In five pages this paper examines the literary devices such as narration as employed in Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. One source is cited in the bibliography.
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beliefs of a past age, and how these intersect and oft times collide with one another. Rushdies ability to cut to the heart of a matter through his combined use
of narrative style with themes and images tend to lend a quality of revelation and prophecy to his works. Such is the case in Midnights Children. For example, one of
the central images is that of a spittoon. This is a recurring image throughout the novel and serves to give the reader a point of reference, an anchor as it
were, which quickly lends insight into a familiar insight into the meaning of his story. What this does, then, is allow Rushdies narration to effectively utilize flashback without losing the
forward momentum of the story. In fact, even though the reflection is backward chronologically, it serves to move the plot forward as it gives the reader certain information which is
inherently vital to the character. One such occurrence as this is the scene where a spittoon is described in detail. Keeping in mind what a spittoon actually is, makes this
description particularly poignant and awful at the same time. This spittoon is silver and is inlaid with lapis lazuli and makes an appearance throughout the novel until finally at the
end it is buried when the bulldozers level the area. Rushdie has his main character, Saleem, comment on the significance of the spittoon and it becomes apparent that the spittoon
becomes not only a point of reference for the reader, but is in fact a symbol of reality for Saleem. This is hinted at in the following passage: "What I
held on to in that ghostly time-and-space: a silver spittoon. Which, transformed like myself by Parvati-whispered words, was nevertheless a reminder of the outside . . . clutching finely-wrought silver,