Midnight Children Analysis

Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta 's film based on Salman Rushdie 's novel Midnight’s Children is a clear example of a post-colonial work. Midnight’s Children follows two children, both born at precisely midnight, on the exact day that India gained independence from Great Britain. Shiva is born to wealthy parents, while Saleem enters the world as the son of a beggar, but a nurse switches the two boys at birth. Throughout the film, the narrator, Saleem, explains both families’ histories, and in doing so, combines personal narratives with that of India itself. The birth of the “midnight children” represents the birth of a new, independent country. The film rejects the version of India created through British colonization and provides a view

One other important contribution Coyote makes to this is when he literally reminds the reader that the story is told in a book with the statement of “See. Top of page fifteen.” Midnight’s Children reminds the viewer of the story through events that would be considered impossible in the real world. Saleem discovers that he has the ability to see and hear all the other “midnight children,” – all of whom have special powers – even when they are not present. Saleem himself addresses the absurdity of this when he asks “but how can I hear you? How can I see you?” (Rushdie, 57:44) Both Saleem and the characters in Green Grass, Running Water are involved in a story that can be told is several different ways, depending on the perspective they are told from. The versions of their stories that are told are one of many, and this makes it difficult for the characters to establish which stories are accurate and which ones are

Through the telling of stories, this film is able to emphasize the individuality that exists in non-Western cultures. In addition, through certain elements, it is effective at acknowledging the audience’s awareness of witnessing a story, and raises the question of whether stories can ever truly be an accurate representation of reality. Through a criticism of British perceptions of the people of India, Midnight’s Children addresses the confusion in regards to an accurate sense of personal and national identity, and related issues experienced by previously colonized people. Things Fall Apart; Green Grass, Running Water; and Fronteras Americanas all show examples of this through different contexts. Through all of these works, we, the audience, are reminded that everything ever written is a story that that can be told differently by different people. All raise the same question: if we had started out with different stories, would we have a different