The Satanic Verses

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The Satanic Verses

• By Brett, Dan and Laura
• (the powerpoint isnt pretty, sorry)

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Putting the Excerpt in Context

• -The Satanic verses is a long complicated book
  it is full of subplots, dream sequences and
  sometimes confusing surrealism. The part of the
  novel that is considered the most controversial
  (the chapters concerning the prophet Mohammed or
  Mahound) are actually only a small part of the
  novel. With out excerpt we wanted to give a taste
  of the main plot of the book, concerning Gibreel
  and Chamcha's transformation, but to also focus
  specifically on the controversial parts. 

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Summary Gibreel and Chamcha Part 1

• -Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha are present
  day Indian Muslim actors. Saladin is a voice
  actor who has abandoned his familys traditions
  in place of an English education and lifestyle.
  Gibreel is a famous Indian movie star (a playboy
  of sorts) who portrays various religious figures
  in his films
• In a twist of fate, they both meet on a plane
  that has been hijacked by terrorists (for 111
  days). After the terrorists demands are not met,
  they blow up the plane mid-air above London and
  send Gibreel and Saladin plummeting to
  their..rebirth?
• During their fall they undergo a metamorphosis,
  Saladin is reborn as a devil and Gibreel is
  reborn as an angel, manifested in their
  respective outward appearances (goat-legs/horns
  vs. halo)
• Upon arrival, Saladin is arrested for being
  considered an illegal immigrant. Gibreel does not
  intervene. As the metamorphosis of devil-like
  attributes accumulates, Saladin is abused by
  police, becomes outcasted by his wife and
  workplace, and develops resentment and jealousy
  towards Gibreel.

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SummaryGibreel and Chamcha Part 4

• - Chapter 1. Chamcha's life falls apart and his
  transformation into Devil creature continues. He
  is forced to rely on the help of the Indian
  immigrants he has tried for decades to separate
  himself from. As Chamcha becomes more alienated
  and bitter, he begins to obsess jealously about
  Gibreel, this sparks a destructive fit of rage,
  which transforms Chamcha back into human form. 
• -Chapter 2. Gibreel is diagnosed with paranoid
  schizophrenia. His mental health strains his
  relationship with Allie Cone. His delusions get
  the best of him twice, and he wanders off into
  London believing he is the Angel Gibreel. Gibreel
  is convinced to resume his acting career after
  running into an important movie producer,
  Sisodia. 

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Summary Chamcha and Gibreel Part 7 and 9

• -Chamcha's is consumed by an obsessive hatred of
  Gibreel, and sets out to ruin him. Chamcha
  exploits Gibreel's mental health and insane
  jealousy over Allie. He plants doubts in
  Gibreel's mind over Allie faithfulness, and then
  phones Gibreel constantly pretending to be
  Allie's lovers. Gibreel eventually is driven
  totally insane. He goes on another journey
  through London, believing he is Angel Gibreel.
  Gibreel eventually figures out what Chamcha has
  done. 
• -Racial tensions errupt into violence in the
  city. Chamcha's wife killed in a fire that is set
  by the police to cover up incriminating evidence.
  Chamcha rushes into a building to save the Indian
  family that housed him while he was in Devil
  form, and gets trapped. He is saved by Gibreel.
• -Chamcha returns to India to be with his dying
  father. They make amends and Chamcha is with him
  as he dies. Chamcha reunites with Zeeny, and
  starts to come to terms with his heritage, but is
  still troubled by what he did to Gibreel. He
  learns that Gibreel has murdered Allie and
  Sisodia, and then disappears. Gibreel visits
  Chamcha and confesses, then kills himself.

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Summary Gibreels Dreams - Mahound

• -The Satanic Verses is a frame story, throughout
  the book, the main Chamcha/Saladin narrative is
  interupted by dream sequences where Gibreel takes
  on the role of the Angel Gabriel.
• Mahoundis introduced as a businessman and
  prophet living in the city of Jahilia
• The city seems prosperous at first, commerce
  and religion integrated, 360 Gods to worship.
• Mahound and his few disciples are alienated for
  their belief of one God, Allah, as spoken by God,
  through the archangel Gibreel, to Mahound.
• The Grandee of Jahilia offers the businessman
  Mahounda deal. If Prophet Mahound can include
  three more gods to his revelations, Jahiliawill
  officially recognize his words and
• elect him to counsel.

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Summary Gibreels Dreams Mahound 2

• Mahound goes in search of Gibreel to agree with
  his wanting revelation, Gibreel has no answer.
  Somehow, without Gibreels help, Mahound gets the
  revelation he wanted.
• Interestingly, Gibreel introduces himself as
  not just playing the archangel but also him, the
  businessman, the Messenger, Mahound. and Nifty
  cutting is required to pull off this double role,
  the two of them can never be seen in the first
  shot, each must speak to empty air
• The masses of Jahiliaare happy with the news
  from Mahound. However, he is challenged by his
  disciples, who are losing faith, and Hinda, the
  Grandees powerful wife who does not
• agree with Mahoundsrevelation and seeks war (her
  God is female).
• Mahound again goes to Gibreel and has a new
  revelation, his last was spoken to him by Satan,
  not Gibreel. Again, Gibreel does not say this at
  all, but Mahound is convinced, as
• are his disciples.
• The city becomes overrun with prostitutes,
  crime, and laws. Other cities offer new
  religions, new hopes, people start to leave the
  unstable Jahilia. Mahoundand his disciples
  included.

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Summary Gibreels Dreams Mahound 3

• -In Part 6 we return to Jahalia 25  years after
  the previous dream. The Poet Baal is visited by
  Salman, the former official scribe of Mahound,
  who lost faith and deserted. Salman talks about
  how tested Mahound's status as prophet by
  changing the recordings of Mahound revelations.
  Mahound did not notice, so Salman lost faith and
  left. 
• -Mahound and his army march on Jahalia. Jahalia
  has declined in power since the last dream, and
  passively surrenders. Baal eludes Mahound by
  becoming a guard in a brothel where he is able to
  overhear customers talk about their discontent
  with Mahound. At Baal's suggestion, the
  prostitutes in the brothel take on the identities
  of Mahound's wives for customers. Eventually
  Mahound shuts down the brothel and executes Baal,
  then dies shortly thereafter. 

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Summary Gibreels Dreams Ayesha and the Imam

• Part 4 concerns two of Gibreel's dreams/visions.
  In Dream One we are introduced to the Imam, an
  exiled Muslim spiritual leader. From his base in
  London, the Imam broadcasts radio messages
  inciting a revolution. Gibreel flies the Imam to
  Jerusalem to watch a bloody religious revolution.
  Dream Two concerns an Indian village where a girl
  Ayesha begins seeing visions of the Angel
  Gibreel. Eventually she leeds the whole town off
  on a pilgrimage to he sea, she predicts that the
  water will part for them, and they will be able
  to cross the ocean. 
• -In Part 8 the Ayesha narrative continues. Ayesha
  leads her followers to the sea. Many of the
  pilgrims die or lose faith on the way, Ayesha
  becomes more and more uncompromising. When they
  finally reach the sea, Ayesha leads her followers
  into the ocean, where they drown. We see their
  end from two perspectives, that of the onlookers
  who see a mass suicide, and from the point of
  view of Ayesha and the faithful, who believe to
  the sea has actually parted. 

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Style

• The genre of the book is that of magical
  surrealism, i.e. paradoxical events are
  surrounded by real events in which the characters
  accept them as they are. As seen by the magical
  transformations of the main characters into an
  Angel and Devil.
• Since the illogical events are surrounded by
  logical parts, this story is also told in the
  form of a frame tale. Just like One Thousand and
  One Nights. Where a story is told within a story.
  
• The story is told from many points of view,
  including that of a narrator. The narrator
  assumes the role of the omniscient, occasionally
  making his presence known to the reader through
  first person. Some hinting to the reader that he
  is Shaitan.
• Rushdie uses idioms in his work like North
  American writers do, assuming that everyone will
  understand them. However, Rushdie knows many
  readers will not understand, so he uses his
  idioms to flavour the passages and to intrigue
  his readers into learning more in order to
  understand the book better. However, this can
  confuse many readers into never finishing the
  book.
• Rushdie also writes the novel in a very unique
  way, bypassing grammar, syntax and spelling.
  Creating his own perfectly legible and
  understandable words, much like Shakespeare with
  a little bit of the Italian Futurist mixed in.
• Rushdie alludes to a lot of works within his work
  to help the reader understand better. The works
  he alludes to are not just religious in nature,
  nor are they all English. He uses direct
  reference to Shakespeare to foreshadow the
  ending.

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Theme Metamorphasis/Reincarnation

• To be born again, first you have to die.
• Metamorphosis and reincarnation go hand in hand
  in this novel to the point that the words are
  interchangeable depending on the character.
• Both physical, emotional, and moniker
  metamorphosis and reincarnation are covered in
  the novel.
•  Gibreel
• He was born Ismail Najmuddin and then
  reincarnated into Gibreel Farishta.
• When he was young he was obsessed about
  reincarnation and the supernatural. However,
  after he got mysteriously ill, he changed for the
  worse as he lost his faith in everything.
• His metamorphosis included that in which he
  wanted love, became Don Juan and once again
  became monogamous to Alleluia.
• He is given a new birth after surviving the plane
  explosion.
• His physical metamorphosis was that in resembling
  an Angel, and he believes he is an angel, at one
  point believing himself to be Azraeel.
• In film he is the incarnation of many gods, and
  angel and prophet.
•  

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Theme Metamorphasis/Reincarnation 2

• Saladin
• He was born Salahuddin Chamchawala and then
  mutated into Saladin Chamcha.
• He always wished to be reincarnated into that of
  a proper Englishman and his transmutation begun
  well before he left for England when he was
  thirteen. This was aided by his father and the
  Englishmen who refused to help him.
• His mother dies, and his father marries a new
  woman. Rejoice, for what is lost is reborn. Her
  name is the same as his mothers. This is also
  done with other characters names.
• His metamorphosis into an Englishman, into a
  married Englishman, then he returns to India
  where he becomes an Indian trying to be white
  trying to be Indian, and has an affair with
  Zeeny. He returns to be an Englishman. Later on,
  his metamorphosis is rooted on forgiveness and
  revenge.
• His physical mutation is that into a goat-like
  creature, can be called demonic in presence.

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Theme Rushdies Satanic Influences

• - The narrator assumes a spectator role,
  occasionally letting his presence to the reader
  through first person. Sometimes hinting to the
  reader that he is Shaitan. 
• - At the conclusion of Gibreel and Saladins fall
• As to omnipresence and-potence, I am making no
  claims at present (pg 10)  
• - In the introduction of Mahound, the narrator
  pauses to take a moment and asks the reader
  Question what is the opposite of faith to
  which he explains doubt as the human condition,
  and satirically jokes about God calming down
  doubtful angels by flattering them, employing
  management skills, a la God. After this brief
  interjection I know devil talk. Shaitan
  interrupting Gibreel. Me? (pg 95) 
• What is he trying to establish in the reader?
  Skepticism?  

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Theme Religious Faith

• -"Death to the tyranny of the Empress Ayesha, of
  calendars, of America, of time! We seek the
  eternity, the timelessness, of God...Burn the
  books and trust the Book shred the papers and
  hear the Word, as it was revealed by the Angel
  Gibreel to the Messenger Mahound and explicated
  by your interpreter and Imam." (Pg. 217) 
• -Most of the dream sequences in the novel deal
  with religious extremism. Religious faith is
  mostly portrayed in a negative light. In some
  cases people blindly follow religious leaders to
  their doom, (Ayesha, the Imam). 
• 'There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his
  Prophet,' she replied.
• 'The mystical experience is subjective, not an
  objective truth,' he went on. 'The waters will
  not open.'
• 'The sea will part at the angel's command,'
  Ayesha answered.
• 'You are leading these people into certain
  disaster.'
• 'I am taking them into the bosom of God.' (Pg.
  246) 
• -Religious figures (especially Mahound) are
  portrayed as self-serving, using other peoples
  faith to further their own ends. When Gibreel
  visits prophets to give them revelations, he
  never has control over his actions. In some
  cases, such as with the Imam, or Mahound, the
  revelations are extracted almost violently. This
  could be symbolic of how religious leaders use
  religion to justify their own actions, rather
  than as a moral guide.  

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Theme Religious Faith - Continued

• "...Salman the Persian got to wondering what
  manner of God this was that sounded so much like
  a businessman. This was when he had the idea that
  destroyed his faith, because he recalled that of
  course Mahound himself had been a businessman,
  and a damned successful one at that, a person to
  whom organization and rules came naturally, so
  how excessively convenient it was that he should
  have come up with such a very businesslike
  archangel, who handed down the management
  decisions of the highly corporate, if
  non-corporeal God." (pg. 376) 
• -Rushdie goes so far as to question whether
  Mahound (Mohammed), is really a prophet. Most of
  Part 6 deals with this question. In the excerpt,
  Salman critisizes Mahound for making up rules as
  they suit him, and then justifying them with
  revelations from Gibreel. Salman suspects these
  revelations are made up, and tests Mahound by
  falsifying the scriptures. Mahound doesn't
  notice. 
• -The issue of "the Satanic Verses" also calls
  Mahound's revelations into question. The Grandee
  of Jahalia offers to legitimize Mahound's
  teaching if he will include 3 of the old
  goddesses as angels in his teachings. Mahound
  visits Gibreel and decides to comprimise, but
  later changes his mind and blames his original
  decision on "Shaitan". According to Gibreel
  though, "it was me both times, baba, me first and
  second also me. From my mouth, both the statement
  and repudiation, verses and converses, universes
  and reverses, the whole thing, and we all know
  how my mouth got worked."-(Pg 126) This calls
  into question the veracity, and divinity of
  Mahound's verses.  

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Theme - Religion Theatre 

• - Gibreel and Saladin as actors in real life. The
  magical transformation into Angel and Devil in
  the context of a normal world around them. As
  well as Gibreel being coaxed into portraying
  religion in his next film  
• - Pleasing the masses is important in all
  scenarios. The following of Gibreel Farishta, the
  city of Jahilia, Titlipur.  
• - Gibreel the archangel introduces himself as
  not just playing the archangel but also him, the
  businessman, the Messenger, Mahound. and Nifty
  cutting is required to pull off this double role,
  the two of them can never be seen in the first
  shot, each must speak to empty air, to the
  imagined incarnation of each other, and trust to
  technology to create this missing vision, with
  scissors and scotch tape (pg. 111) 

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Theme - Good/Evil  

• -The issue of the Satanic verses brings up
  another theme in the book, morality. Many of the
  religious characters in the book see morality as
  black and white. Ayesha, Mahound and the Imam
  never have any uncertainty about what is right or
  wrong, morality is seen in absolutes. The power
  of religion is that it is an uncomprimising idea.
   
• -"First we said, Mahound will never compromise,
  and you comprimised. Then we said, Mahound has
  betrayed us, but you were bringing us a deeper
  truth. You brought us the Devil himself, so that
  we could witness the workings of the Evil One,
  and his overthrow by the Right. 
• -Rushdie satirizes this with the magical
  transformations of Chamcha and Gibreel, who turn
  into a Devil and an Angel respectively. Despite
  their outward appearances, both characters behave
  for the most part as fairly realistic human
  characters, capable of good and evil actions. The
  contrast between their appearance and their
  actions suggests that morality might be more
  ambiguous than many of the religious characters
  see it. 

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Evaluative Impressions

• We all get to talk!

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Discussion Questions

• How effective is Rushdies use of satire? 
• Is the novel fiction, or blasphemy? 
• Is religious faith depicted as irrational? Are
  there rational ways of experiencing religious
  faith? 
• Does religion have to be uncomprimising, like it
  it is portrayed in "the Satanic Verses"?  
• Are their benefits to religion? Rushdie portrays
  religion negatively for the most part, do you
  agree with him?