Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Who is Saleem Sinai?

In Bombay, India, two mothers, Amina and Vanita have birth at the same time at the stroke of midnight, bringing two children into the world, Shiva and Saleem. Saleem was born August 15, 1947. This is the first Indian independence day, and Saleem claims that for this reason, he is important, being a part of this era. At the time of birth, Shiva and Saleem were switched at by a midwife at the nursery. This gives Saleem a life of prosperity and wealth, as his actual parents were impoverished. Thirty-two years later, Saleem tells the story of his life to companion, Padma. By now, he has had numerous life experiences, discovered his switching at birth, and discovered the gift upon which was bestowed.

A Gift Bestowed 

Saleem, being one of the midnight's children, is blessed with the power of telepathy. All of the midnight's children have gifts, and the strength of these gifts depend on how close to midnight they were born. He discovers this power one day by being caught by his mother hiding in a washing chest. He is punished with a day of silence, and not being able to talk allows for him to hear voices in his head. He soon realizes that this is the power of telepathy, rather than angels contacting him. During the summer of 1957, Saleem hears the voices of protesters in the streets of Bombay. With this gift of telepathy, he was able to contact other midnight's children.

A Blessing or a Curse?

Saleem's gift of telepathy sometimes act as a burden for him as well. At the first time of discovery, Saleem gets punished by his parents, as they become angry at him for comparing the voices to angels. With this ability, Saleem also learns of things that he may not necessarily desire to know, such as how his crush truly feels about him and the sexual desires that his Dad holds. Saleem even learns unfortunate truth about his birth, being switched with Shiva, and learning of the life he has had to live. Perhaps the biggest downfall of his power is that he, along with all of the other midnight's children, will disintegrate into dust. This is why he rushes to tell his life story to his beloved Padma. His abilities are killing him as his days become limited.