Subaltern Consciousness and Optimism in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children
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Faculty Arts in English
Abstract
The issue of subalterns and their consciousness is the burning subject matter in the
present research entitled “Subaltern Consciousness and Optimism in Midnight’s Children”.
Subaltern consciousness is the way out to achieve the sense of identity and existence of the
oppressed or marginalized subaltern characters in the post-colonial society. This research
revolves around subaltern characters like Saleem, Shiva, Amina, Padma, etc. Different forms of
their struggle for the attainment of true identity are vividly presented here. The research has
focused that the socio-cultural affairs, hegemonic effects and elitist domination make subaltern
characters conscious about their position which contributed for their recognition and identity
with abundance of hope. Subaltern Studies of Post-colonialism is one of the best methodologies
to study socio-cultural and economic aspect of human beings. So, it has been applied in this
research to prove that revolutionary attempts and hopeful ending are the way out to rewrite the
history of those including oppressed or marginalized and to maintain their identities. I have
focused that rise of subaltern people is possible as they develop the consciousness from different
hierarchical acts from rich and elitists. Poor people are marginalized and left back by the main
economic and political stream and gaining the power from the elites is challenging. Though very
challenging to come to the power, their resistance propels them to come to the power. This study
analyses that the subaltern people as rare commodity of the rich and the elites can subvert the
history of the rich by making their own history. Finally, this research concludes with the claim of
the Subaltern Studies theorists and critics who argue that subaltern people, nevertheless they are
not given their fundamental human rights to education, expression and free exercise of will
power, can assert their existence through the consciousness generated by the socio-political and
elitist ideology.