Midnight's Children Sex Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

To see Naseem weeping into a pillow. She has been weeping ever since he asked her, on their second night, to move a little. 'Move where?' she asked. 'Move how?' He became awkward and said, 'Only move, I mean, like a woman...' She shrieked in horror. 'My God, what have I married? I know you Europe-returned men. You find terrible women and then you try to make us girls be like them! Listen, Doctor Sahib, husband or no husband, I am not any... bad word woman,' (1.2.45)

We get the feeling that traditional Kashmiri culture (at least how it's portrayed in the novel) doesn't think sex is fun.

Quote #2

That's right-and once again, it's a fitting thing to mention before I launch into the tale of Nadir Khan-I am unmanned. Despite Padma's many and varied gifts and ministrations, I can't leak into her, not even when she puts her left foot on my right, winds her right leg around my waist, inclines her head up toward mine and makes cooing noises; not even when she whispers in my ear, 'So now that the writery is done, let's see if we can make your other pencil work!'; despite everything she tries, I cannot hit her spittoon. (1.3.6)

Two things: (1) Always pay attention when a man is impotent in this novel—it's important and it has to do with Shiva being the God of fertility; (2) Saleem is probably referencing the Kama Sutra when he is describing the ways that Padma tries to seduce him.

Quote #3

Then she spoke. She said she loved her husband and the other thing would come right in the end. He was a good man and when it was possible to have children he would surely find it possible to do the thing. She said a marriage should not depend on the thing, she had thought, so she had not liked to mention it, and her father was not right to tell everyone out loud like he had. She would have said more; but now Reverend Mother burst. (1.4.43)

Alarm! Another impotent man! Why is it that everyone else makes such a big deal about sex? Mumtaz doesn't seem to have any problem.