Death experiences

Use of Myth in Midnight's Children
Use of Myth in Midnight’s Children

Myths can be described as the traditional stories of seemingly historical events. Rushdie writes that “Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than facts.” (P 47) Midnight’s Children reflects countless mythic influences from both Eastern and Western culture.

Many of the central characters in Midnight’s children take their names from Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Shiva, Saleem’s rival, is named after the Hindu deity of destruction and restoration. Rushdie’s use of Shiva allows Saleem’s character an allusion to the deity of Brahma the Hindu god of creation. In Hindu legend like in the novel there was an intense rivalry between Brahma and Shiva, Brahma created the world, a task that had been assigned to Shiva. Shiva angered by Brahma’s creation threatened to destroy the world by fire. The allusion to Hindu creation myth allows Rushdie to exhibit competitive links between the char...