Preview

the satanic verses

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
941 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
the satanic verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988
. The frame narrative, like many other stories by Rushdie, involves Indian expatriates in contemporary England. The two protagonists, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, are both actors of Indian Muslim background. Farishta is a Bollywood superstar who specialises in playing Hindu deities..Chamcha is an emigrant who has broken with his Indian identity and works as a voiceover artist in England.
At the beginning of the novel, both are trapped in a hijacked plane flying from India to Britain. The plane explodes over the English Channel, but the two are magically saved. In a miraculous transformation, Farishta takes on the personality of the archangel Gibreel, and Chamcha that of a devil. Chamcha is arrested and passes through an ordeal of police abuse as a suspected illegal immigrant.
Both characters struggle to piece their lives back together. Farishta seeks and finds his lost love, the English mountaineer Allie Cone, but their relationship is overshadowed by his mental illness. Chamcha, having miraculously regained his human shape, wants to take revenge on Farishta for having forsaken him after their common fall from the hijacked plane. He does so by fostering Farishta's pathological jealousy and thus destroying his relationship with Allie. In another moment of crisis, Farishta realises what Chamcha has done, but forgives him and even saves his life.
Both return to India. Farishta kills Allie in another outbreak of jealousy and then commits suicide. Chamcha, who has found not only forgiveness from Farishta but also reconciliation with his estranged father and his own Indian identity, decides to remain in India. The controversial excepts from the novel are.
Muslims did not seem much concerned about its critical discussion of Islam… but felt strongly about its treatment of Muhammad, his disciple and his wives, a sensitive subject for Muslims for centuries. They resented that he had

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Saving Sourdi Summary

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    If the story had been written from the mother’s point of view, we would know her reasons for wanting Sourdi to marry Mr. Chhay. We would also know more about her relationship with her daughters.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Farah Ahmedi's is a girl with a broken leg now she and her mother are going to escape Afghanistan and cross the border of Pakistan. Farah and her mother are trying to cross the border and go to Pakistan. There's a problem there is a huge crowd in the border. Farah's mother planned to flee Afghanistan so they went traveling with others. They met Ghulam Ali he was a good man that gave them food. They were on their way to Pakistan, but it was hard for Farah her leg was broken. She managed to power through and make it with her mother and other. They were free at last and ready to start a new life in Pakistan. Now you know the journey Farah and her mother had.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Brief Summary Of Dustan

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Back in Canada, Dustan listens to Boy’s drama and keeps his infidelities a secret. Leola finds out about his affair, which Boy obviously denies. In an act of desperation , Leola tries to seduce Dustan, but he then rejects her kindly. Later,…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel tells us, of the endurance that women must possess in order to survive, but also the love and sacrificial relationship that Laila and Mariam develop together. The novel depicts the destruction of Afghanistan in terms of culture and…

    • 1939 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Parvana is the protagonist because when she was searching for her mother and siblings in war-ravaged Afghanistan. She traveled across…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl named Ofelia, fascinated and obsessed with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless and somewhat evil captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of an old labyrinth garden. Upon meeting the Faun, he tells her she is the lost Princess, Moanna, and that her father, the king of the underworld, has sent out messengers to open portals so she could return. However, because there is only one portal left she must be tested and carry out three tasks to prove her “essence” is still intact and that she hasn’t become mortal. Though it is subtle, the movie, Pan’s Labyrinth uses quite a few references to the bible to tell it’s story.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Breadwinner Reading Log

    • 2435 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The author of this paper believes that most of the novel is centered around Parvana and her other siblings being robbed of their childhood. This tells the reader that this was the happening in lots of households throughout Afghanistan. Some physical characteristics of Parvana are described after her transformation into a “boy”. Her hair that is described as “thin and stringy” is cut to a soft fringe. Her determination and courage are also regularly displayed over the course of the books as she takes over responsibility of earning for her household. Her affection towards her younger siblings is also indicated by her taking care of Ali when Fatana was in depression and complimenting Maryam’s art work.…

    • 2435 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses addresses much more than the infamous controversy within Islam. It is about nationalism, migration, religion, postmodernism, politics, rebirth, hybridization, transformation, compromise, and Islam. However, the great controversy of the Satanic verses, as portrayed in Rushdie's novel, serves as the template from which all the other issues can be examined. Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa, likewise, can be seen as an expected response that seems to fit the themes addressed in the novel. The typical Western opinion that the Ayatollah's reaction is representative of "backwards" Islam is also an ironic manifestation of the novel's themes.…

    • 2403 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dantes Inferno

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In his Divine Comedy, Dante strays from his path and becomes lost in a dark wooded area. The Roman Poet Virgil is sent down to the lost Dante to guide him through the circles of hell and towards his end destination of Paradise. In the first canto The Divine Comedy of Dante’s Inferno the two main characters Dante and Virgil and made apparent. Dante Alighieri develops his character Dante, into a man by the end of the comedy. In the beginning Dante is fearful; however his guide Virgil, encourages Dante to show courage on this journey. Dante’s and Virgil’s characters are developed in the Divine Comedy, however the characters are each developed differently. Virgil is used more in the development of Dante’s character. Dante’s character on the other hand is developed over the entire comedy with the help of the author and Virgil.…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dantes Inferno

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dante's use of allegory in the Inferno greatly varies from Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in purpose, symbolism, characters and mentors, and in attitude toward the world. An analysis of each of these elements in both allegories will provide an interesting comparison. Dante uses allegory to relate the sinner's punishment to his sin, while Plato uses allegory to discuss ignorance and knowledge. Dante's Inferno describes the descent through Hell from the upper level of the opportunists to the most evil, the treacherous, on the lowest level. His allegorical poem describes a hierarchy of evil. Conversely, Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" describes the ascent from ignorance to knowledge, as one prisoner is freed to make his way up towards the opening of the cave and experiences sunlight, the unavoidable truth. Symbolism is an essential element of both works. In Plato's allegory symbols are used to represent truth, ignorance, society and the fear of change. Truth is represented by the sun, while ignorance is represented by the cave, its limited vision and darkness within. The prisoners represent ignorant members of society who are content to believe that what they see is all that exists. Fear of change is represented by the prisoners angry reaction towards the freed, enlightened prisoner. Dante's Inferno is a detailed description of sin and its relationship to degrees of punishment. As stated in the text, "...for the face was reversed on the neck, and they came on backwards, staring backwards at their loins for to look before them was forbidden." (Ciardi, pg. 175) This quote describes the punishment for fortune tellers. In life the fortune tellers foresaw the future. In death they are doomed to exist with their heads on backwards and their eyes overflowing with tears so that not only could they not see what was happening in front of them, but they could not see at all due to these copious amounts of tears. Similarly, each sin had its own logical punishment, and each group…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dantes Inferno

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Dante records journey through hell in the book "The Inferno." Dante's poem records is thoughts and views of the punishments to get to hell and the sins accomplished to get their. Dante breaks down the lay out all the way through hell and give one an idea of the order that the punishments fall to be placed closer to the center of hell. Dante begins during the era of the middle Ages and shows the reader throughout poem of the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church through the Renaissance era.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dantes Inferno

    • 1953 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In The Inferno - Dante’s Immortal Drama of a Journey Through Hell, Dante allows the reader to experience his every move. His mastery of language, his sensitivity to the sights and sounds of nature, and his infinite store of knowledge allow him to capture and draw the reader into the realm of the terrestrial hell. In Canto 6, the Gluttons; Canto 13, the Violent Against Themselves; and Canto 23, the Hypocrites; Dante excels in his detailed portrayal of the supernatural world of hell. In each canto, Dante combines his mastery of language with his sensitivity to the sights and sounds of nature to set the stage. He then reinforces the image with examples that call upon his infinite store of knowledge, and thus draw a parallel that describes the experience in a further, although more subliminal, detail to the reader.…

    • 1953 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Road to Chilfa

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Now, let’s focus on the other main character, Maha, the girl who gave the proposal to go to Chlifa as well as taking care of a baby along their journey. In my eyes, she is an impossibly brave and sensitive girl with a fragile heart. She always pretends to be strong but in fact she has been hurt by Karim again and again. She fell in love with Karim in a silent way and she is willing to be his soul mate during their…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Foster's A passage to India, many characters appear throughout the novel. Some of them may have a more important part to play in the story than others, but one minor character catches our attention: he is the punkah wallah or the fan boy. Even though he appears for a brief period, he serves a higher purpose which we will analyze and study closely. First, we will observe how the punkah wallah creates some sort of sexual image for Adela. Second, we will talk about the clashes between social classes and races. Third, we will treat his divine aspect. Fourth, we will study the impervious aspect that the punkah carries. Finally, we will analyze how the punkah serves as eye opener for Adela and her desires.…

    • 1281 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dantes Inferno

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dante Alighieri’s poem The Divine Comedy is a literary piece of work that depicts ones struggle from godliness, into sin, and eventually back into the light of god. Dante uses himself as the protagonist in his trio of epic tales. The Divine Comedy consists of three areas that Dante must travel through which are the Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante traveling into these three places allow him his redemption with God, but Dante’s terrifying journey into the depths of Hell is what brings the reality of his own sin to life. In The Inferno Dante encounters many aspects of Hell. His journey allows him to see the suffering of sinners, the reality of the lost, and many mythical creatures. These aspects of Hell in the Inferno bring about the moral purposes of The Divine Comedy. This essay will include thorough descriptions of Dante’s journey in the Inferno, and will allow one to envision the petrifying images of Hell. These aspects will include the trio of beasts that stop Dante from fleeing the dark wood, the friendship made between Virgil and Dante before his daunting journey began, and Hells intent to chastise sinners with the very sin they chose to commit during their lifetime. Although these are only a few aspects, Dante shows substantial significance to their meaning and symbolism throughout his trip in the Inferno.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays