Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and the subaltern: Representations of the subaltern in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children

Abstract

This article examines the marginalised characters in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children with reference to Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's concept of the subaltern. The subaltern, as defined by Antonio Gramsci, is the person who is oppressed and denied fundamental rights by the governing class. Spivak broadens this term to encompass individuals who are marginalised from prevailing discourse and representation. The article focuses on the fact that Spivak's viewpoint sheds important light on the problems faced by the subordinate Indian characters in Midnight's Children. Through Saleem's experiences and those of the other characters he meets, the novel fictionalises the turbulent history of India in the second half of the twentieth century and portrays the feelings and viewpoints of oppressed and marginalised groups, particularly in the context of colonialism and postcolonialism. The article discusses how the subaltern characters resist and assert their agency while also underlining the difficulties they encounter through a thorough analysis of major characters in the novel. The article's ultimate goal is to help the reader comprehend the subaltern characters in Midnight's Children and the difficult problems they face as they continue to deal with colonialism's lingering effects.