Rushdie's analysis of life as a series of snakes and ladders strikes me as interesting and thought provoking. On page 160, Saleem states, "All games have morals; and the game of Snakes and Ladders captures, as no other activity can hope to do, the eternal truth that for every ladder you climb, a snake is waiting just around the corner; and for every sanke, a ladder will compensate." The rest of the chapter describes situations that contain both snakes and ladders, but Saleem learns from an early age that the line between snakes (misfortune) and ladders (happiness) is thin and blurry. After baby Saleem gets typhoid, snake venum cures him, exemplifying the positive aspects of a seemingly evil creature. As Saleem also mentions, ladders can be descended just as snakes can be benefitial.
The snakes and ladders game mirrors the cyclical nature of life, which is especially important in Indian culture.
What other snakes and ladders appear in Midnight's Children, and what do you all think about this metaphor?
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I interpreted this metaphor as a part of the larger theme of the relationship between creation and destruction. Young Saleem uses the board game of Snakes and Ladders to comment upon the cyclical nature of life. Rushdie suggests that destructive forces can lead to acts of creation, just as creation can breed destruction. For example, Saleem notes that Gandhi is assasinated during the premeire of a new movie and then, he notes that a creative force rises out of this ineffable destruction. Thus, Rushdie implies that life always remains balanced.
The snakes and ladders analogy reminds me of the yin-yang symbolism we always bring up in class. Snakes and ladders represent a cyclical nature. Bad times of destruction are followed by better times filled with life and energy much like the yin and yang represents a cyclical nature of good and bad, each containing a little bit of the other. These images create a homeostasis in society.
The feelings involved when experiencing these snakes and ladders (ups and downs) in life remind me of feelings expressed by Cardinal Wolsey in the except from Shakespeare's play "Henry VIII" that we read while practicing for the AP exam. When Wolsey believes that he has achieved greatness as his position as advisor to the king, he is full of pride and honor. After this apparent high, he experiences an unpredictable fall when he is dismissed from the position. Similarly, just when Hanif's movie is to premiere, an exciting time for him, it is announced that Ghandi was killed. This unfortunate coincidence brings about horror to a time of happiness. Overall, both of these examples show that fate is uncertain and life can take a turn for the worst in a second.
I really enjoyed discussing the recurrence of snakes as symbols in the novel. I thought it was interesting that these snakes can be viewed as phallic as well as symbols of Christianity (specifically, related to Adam and Eve). Additionally, i was extremely surprised to learn that Dr. "Schaapsteker" is the name of a type of snake. These snakes seem to represent the sexual tension between Padma and Saleem, as well as the religious references in the novel.
I found the snake-ladder motif to be an extremely important aspect of the novel. Saleem experiences several metaphorical snakes and/or ladder throughout then novel. Like Julia has suggested, there is a very blurry line between a snake and ladder. A snake saves Saleem's life when he is deathly ill. Also, when Saleem is bitten by the snake in the 2nd Indo Pakistani War his memory is restored. I find this very compelling in relation to the snake's significance in hindu religion. In Hinduism, a snake represents rebirh or renewal and I think in many ways Saleen is purified after the war,
I found the snake-ladder motif to be an extremely important aspect of the novel. Saleem experiences several metaphorical snakes and/or ladder throughout then novel. Like Julia has suggested, there is a very blurry line between a snake and ladder. A snake saves Saleem's life when he is deathly ill. Also, when Saleem is bitten by the snake in the 2nd Indo Pakistani War his memory is restored. I find this very compelling in relation to the snake's significance in hindu religion. In Hinduism, a snake represents rebirh or renewal and I think in many ways Saleen is purified after the war,
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