ENL 4014 “The Devil Made Me Do It” Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses is a complex novel exploring identity. With its opening lines “To be born again… first you have to die,” sang by the character of Gib reel Faris hta as he and Saladin Chamcha fell towards the English Channel, the novel sets the scene for an erratic journey through religion and individuality. (Versus 3) Rushdie draws upon multiple plots, cultural diversity, wavering religion tolerance, and personal liberties to bring about questions within the minds’ of readers.
It is by no means a definitive stance supporting or opposing a particular religion or political viewpoint. Literary critics Bennet and Royle explain that “literature has an evil streak” and The Satanic Verses takes full advantage of the demons in literature. (B& R 154) It should not be mistaken; Rushdie’s novel is not 500 pages of demonic language supporting Satanism. It is highly complex, composed of verbose metaphorical language and underlying social expositions. Rushdie wants his readers to realize identity does not stem from God or heredity but from personal decisions. His literary creativity takes the reader through confusing and impossible situations intermingled with modern day religious and political concerns.
Chapter upon chapter describe dream visions, utopias, and humans transforming into spiritual beings both heavenly and demonic. Many miraculous events occur that have no other explanation than the supernatural. To believe in the supernatural, God, and angels one must have faith. To believe in the authority of God one must have faith. Rushdie purposes: “Question: What is the opposite of faith. Not disbelief.
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Too final, certain, closed. Itself a kind of belief. Doubt.” (Verses 94) Rushdie forces his readers to think deductively and not rely on religious support. In order to believe a person must have a level of faith. The stronger the belief, the stronger the faith while the weaker the belief, the weaker the faith.
When the point of faith is so weak questions arise, faith turns to doubt. When enough doubt proves disbelief, the faith transfers to the disbelief and one has faith to believe the disbelief is truth. Rushdie’s point is that nothing is absolute. A person can have a religion, and everyone might even need a religion, but one cannot put any type of blame on that religion for the decisions made during their lifetime. Neither God nor Satin forces anyone to do anything. Bennett and Royal pose the question: “Is The Satanic Verses an evil work?” (B&R 157) To answer this question one must define evil, but how? The book itself is not evil: the ink, the pages, the binding, nothing evil is expelled by opening the cover.
The words are only a story. The narrative does not hypnotize its readers into committing immoral acts against themselves or others. The narrative merely describes an evil. In Part 5 Chamcha thinks to himself,” I am the incarnation of evil… I am no longer myself, or not only. I am the embodiment of wrong, of what-we-hate, of sin.” (Verses 265) Chamcha did not think of himself as evil; he thought of the “traitor” inside of himself as evil.
(Verses 265) Chamcha fought the demon inside of himself and with society’s views of good and evil. Chamcha’s personal identity was lost after his fall from the plane. He lost his wife, the life he had, and who he was as a free thinking individual to an evil which overtook him. Mo hound also battles a question in his mind: “What kind of idea are you?” (Verses 97) In essence he is asking who am I? what do I stand for? what do I believe? am I good or evil? This theme reoccurs as the novel progresses. Rushdie wants his readers to think.
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Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Orlando, Florida on March 8, 1983 called, “The Evil Empire.” This speech was intended for the ears of all Americans and is one of the best known presidential speeches ever given. In his speech, Reagan uses multiple rhetorical strategies such as; metaphors, allusions, rhetorical questions, tone, pathos, and uses references from the bible. He talks about all the main ...
He wants them to push passed the accepted religious and political teachings everyone has been taught and think for themselves asking questions like why or what ‘idea’ are we. The Satanic Verses is a difficult novel to read and at many times confusing. It changed plots and characters without warning and is so full of hidden metaphors and social commentaries it is difficult to dissect it all. Finding a way to connect it all is a task within itself. On the simplest level Rushdie’s novel can be read, it tells its readers to stop conforming and think for themselves, be tolerant yet question authority, and hold on to individuality. Nothing is definitive.
Religion cannot be blames for decisions made in err. The choices belong to the individual. Each person defines what ‘idea s / he will be and whether it makes them good or evil. The Satanic Verses is a novel created in the mind of a confrontational man pushing social limits on individual freedoms and does not fail in his pursuit.
Word Count: 780.
