A Study Of Hindu Nationalism In Midnight's Children

Salman Rushdie(1947–)is a leading figure in modern English literature.He is best known for his second novel Midnight's Children(1981).This novel is researched by scholars in China and abroad.It is also regarded as one of the most important books to come out of the English-speaking world in this generation.Among all Rushdie's works,scholars study Midnight's Children the most.Since its publication in 1981,most studies are from the perspectives of magic realism,post colonialism,neo-historicism,and so on.This thesis will discuss Midnight's Children from the perspective of Hindu nationalism and analyze the role Hindu nationalism plays before and after the independence of India.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter I briefly introduces Salman Rushdie's life and his works.Chapter II discusses the domestic and foreign studies of Midnight's Children.Then in Chapter III,theoretical terms which will be used in this thesis are briefly introduced.Chapter IV is composed of two parts.The first part analyzes the manifestations of Hindu nationalism from three aspects: cow worship and protection before the independence of India,the slaughter ban of cows after the independence of India and the issue of language after the independence of India.Then the second part mainly analyzes the positive and negative effects of Hindu nationalism by studying the relationship among Hindu nationalism,Muslim nationalism and secular nationalism in Midnight's Children.Chapter V is the conclusion part which makes an overview of the whole thesis from the previous discussion.In short,Hindu nationalism is a double-edged sword.It has made important contribution to Indian national liberation movement and has played an active role in developing national spirit and enhancing national identity after the independence.But there are negatives as well.It leads to sectarian conflicts and affects social stability and even the peaceful development of South Asia.