Rushdie Magic Realism 7/31/13

In the story “The Perforated Sheet,” Salman Rushdie sets the premise for his novel Midnight's Children. In the novel, all of the children born at midnight on August 15, 1947, the date of India's independence from British rule, have a special connection. The children can telepathically communicate with each other and their destinies are intertwined with India and Pakistan. As with any story written with a magic realism theme, the special powers and abilities of the characters do not seem out of place or overly mystical.

In “The Perforated Sheet,” Rushdie introduces the grandfather of the main character, Saleem, from Midnight's Children. In this flashback, Saleem provides back story for his grandfather, Aadam Aziz, and his experiences as a young doctor with a particularly unique patient. The story begins with Aziz and a boatman, and the boatman's age is a particular mystery throughout the story. Even his wife admits that he was “already leathery when they married” (Rushdie 1715). The mystery of the boatman's age continues on, with no answer ever given. This implication that the man was very old, even older than would be possible, is a good example of the use of magic realism that Rushdie utilizes. Rather than give the man a set age, he allows the reader to wonder whether or not the character is mystical or special.

The description of Aziz's nose is another use of this magic realism. Saleem describes Aziz's nose as “nostrils flaring, curvaceous as dancers. Between them swells the nose's triumphal arch, first up and out, then down and under, sweeping in to his upper lip with a superb and at present red-tipped flick” (1715). This description could also be used to describe the curves of the country of India. Given the main character's destiny later in the novel, it is fitting that his grandfather has such a shape for his nose, especially since Saleem mentions inheriting this oddly-shaped nose.

Although “The Perforated Sheet” could be rewritten with a more realistic tone and with the elimination of these elements, it is precisely this hint of mysticism in the work that gives it much of its charm. The characters are endearing and memorable because they have each been given these slight augmentations, while the lack of focus on these traits allow them to add to the story rather than detract from it.

Works Cited

Rushdie, Salman. "The Perforated Sheet." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2013. 1711-23. Print.