‘Racing cracks’: Memory and Time in "Midnight's Children" of Salman Rushdie

Term Paper , 2008 , 17 Pages , Grade: 1

Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works

The ‘inexorable ticktock’: as soon as Saleem’s narration starts, the countdown is set off and will not come to an end until the final full stop of Midnight’s Children (MC 82). Throughout the story, Saleem, being a ‘child of ticktock’, is remorselessly rushed on (MC 533). Towards what, one might ask. His childhood memory of a ‘fisherman’s pointing finger’, on a picture hanging on his bedroom wall, haunts Saleem throughout his narration as a reminder of his ‘inescapable destiny’ (MC 167). More precisely, the fisherman is pointing towards a letter send by India’s first Prime Minister on the occasion of Saleem’s birth which coincided with the birth of India as an independent nation. With this letter, Nehru proclaims that Saleem’s life will be the ‘mirror’ of the life of all Indians (MC 167). From his birth, Saleem thus carries the burden of being a reflection of his country and its people. With this enormous responsibility imposed on him, he is pushed on through his narrative. Literally, Saleem is racing against increasingly destructive cracks that threaten to destroy his body. On a metaphorical level, he is fighting against a force beyond his power, a force that ultimately, is going to win: time. Saleem’s narrative is drenched with a sense of fatalism, of it being ‘too late’. The race is already lost, but at least he must resist his defeat as long as he can, that is, until he has brought his narrative to an end. And all the way through, we hear the threatening tick tock, always aware that the final point zero is approaching fast and could surprise us, along with Saleem, at any moment. Interestingly however, where conventional story tellers build their narratives up towards one big countdown, one decisive climax, Saleem provides us with numerous countdowns. The first one leading up to Saleem’s birth, coinciding with India’s independence and partition, followed by a countdown leading up to Saleem’s amnesia. The birth of his son and his final annihilation constitute the two last countdowns. However, these countdowns do not grant his narrative any disclosure or release, but they seem to be endlessly renewed. Once a countdown is up, a new one begins; each promising a final purpose and meaning, but each time leaving us unsatisfied.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 'Racing cracks': Memory and Time in Midnight's Children
  • The 'inexorable ticktock'
  • The Art of Suspense: Rushdie's 1001 (Mid-)Nights
  • Nietzsche, Genealogy, History
  • Midnight's Children is preoccupied with the metafictional
  • Midnight's Children draws on the models of the seemingly endless and digressive Indian epics
• Conclusion (Fazit)
• Bibliography (Literaturverzeichnis)

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This essay explores the concept of time and its relationship to memory and identity in Salman Rushdie's novel 'Midnight's Children'. The essay analyzes the narrative techniques employed by Rushdie to create a sense of suspense and deferment, ultimately arguing that the novel's fluid temporality and the protagonist's hybrid identity are central to its meaning.

• The role of time in shaping memory and identity
• The use of suspense and deferment as narrative techniques
• The metafictional nature of the novel
• The influence of traditional Indian storytelling on the novel's structure
• The concept of hybrid identity in a postcolonial context

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The essay begins by examining the motif of the 'inexorable ticktock' that permeates Saleem's narration. This motif, which represents the relentless passage of time, is linked to Saleem's sense of destiny and his struggle to resist the forces of decay and annihilation. The essay then explores Nancy E. Batty's analysis of Rushdie's 'suspense strategy', which involves deferring the end of the narrative act and constantly previewing events to come. This strategy, the essay argues, serves to create a sense of anticipation and to highlight the metafictional nature of the novel.

The essay further examines the relationship between Saleem's narrative and his physical decay, arguing that his writing process is inextricably linked to his survival. This connection is explored through the lens of Michel Foucault's concept of genealogy, which emphasizes the importance of historical context in shaping identity. The essay then discusses the novel's preoccupation with the metafictional, highlighting Rushdie's blurring of the lines between fiction and reality.

The essay concludes by analyzing the novel's fluid concept of time, which is characterized by its non-linear structure and its blurring of past, present, and future. The essay draws on Benedict Anderson's notion of 'homogeneous, empty time' to explain the novel's temporal framework and its emphasis on beginnings and endings. The essay also explores the concept of hybrid identity in the novel, arguing that Saleem's fluid and multifaceted identity reflects the complexities of postcolonial experience.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include time, memory, identity, suspense, deferment, metafiction, postcolonialism, hybridity, and Indian storytelling. The essay explores the ways in which these themes intersect in Salman Rushdie's novel 'Midnight's Children', examining the novel's unique narrative structure and its exploration of the complexities of human experience in a postcolonial world.

• College: University of Kent
• Grade: 1
• Author: Nora Scholtes (Author)
• Publication Year: 2008
• Pages: 17
• Catalog Number: V127105
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640345908
• Language: English
• Tags: Memory, Time, Midnight, Children, Salman, Rushdie