Monday, June 15, 2020
The Widow Rushdies Portrayal of Indira Gandhi in Midnights Children - Literature Essay Samples
In Midnightââ¬â¢s Children, Salman Rushdie uses witch imagery to depict Indira Gandhi as the Widow. Critics have discussed the historical context of this decision, with some finding it problematic. However, by interpreting the Widow as an element of political satire, we can see that Rushdieââ¬â¢s gendered portrayal of Indira Gandhi reveals a valid critique of her political leadership without blaming her for all of Indiaââ¬â¢s problems. Additionally, Rushdieââ¬â¢s use of witch references for other female characters indicates a more contemporary view of powerful women in India. Nicole Weickgenannt accuses Rushdie of misogyny in ââ¬Å"The Nationââ¬â¢s Monstrous Women, Widows, and Witches in Salman Rushdieââ¬â¢s Midnightââ¬â¢s Children.â⬠Criticizing his portrayal of female characters, Weickgenannt considers Indira Gandhi and ââ¬Å"her dictatorial Emergency ruleâ⬠as the ââ¬Å"target of [Rushdieââ¬â¢s] misogynist trajectoryâ⬠(Weickgenannt 77). She takes issue with Rushdieââ¬â¢s accusation that Indira Gandhi destroyed her fatherââ¬â¢s vision of India ââ¬Å"in the form of the midnightââ¬â¢s children conference.â⬠Her argument focuses primarily on the archetypes Rushdie utilizes to characterize Indira Gandhi as a villain in Midnightââ¬â¢s Children. To Weickgenannt, Rushdie ââ¬Å"demonizesâ⬠Gandhi through the ââ¬Å"derogatory connotations of widowhood and witchcraftâ⬠(76). Though accurate, Weickgenanntââ¬â¢s criticism of Rushdie ignores the valid arguments raised in Midnightââ¬â¢s Children. Unab le to delegitimize Rushdieââ¬â¢s criticism of Indira Gandhi, her argument is so lacking in substance that it inadvertently categorizes the Gandhiââ¬â¢s rule as ââ¬Å"dictatorial,â⬠rather than ââ¬Å"allegedly dictatorial.â⬠Even her criticism of the other female characters is flawed. Weickgenannt discusses how Rushdieââ¬â¢s depiction of Indira Gandhi is based on Margaret Hamiltonââ¬â¢s portrayal of the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, citing an essay where Rushdie refers to the Widow as a ââ¬Å"coming together of the Wicked Witches of the East and the Westâ⬠(79). In this essay, Rushdie refers to the Wicked Witch as a symbol of ââ¬Å"powerful womanhood.â⬠Although he considers the Wicked Witch more powerful than Glenda the Good Witch, the Wizard of Oz analogy reconciles his depiction of other female characters as witches. In fact, Rushdieââ¬â¢s characterization of women can be considered feminist. Building on the Wizard of Oz references, Rushdieââ¬â¢s portrayal of women as witches demonstrates the power of women. Like Saleem, Parvati-the-witch is also one of midnightââ¬â¢s children. By referring to Parvati as a witch, Rushdie indicates that ââ¬Å"witchâ⬠isnââ¬â¢t an inherently negative word. This is no different from The Wizard of Oz, which draws a distinction between good witches and bad witches. Upon marrying Parvati-the-witch, Saleem demonstrates reverence toward women by stating that ââ¬Å"women have made me; and also unmade. From Reverend Mother to the Widow, I have been at the mercy of the so-called (erroneously, my opinion!) gentler sexâ⬠(Rushdie 465). With this in mind, Weickgenanntââ¬â¢s accusation of misogyny seems hollow. Yes, the Widow is characterized with gendered stereotypes, but upon further analysis, powerful women are clearly depicted in both positive and negative light. Padma echoes this sentiment by reassuring Saleem that ââ¬Å"a little uncertainty is no bad thing,â⬠since ââ¬Å"cocksure men do terrible deeds. Women tooâ⬠(243). Still, other critics interpret the Widow as an indication that women have taken over the state. In Self, Nation, Text in Salman Rushdieââ¬â¢s Midnightââ¬â¢s Children, Neil Ten Kortenaar argues that ââ¬Å"the widow, Indira Gandhi, quite literally threatens men with the loss of their manhoodâ⬠¦in the f orm of forced sterilizationsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"castrations performed on all the Midnightââ¬â¢s Childrenâ⬠(Kortenaar 138). This is a somewhat flawed argument, since there are female Midnightââ¬â¢s Children. Either way, Kortenaar argues that these castrations reduce all of the Midnightââ¬â¢s Children, ââ¬Å"male and female alikeâ⬠to women. Rama Lohani-Chase offers a more objective analysis of Rushdieââ¬â¢s witch trope. In ââ¬Å"Political (W)holes: Post-Colonial Identity, Contingency of Meaning, and History in Salman Rushdieââ¬â¢s Midnightââ¬â¢s Children,â⬠she discusses the historical context of Rushdieââ¬â¢s Indira Gandhi character. She argues that the Widowââ¬â¢s role in the Midnightââ¬â¢s Children Conference is ââ¬Å"one of the most important aspects of the bookâ⬠since it offers ââ¬Å"commentary on the rule of Indira Gandhi, who gave up the values of secularism espoused by her father Nehruâ⬠¦to gain Hindu votesâ⬠(Chase 42). Giving additional credence to Rushdieââ¬â¢s parody of Indira Gandhi, Chase discusses the events referenced by Rushdieââ¬â¢s allegory. She mentions how Indira Gandhiââ¬â¢s administration ââ¬Å"forced sterilization on slum dwellers and conjured a state-of-emergency to consolidate power against increasingly popular communist factionsâ⬠(43). Thus, characterizing Indira Gandhi as a witch for the latter political decision can easily be considered misogynistic. But the act of sterilizing slum dwellers is a human rights violation that justifies Rushdieââ¬â¢s parody of Gandhi as a witch who sterilizes the midnightââ¬â¢s children. To criticize Rushdie rather than Gandhi in this scenario demonstrates the facile nature of Weickgenanntââ¬â¢s argument. Moreover, the historical context of Chaseââ¬â¢s argument debunks Kortenaarââ¬â¢s psychoanalytic analysis of Indira Gandhi as a threat to Saleemââ¬â¢s manhood. Despite his scathing critique of Indira Gandhi as the destroyer of hope for a secular and diverse India, Rushdie doesnââ¬â¢t place all of the blame on her. Commenting on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Saleem notices that it ââ¬Å"occurs, in these pages, on the wrong dateâ⬠(Rushdie 190). Saleem mentions his inability to identify ââ¬Å"the actual sequence of events,â⬠arguing that ââ¬Å"in [his] India, Gandhi will continue to die at the wrong time.â⬠This observation demonstrates the opinion that Gandhiââ¬â¢s assassination deprived an independent India of proper leadership, shifting some of the blame away from Indira Gandhi and toward Nathuran Godse. The conflict between Muslims and Hindus is exemplified by the revelation that Godse had killed Mahatma Gandhi. When Godse is named as his murderer over the radio, Amina exclaims ââ¬Å"thank Godâ⬠¦itââ¬â¢s not a Muslim nameâ⬠(163). Aadam tells her that ââ¬Å"Godse is nothing to be grateful for.à ¢â¬ Rushdie features a play on words in this passage by mentioning how ââ¬Å"Gandhiââ¬â¢s death had placed a new burden of ageâ⬠on Aadam. Gandhiââ¬â¢s assassination takes place a few months after India gains independence, implying this ââ¬Å"burden of ageâ⬠was present from the beginning of Indiaââ¬â¢s independence. India needed to find a way to cope with its religious diversity, and without Mahatma Gandhi, this would be difficult. By pandering exclusively to Hindus, Indira Gandhi abandons her fatherââ¬â¢s secular view of government. This can be interpreted as the catalyst of Indiaââ¬â¢s problems, rather than their cause. The witch tropes utilized by Salman Rushdie have sexist connotations, but Midnightââ¬â¢s Children is not a misogynistic text. Instead, it clearly indicates Rushdieââ¬â¢s opinion that women can be just as powerful as men, whether they be good or evil. Rushdie doesnââ¬â¢t slander Indira Gandhi for being a threat to manhood; he criticizes her tyrannical policies, religious demagoguery, and human rights violations. Works Cited Kortenaar, Neil Ten. Self, Nation, Text in Salman Rushdieââ¬â¢s Midnightââ¬â¢s Children. McGill-Queenââ¬â¢s, 2004. Lohani-Chase, Rama. Political (W)holes: Post-Colonial Identity, Contingency of Meaning and History in Salman Rushdies Midnights Children. Journal of Philosophy: A Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry, vol. 4, no. 10, 2009, pp. 42-43. Rushdie, Salman. Midnightââ¬â¢s Children. Random House, 2006. Weickgenannt, Nicole. The Nations Monstrous Women: Wives, Widows and Witches in Salman Rushdies Midnights Children. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, vol. 43, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 76-79.
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