Monday, March 28, 2011

100 Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children

While reading "Midnight's Children," I was reminded of "100 Years of Solitude." Both novels seem to have fantastical elements interweaved with realistic and historical events. For instance, we discussed the banana massacres that appear in "100 Years of Solitude," which actually occurred in Santa Marta from 1947 to 1957. Similarly, the conflict between religious factions like Muslims and Hindus discussed in "Midnight's Children" mirrors the historical violence in India.
Also, the concept of time seems to be a major theme in both novels. We talked about time as a cyclical element of life in "100 Years of Solitude," especially noting the prophecy and its implications. In Midnight's Children, time is often mentioned and prophecy appears frequently. For example, after Saleem's father discovers that his wife is pregnant with Saleem, he replies, "I told you so; it was only a matter of time." Saleem, after retelling his father’s words, makes this interesting observation of time: "... but time has been an unsteady affair, in my experience, not a thing to be relied upon. It could even be partitioned: the clocks in Pakistan would run half an hour ahead of their Indian counterparts..." (Rushdie, 86).
The unreliability of time also reminds me of Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," especially when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern converse about memory in their question games. What do you all think about the concept of time in these novels, as well as other pieces of literature we have studied? What else do “Midnight’s Children” and “100 Years of Solitude” have in common?

7 comments:

Chloe said...

I think that gender plays a large role in both "100 years" and "Midnight's Children." Males are viewed as the patriarchs and leaders of their respective families, and many of the important conversations in both books are between males. In both Columbian and Indian culture, women are seen as slightly inferior. Thus, I think we as readers definitely see this division between the 2 genders.

Samantha said...

Right after Saleem's birth, Rushdie suggests that time speeds up. Life seems to move so quickly that his mother, Amina, and nurse, Mary Pereira, struggle to accomplish all of the tasks necessary to care for baby Saleem. Also, during this period, Saleem grows rapidly. As Rushdie explains that Saleem’s appetite is tremendous, he forms a connection between the protagonist and his country. He notes that Bombay is also hungry, “swallowing food and talent from everywhere else in India.” This is an example of how Rushdie explores the concept of time, while meanwhile, forming a historical connection between his country and Saleem.

chrissy said...

Midnight's Children has been compared to 100 Years of Solitude and The Tin Drum for the many reasons, one including the magical realism in all three texts. However, I think magical realism is more prevalent in 100 Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children. I was constantly reminded of Marquez's style when reading Midnight's Children. The part when Naseem denies Dr. Aziz food reminded me of when the people of 100 Years of Solitude lost their memories.

Katherine said...

Yes I was also going to mention the fact that 100 Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children both deal with magic realism. Also both novels have a very descriptive history of their family. I think that this novel takes on the same meaning as 100 Years of Solitude in the sense that both novels portray meaningful stories in interesting cultures.

Olivia Celata said...

In 100 Years of Solitude, Marquez parallels the history of Macondo, as described through the Buendia family, with that of Latin America. Somewhat similarly, Rushdie created an allegory between Saleem’s life and the independence of India. In Marquez’s novel, the use of cyclical time seems to suggest that Colombia does not easily learn from its mistakes and is doomed to repeat its history, fully of numerous wars and violence. Time in Midnight’s Children, however, is non-linear, since Saleem’s stream of conscious narrative constantly alternates between the past and present. Here, along with idea of the unreliable narrator, changing the order of recalling India’s history contributes to the fragmentation apparent throughout the novel.

Blaine said...

Very interesting stuff Julia. I'd like to future comment on the cyclical nature of both novels. The prophecy at the end 100 Years of Solitude clearly demonstrates the cyclical nature of Time. Similarly, Saleem's history symbolizes the cyclical nature of the generations of India. Initially, Saleem's grandfather acquires the "disease of optimism" but gradually discovers the hopelessness of life. Likewise, Saleem is born in a world that praises his birth and suggests that "anything you want to be, you kin be". However, after experiencing the Indo Pakistani War and the Emergency, Saleem progressively developed a cynical view on his society. Saleem's child later developed a narcissistic view on the world and Saleem coments "who does he think he is". Ultimatly, each generation believes that they will alter the world for the best, but end realizing this as an impossibility.

C-Sted said...

Both 100 Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children are vaguely Biblical in their structure: they are stories dealing with cultural creation and destruction. In 100 Years of Solitude, Marquez describes an edenic Colombia untouched by infrastructure and new technology. At the end of the story, Macondo is reclaimed by nature and destroyed. Similarly, Rushdie describes his own edenic setting, Kashmir, which quickly becomes too little for Dr. Aziz after he goes to Europe to become a doctor. Saleem's creation is described throughout the entire first section of the novel; however, even before his birth, his eventual dissintegration and death is foretold. Incidentally, prophecies are significant in both of these novels as well.