Salman Rushdie, Essay Example

Coming of age stories usually, relate to younger peoples transition to adulthood. The genre corresponds to an awakening of a new understanding of the self and the manner in which people relate to the environment around them. The coming of age stories is mainly characterized by moral growth, the formation of self, as well as the transition to social success and self-realization. Therefore, a coming of age genre emphasizes a person’s psychological well-being and moral growth of the protagonist who is in the process of transition from adolescent to adult life. In this genre, a character’s growth and development is the critical feature and depends on the emotional responses and dialogue to make the storyline. When producing a coming of age story, in the start, the child has already been left behind, and it appears that the protagonist has managed to conclude d the world is a safe place. Most often, there is an occurrence before the story starts and the overall situation of the protagonist makes him, or she appears lost and lacks control.

Notably, there is an ongoing argument that Salman Rushdie makes to the list of provocative novelists of the Indian literature. In the Perforated Sheet, Rushdie applies literary device related to magic to link the key events that occurred during the lifetime of the main character or protagonist. The readers can realize the effects of the events that surrounded Saleem’s life and her family to the changing conditions India. At the beginning of the story, the readers are introduced to the use of magic by the main character. Rushdie’s description of the clock, as well as India’s newborn independence, is anticipated to make the audience appreciate the implication of the main character’s birth. Moreover, the paranormal whereabouts of the watches joining palms are made in such a way that they show an element of sensation. In contrast, individuality represents the start of a new dawn in the nation that has just gained impartiality. Notably, the application of magic realism by Rushdie is perceived is perceived as a strange storyline by shedding more light into the life of Saleem’s grandfather’s life as well as the grandson.

In the narrative, the image of the perforated sheet is mainly invoked when the main character realizes that through such fragmented forms, will ensure that he attains wholeness by filling the gaps in his life as much as he can. As a result, the conflicts between formation and fragmentation erupt throughout the novel. According to Saleem, India has wiped away the national longing for form. As a result, Rushdie mainly underscores various intricacies in the main character’s concerns with tracing his origins and transition from the youth to adulthood. Also, the story is an exploration of a complex issue about cultural identity. Further, the question of identity is problematized emphatically and the context and uncertain parentage; hence making him represent multiple characters in India.

“Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, is a short story that is written in the second person perspective. The strategy has been applied to make the users to get involved in the story and take a role in the play. Furthermore, the reader gains knowledge of the feelings and experience of the second person by judging their understanding. He can further argue out the connection between the mother and the daughter even if the author has failed to come up clear on it. The writing style of the tale is its turning point. Long sentences have been used for deeper understanding. An old lady from the society has been in giving instructions in carrying out the domestic chores. This will ensure the growth of generation to generation. As a matter of facts, this shows the respect given to the elderly people as compared to the younger ones. The story explores gender oriented topics by exposing the meaning of a woman in two fundamental areas, which are gender identity and sexuality. The author is addressing an important area that makes the story to fall into the category of the coming of age genre. For instance, he explains the role of a woman in society and types of relationships that need to be developed.

The author provides support that a balance should exist in a relationship between a man and a woman. Women should also behave like men for them to achieve whatever they demand from society. However, in most of the story, the author has made the part somewhat ambiguous since he focuses much on how a girl should behave in certain circumstances. Furthermore, as the narrative is concluded, the writer stresses on the woman that possess freedom of choice to do all that she wants. It further relies on different ages since it depicts on varied age groups within the society.

“The Women’s Swimming Pool,” by Hanan Al-Shaykh, can be classified as a coming off age story because the main character is a young girl who lost her family and lives with her grandmother. The grandmother brings the granddaughter to meet Maryan al-taweelas to help them look for a swimming pool. The young confirmed that she was in the right place, she goes for her grandmother, only to realize that it is prayer time. Her shortcoming was to decide between attending prayers and going on swimming.

As a teenager, the shows the behavior of anxiety and impulsiveness, which are considered to be developmentally not appropriate. However, these are behaviors that occur more frequently to her more severely than expected at her age level. Besides, these are some of the behaviors that affect a child and can result in significant issues both at home or in the school environment. Al-Shaykh has used imagery of the young girl’s body in the whole story. Most often, the writer describes the main character’s reactions, primarily through her physical responses, which are common in girls. It is evident in the story that the experience of the traveling to the city to swim is stressing her. In addition, from the pool, the use of body imagery proves a feeling of how someone who may be suppressed on the girl’s body tampered her life painfully. Therefore, based on the circumstances explained, it can be classified as a coming of age story.

“Drown,” by Junot Díaz, relied on the liquidness of the stories. These are considered as the structures that are applied in the narrative discourse. For instance, there is a notable deviation as far as focusing on space and time is concerned, particularly in the case that helps in depicting that Yunior has a subjective nature. In the story, Yunior is introduced by Diaz. Moreover, Diaz strives to provide a deeper insight into the development of personal identity. Notably, the significant change in the story discourse denotes Dominican masculinity and the protagonist’s identity as shown by her father and sibling. Further, the main character is described as a feminist subject contrary to how her brother and father are described. As noted in the story, the narrative discourse mainly concerns a moment of crisis when Vistra abandons the family to get a job in the cane fields, and the actions relate to a pointless waiting by Yunior and Rafa. Notably, owing to his age (9 years) Yunior is considered as not in a position to read and write. However, the transition she undergoes in life helps her not only to be a professor at a prestigious college but also a creative writer.

Besides incorporating dialogue in her work, the author has used the short story to reflect better the fragmented and diasporic characters that mainly navigate displacement, such as internal migration that is primarily characterized by violence. The author has succeeded to demonstrate the role of a young girl who tries to recapture her past but is unable to recognize the image of the past, particularly the image that represents her father. Also, in the short story, the author has demonstrated how it intersects with the postcolonial literature, which helps readers to understand the identity of the protagonist, as well as the social and cultural aspects. Furthermore, through language and symbolism, the author has managed to force the audience into an emotional relationship with the main character while at the same time depicting the deceptive aspect of the American Dream.

Finally, in “America,” by Chinelo Okparanta, the story is about love between two women who are eventually separated by the “America.” Nevertheless, the plot has made attempts through recollections to reunite them. In the narrative, the main character; Nenna Etoniru is depicted to be on her way to Nigeria’s capital with the hopes to move to America to meet her lover, Miss Gloria. Before the planned journey, the first visit to the visa office ended with a rejection of the application. Also, how the relationship began is elaborated. It is evident that the two lovers met in a school where Gloria had visited for a week and the struck a relationship.

The author has taken a lot of caution by not mentioning the term lesbianism between the two lovers, but instead used the term “sort of thing.’ The story elaborates the life of two young women; hence it is a representation of sexual orientation that has raptured in a depressed environment with an enduring passion that is developed for one person. However, the story explains the lives of a Nigerian woman from a conservative culture whose reaction to her daughter’s same-sex experience made her unhappy. However, the story indicates the author’s contrary imaginations that seemed to work correctly. The author opines that the lesbianism appears to occupy the society by acknowledging the realities in the story. America is a narrative with a contemplative mood as well as a sarcastic undertone. It can be classified as a coming of age story because it explains the lives of two lesbian lovers and they met. The language used in the story is simple and easy to understand.