Introduction
Literature as a form of art scopes a wide array of topics that reflect personal struggles and social issues. The concepts of culture and traditions often get intertwined with the characters who are bound by various social and gender constructs. The post-colonial literature seeks to cover these topics more broadly to highlight the combat one’s nation went through. The following controversy is explicitly described in the work Midnight’s Children by an Indian-born British writer Salman Rushdie who reflected on historical and philosophical considerations of the native populations. The novel aims to discover the themes of colonialism, nationalism, and magic realism in the scope of an allegorical novel that tells a story of a young Indian in a post-colonial society.
Plot Overview
The main character in Midnight’s Children, Saleem Sinai, is born at midnight on the same night when India gets independence from its imperial colonizer – Great Britain. This occurrence gives him and 1001 other children born on the same night special magical powers, which is portrayed in the title of the novel. The plot revolves around Saleem’s life, as he discovers his gift and connects with other children born on the same day. The background for the story gets varied with wars and Saleem’s family migrations. These events create additional struggles for Salem as he becomes a political prisoner and fall apart with other midnight children. The Midnight’s children allegorically describe the events in India before and after its independence and the effect this separation had on the country. In the course of action, the novel also reflects the cultural, religious, political, and linguistic differences in a widely diverse nation through a reflective inner-monologue of the main hero. The work’s major themes encompass the issues of post-colonialism, nationalism, cultural assimilation, gender constructs, and magic realism.
Post-Colonialism
The setting for the story is India getting independence from British colonialism. Post-colonialism refers to the effect that colonization had on the culture and the country in general (Neumann and Rippl 91). The character’s inborn magical abilities correspond with the time India separates from Great Britain. “For the next three decades, there was to be no escape. Soothsayers had prophesied me, newspapers celebrated my arrival, politicos ratified my authenticity” (Rushdie 3). The character’s life gets tied to his nation’s destiny as a post-colonial country getting a stable ground. Born on the brink of a great change, he becomes the prophet of the revolution. As Saleem was born, there were “outside the window, fireworks, and crowds,” identifying the nation’s relief of breaking free from the colonizers after two hundred years (Rushdie 3). His magical abilities become the symbol of India’s gained power.
However, the problems do not disappear with the banishment of imperial troops. Colonial history follows a destabilized country in the new era with new traditions and potential conflicts. The colonial past never seems to completely leave the nation with political coup d’état and social turmoils and upheavals. The following is noted not just in India but in other post-colonial countries such as Nicaragua in the novel, Charles Atlas Also Dies by Sergio Ramirez. The aftermath of Spanish colonization leads to social prejudices against the colonized country, as in the dialogue between Nicaraguan and the manager of Charles Atlas. The manager said that he is “sorry not to be able to talk proper Spanish, but I only speak un poquito” and burst out laughing, making fun of the character’s colonial history (Ramírez 850). The following perception of his native culture did not impress the character who deeply appreciated the culture of the manager’s country he explored in an assimilation process.
Nationalism
The effects of colonization can be devastating, ruining the country’s culture, language, and, most importantly, unity. The wars, terrorism, and political infighting became the result of a diverse country with mixed beliefs. However, the spirit of the nation and the desire to overcome these challenges bring the country back together. The ideas of nationalism presented in the novel suggest the love of one’s country and aspiration for national independence (Neumann and Rippl 102). At the exact moment Saleem was born, he “had been mysteriously handcuffed to history, my destinies indissolubly chained to those of my country” (Rushdie 170). The separation from the oppressor allowed the citizens of India to be united by one’s nationalistic beliefs. “See: you go to war and die for his country!” is the typical rhetoric for the Indians aspiring to acquire national independence and stability again (Rushdie 303). The people of India struggle to protect one’s homeland and deeply connect with its faultless: “Then let’s see what kind of country we’ve ended up in!” (Rushdie 295). Patriotism leads the people to go to war just after getting independence to return one’s virtue.
The nationalistic views are also noted in other works in post-colonial literature. In the Cutting of a Drink by Ama Ata Aidoo, the author covers the cultural problems in the post-colonial society where the white traditions overwhelm the locals. The main character possesses traditional rural morals and comes in contact with arising capitalist values in the city. The narrator experiences commodified women and culturally assimilated natives who speak English and drink beer. He wonders, “have they no homes?” because of the moral and cultural decay he witnessed(Aidoo 73). Since every country takes a different path after getting independence from colonizers, Ghana also followed the way of cultural assimilation and lost its nationalistic views, still living in rural areas.
Magical Realism
Magical realism becomes one of the core components of the novel that lies in the basis of the story about midnight children. Magical realism acknowledges the normality of magic in everyday life and conveys a magical view of the world that shifts the perceived idea of reality (Neumann and Rippl 91). It is crucial in providing a parallel with the country’s history through a magical line with the children that are united as the country gets independence. The self-referential tale-like narrative reflects the distinctive indigenous Indian culture with the magical journey. The telepathy that Saleem acquired as his magical power helped him connect with other newborn citizens and create a welcoming community in the recovering nation. Magical powers became the way for the children of different backgrounds, regions, and religions to find common ground. The magic unites the plot and the characters within it and encompasses Indian cultural history.
Literature is the window into the world of long-gone civilizations with their authentic cultures and social order. The colonized cultures of Ghana, Nicaragua, and India presented in the novels portray the nations’ struggles in figuring out the pathway towards national ideas. However, the post-colonial ideology often follows the country for centuries, leaving a long trace of violence and commodification. The literature allows the authors to bring attention to the problem and gives the readers a possibility to understand the nation’s ethical struggle.
Works Cited
Aidoo, Ama Ata. In the Cutting of a Drink. Pan-African Short Stories, 1965.
Neumann, Birgit, and Gabriele Rippl. Verbal-Visual Configurations in Postcolonial Literature: Intermedial Aesthetics. Routledge, 2020.
Ramírez, Sergio. Charles Atlas Also Dies. Aethlon, 1993.
Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. Jonathan Cape, 1981.