Passage 174 · 1981
"Midnight's Children"
Main effectThrough repeated passive I-was-born, fairy-tale once-upon-a-time attempt, adversative no-that-won't-do rejections, existential no-getting-away-from, precise date anchoring Indian independence, interrogative time-raising, multiple hedging attempts, truncated self-corrections, and final on-stroke-of-midnight precision with formulaic emphasis, Rushdie creates syntax of obsessive narration—grammar that performs narrator's compulsive need for exactitude about birth coinciding with nation's birth.
Device index
Hover over a device to highlight its words. Select it to keep the explanation open.
Tropes
Trailing off, self-interruption.
Understatement through negation.
Schemes
Repetition at beginning.
Syntax
"I was born"—passive construction. Syntax makes narrator object of birth.
"in the city of Bombay"—spatial preposition with genitive. Syntax specifies birthplace.
"once upon a time"—fairy tale formula. Syntax invokes storytelling tradition.
"No, that won't do"—interjection with future negative. Syntax rejects previous sentence.
"there's no getting away from"—existential with gerund. Syntax shows inescapability.
"on August 15th, 1947"—precise date. Syntax anchors to Indian independence.
"And the time?"—coordinate with elliptical question. Syntax introduces new obsessive detail.
"The time matters, too"—subject-verb-adverb. Syntax asserts importance.
"Well then: at night"—interjection with vague time. Syntax tries and fails at specificity.
"No, it's important to be more..."—negative with truncated comparative. Syntax shows perfectionist dissatisfaction.
"On the stroke of midnight"—temporal idiom with exactitude. Syntax finally achieves satisfactory precision.
"as a matter of fact"—formulaic phrase. Syntax adds emphasis to finally-achieved specificity.
Close reading
1Close Reading
Passive Birth
"I was born"—passive construction. Syntax makes narrator object of birth.
Locative Prepositional
"in the city of Bombay"—spatial preposition with genitive. Syntax specifies birthplace.
Formulaic Opening
"once upon a time"—fairy tale formula. Syntax invokes storytelling tradition.
Adversative Negation
"No, that won't do"—interjection with future negative. Syntax rejects previous sentence.
Existential Negative
"there's no getting away from"—existential with gerund. Syntax shows inescapability.
Temporal Specification
"on August 15th, 1947"—precise date. Syntax anchors to Indian independence.
Interrogative Raise
"And the time?"—coordinate with elliptical question. Syntax introduces new obsessive detail.
Declarative Answer
"The time matters, too"—subject-verb-adverb. Syntax asserts importance.
Tentative Hedging
"Well then: at night"—interjection with vague time. Syntax tries and fails at specificity.
Second Rejection
"No, it's important to be more..."—negative with truncated comparative. Syntax shows perfectionist dissatisfaction.
Prepositional Precision
"On the stroke of midnight"—temporal idiom with exactitude. Syntax finally achieves satisfactory precision.
Hedging Formula
"as a matter of fact"—formulaic phrase. Syntax adds emphasis to finally-achieved specificity.
Stylistic Effect
Through repeated passive I-was-born, fairy-tale once-upon-a-time attempt, adversative no-that-won't-do rejections, existential no-getting-away-from, precise date anchoring Indian independence, interrogative time-raising, multiple hedging attempts, truncated self-corrections, and final on-stroke-of-midnight precision with formulaic emphasis, Rushdie creates syntax of obsessive narration—grammar that performs narrator's compulsive need for exactitude about birth coinciding with nation's birth.