief of Saleem’s magic powers and metaphysical connection with India mirrors that of the reader. She also embodies the skepticism that the audience has for Saleem’s narration. It is her influence that balances out Saleem’s long-winded, prosaic story-telling. Whereas Saleem will follow tangents and try to explain the significance of himself and his life, Padma is more interested in the action of the tale. Rhetorically, her role is that of the audience as Saleem tells her about his growth in conjunction with India’s growth. She is physically strong and brawny compared to Saleem’s frail, cracked body and therefore represents a more down-to-earth presence that keeps Saleem grounded. ![]() Overall, his story is an allegory for the birth and rise of India as an independent nation. Combined with his narcissistic attitude and God complex, it is difficult for the reader to ascertain whether or not he is reading too deeply into his own existence. His assertion of magical powers and a supernatural connection with India in his narration also makes him unreliable storyteller. In terms of his narration as a rhetorical device, he often forgets facts of his story. Later, he acquired a gift of smell that allowed him to discern emotions and personalities in people. The time of his birth infused him with powers of telepathy, a gift he used to find the other children born near midnight on that same day. He was born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the same moment that India gained its independence from the British Empire. Saleem is the sickly narrator and protagonist of Midnight’s Children.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |