Postcolonial Theory Texts - Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (1980)

How's this novel postcolonial? Do you really have to ask? First, you've got this narrator/protagonist Saleem Sinai, who just happens to be born at midnight on the eve of India's independence from the Brits.

And if that's not enough, he's a telepathic leader of all the kids born on the eve of India's independence (hence, the title Midnight's Children).

Add to that the fact that Indira Gandhi and her people are after midnight's children because they threaten her power over a postcolonial India and you've really got to ask yourself: how could this novel not be postcolonial?

Saleem's constantly talking about how his body is breaking down and apart, even though he's really only in his thirties. So why is his body breaking apart? How does his body relate to the body of the Indian state after it achieves independence?

Why does Rushdie make Saleem lose his supercool superpower—telepathy—in favor of a superior sense of smell? What does Saleem's loss (and gain) mean?