Character Discussion

Because I have yet to find out a lot about the main character, Saleem Sinai, I will instead write about his grandfather, Aziz. I think it is interesting how he always seems to not fit in India anymore. He foolishly married Naseem and has since never been happy because they are very different people. They are constantly fighting and this could have been avoided if Aziz had followed his nose and not married Naseem. I think it is interesting that Saleem's power is an amazing sense of smell when the family trait seems to be having a large and sensitive nose, that can help lead them in the right direction. I wonder if the other children that were born on the day of India's independence have the same traits that were passed through their families. Aziz seems to be a very nice guy though, who cares about other people and tries to do the best for his children. Although he is foolish because he seems to no longer trust his nose. His nose seems to foreshadow bad events that could have been avoided. I think it is interesting how Aziz and Naseem have such different personalities. Aziz is modern in thinking and wants political reform, while Naseem is traditional and very controlling. I wonder if Saleem is destined to be who he is because his family seems to have such difficulties that Saleem was chosen to be the one to embody all the problems.

Discussion #1: Main Character

Saleem Sinai is a rather elusive character. He claims it's because he has to start at the beginning of the story, with his grandfather. At this pI guess he likes telling stories, talking about other people's lives. oint, about halfway through chapter 3, I've learned a few things about Saleem. He's in his thirties. He's dying, his body reportedly falling apart like an "old jug". But he seems to have accepted his fate. nI fact, he seems completely carefree for someone who's dying and knows it. He's devoted the rest of his life to making spices and writing down his story, which are sort of random and unconnected professions to me, but whatever floats your boat, I guess. Saleem lives with this woman, Padma, who's either his wife or is going to be, 'cause Saleem likes to brag about their physical relationship (or lack thereof).
I guess Saleem is just a really eccentric character. He doesn't get embarrassed by anything, talking about his... personal problems that would make other men blush. Also, I'm almost done with the third chapter and I don't think he's even started talking about his father, let alone his birth, which is supposedly what the whole story is about, according to the back of the book. On the other hand, I'm sure all this backstory is going to end up being some sort of foreshadowing or have some sort of crazy connection to the story later, because that's the kind of book this seems to be.

Discussion #1 (by Laura A.)

It's a bit difficult to comment on the main character, Saleem Sinai, because the story has mostly focused on his grandfather so far. But what I do know about him is he was born at the moment India gained independence, he has a very sensitive nose that he inherited from his grandfather, and he cooks condiments. Perhaps most importantly, he's writing this book because his body is deteriorating and he wants to preserve everything he knows before it's "too late." I think this is very intriguing. Why is his body falling apart when he is only about 30 years old? Maybe it has something to do with his special powers. According to the book's summary, he can hear other people's voices in his head. Perhaps all this knowledge of other people's lives is too much for him to handle, and it's tearing him apart- literally. That voice-hearing ability would also explain another question I had: how does he know so much about his grandfather's past? Saleem knows every tiny detail of events that occurred long before he was born. Maybe this is because he can "hear" his grandfather's memories using his special ability.

Week One!

Welcome to Week 1 of our Discussion. This discussion will last from Monday, February 23rd to Sunday, March 1.

This week's discussion is on Character. Please POST a 10 sentence comment on character. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, but don't wait until the last minute!!!