Monday, March 28, 2011
Midnight's Children and The Tin Drum
While reading Midnight's Children, I was constantly reminded of The Tin Drum and could not stop making connections between the two post-modern novels. Firstly, both works are narrated by unreliable, male protagonists in their thirties, who record their life stories in the presence of an audience who consists of a single individual. Both Grass and Rushdie employ magical realism in order share the tragic violence and hardships that plague their homelands with the reader. The protagonists, Oskar and Saleem, both commence their narratives with a story about their grandparents and build suspense up until the instant of their own births. At this point, they continue to share both the monumental and mundane moments of their lives with the reader. Recounting their stories in a stream of conscious manner, Oskar, Saleem, and the two authors comment upon the relativity of truth and whether or not one valid version of reality exists. Finally, despite being outcasts and feeling inferior, Oskar and Saleem, are meanwhile, both profoundly egotistical. What other similarities have you all found between the two novels?
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I have also seen these similarities. In addition to the length of the books...hah. The births of each main character is very important to the novel, and is how the author begins their story. At birth Oskar decides to change the rest of his life by stopping his growth and at Saleem's birth he instantly becomes famous because his death is the exact date of India's Independence.
I just remembered another connection that I forgot to mention in my previous post. I don't know if I'm reading into it too much, but I noticed that Rushdie briefly refers to a concept that Grass profoundly focuses upon in his own work. In The Tin Drum, Oskar focuses upon the interaction between a moth and a light bulb as he describes his birth. Grass considers this interesting image so important that he uses it as the title of one of his chapters. In Midnight's Children while Saleem discusses the language riots of Bombay, he forms a simile which involves the image of a moth and a light-bulb. Saleem says, "To us children, the endless ant-trail of language in Warden Road seemed as magnetically fascinating as a light-bulb to a moth." This is either a coincidence or an example of how Rushdie intentionally borrows from Grass's novel.
I also was reminded of The Tin Drum while reading Midnight’s Children. Both are examples of magical realism that intermingle past and present, including conflicts between different sections of society amongst war. When I read about Saleem believing that it was his fault that his father dropped the chair in the hospital room during his birth, leading to his father’s toe injury, the scene from The Tin Drum when Oskar hands Matzerath the Nazi pin came into my mind. Although this may be a somewhat loose connection, it seems like both Oskar and Saleem feel accountable for events that may or may not be their fault. Both characters, as Samantha pointed out, are egotistical and insecure, severely impacted by the changing worlds around them.
The orders of narration are quite similar, as you mentioned. They start out with their grandparents as a build up to their own births. Both protagonists are physically different than those around him. Oskar was short and later on develops a hunchback. Saleem has an extremely large nose that. In addition to the physical, both Saleem and Oskar have special powers. Saleem has the power of telepathy and Oskar has an incredible powerful voice.
In Midnight's Children, there is a character named Oskar, possibly a reference to Grass's character?
Chrissy, I was thinking the exact same thing! I circled his name multiple times and wondered if there was a connection. I think it would make sense for there to be a connection considering that like you all have said, they both have magical powers, deal with war, and recount their lives but for only the first 30 or so years. It seems to me like the mentioning of the name Oskar most likely means there is a connection, especially considering how similar the novels are.
In the chapter "Hit-the-Spittoon" of Midnight's Children, the character Mian Abdullah, also known as the Hummingbird, somewhat reminds me of Oskar. Like Oskar's high-pitched voice, Abdullah has the gift of being able to hum loudly enough to induce toothache. When Abdullah is attacked by assassins, he even uses his gift to crack his killer's eye, just like how Oskar broke windows.
I think that the overall theme of external authorial influence is present in both novels. The Tin Drum incorporates several events from German history, or more specifically, details of war. In Midnight's Children, Rushdie includes references to westerner's dominance over India and the cross-cultural connections between the British and the native Indians. Another similar point lies in Grass's and Rushdie's employment of magic or metaphysical experiences.
I also believe that there are many similarities between Midnight's Children and The Tin Drum. Firstly, both protagonists aquire supernatural powers that effect the world around then. Oskar's supernatural voice is also very similar to the Hummingbird's hight pitch hum. Also, the fragmetation of both protagonists societies are evident throughout the story. Both Oskar and Saleem also reflect upon their heritage and draw parallels and juxtaposition between the current lives and their forefathers.
Beyond simple references to events in wars, both of these books also incorporate centuries of cultural influences and histories. For example, Oskar spends a great deal of time describing the ethnic and religious amalgamations that resulted in the city of Danzig. The conflict between Germans and Poles is only one in a string of conflicts extending back to the time of the Hanseatic League. Similarly, Saleem views the interplay of British and Indian cultures as the latest in a centuries-long tradition of cultural blending and conflict between Muslims, Hindus, and princely states.
Both Oskar and Saleem live on the fringe but hold a firm conviction that they are privy to the true nature of the world around them. They have the power to control it and manipulate it but end up losing this power.
Oh, and the three drops of blood!
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