Padma Character Analysis in Midnight’s Children

Saleem Sinai’s companion and his assumed lover, although he is impotent. Saleem reads his story aloud to Padma, and she is one of the strong and independent women working in Mary Pereira’s pickle factory. She intends on marrying Saleem, he presumably spends the rest of his short life with her.

Padma Quotes in Midnight’s Children

The Midnight’s Children quotes below are all either spoken by Padma or refer to Padma. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

And while chutney—the same chutney which, back in 1957, my ayah Mary Pereira has made so perfectly; the grasshopper-green chutney which is forever associated with those days—carried them back into the world of my past, while chutney mellowed them and made them receptive, I spoke to them, gently, persuasively, and by a mixture of condiment and oratory kept myself out of the hands of the pernicious green-medicine men. I said: “My son will understand. As much as for any living being, I’m telling my story for him, so that afterwards, when I’ve lost my struggle against the cracks, he will know. Morality, judgement, character…it all starts with memory…and I am keeping carbons.”

Related Characters: Saleem Sinai (speaker), Padma, Mary Pereira, Aadam Sinai

Related Symbols: Pickles

Page Number and Citation: 241

Explanation and Analysis:

Here, Saleem’s health continues to fail on account of his connection to his country, and Padma tries to get him to see a doctor. Saleem refuses, and instead, they eat chutney and listen to his story, which he refuses to stop telling. Pickles and chutney are important symbols within Rushdie’s novel. They represent preservation, a metaphor which Saleem extends to his storytelling. Additionally, chutney—and to a greater extent, food in general—represents the power of memory and emotion, which taste has the tendency to elicit, even years after the fact. Rushdie’s characters frequently transmit their personal feelings to others by cooking Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui di

Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I’ve gone which would not have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each “I,” every one of the now-six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time: to understand me, you’ll have to swallow a world.

Related Characters: Saleem Sinai (speaker), Padma

Page Number and Citation: 440-1

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote comes after Saleem returns to India following his time in the Pakistani army. Saleem’s amnesia and his conflicted identity have left him questioning who he really is, and this is his explanation to Padma. Saleem’s identity is complicated, and it has been influenced by all of his previous experiences. What’s more, Saleem’s identity is based in part in ancient tales and his own biographical stories, and each of these narratives feed into who he is as well. Saleem is European and Indian, and Muslim and Hindu-inspired, and he is an undeniable product of postcolonial hybridity. He is the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.

“Women have made me; and also unmade. Form Reverend Mother to the Widow, and even beyond, I have been at the mercy of the so-called (erroneously, in my opinion!) gentler sex. It is, perhaps, a matter of connection: is not Mother India, Bharat-Mata, commonly thought of as female? And, as you know, there’s no escape from her.”

Related Characters: Saleem Sinai (speaker), Padma, Naseem Ghani / Reverend Mother, The Widow / Indira Gandhi

Page Number and Citation: 465

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Saleem defends the presence of the many women in his life to a jealous Padma who claims, “that’s too much women!” According to Saleem, the numerous women in his life have been unavoidable, and they also have a surprising amount of power. Rushdie’s novel is a harsh critique of the status of women in postcolonial India, and the women in Saleem’s life disrupt the status quo of this typically sexist society. Saleem’s mother and great-grandmother are strong women who have no problem stepping into a traditionally male role to support their families financially. Saleem’s grandmother, Reverend Mother, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessit

Padma Character Timeline in Midnight’s Children

The timeline below shows where the character Padma appears in Midnight’s Children. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Saleem introduces his companion, Padma, an uneducated and illiterate woman. Padma, whose name roughly translate to “The One Who Possesses... (full context)

...as a child. He puts on the sheet, and both Aadam and Naseem respond angrily. Padma insists that Saleem read his story out loud to her as he writes. (full context)

Padma is hooked on Saleem’s story, and she has stopped nagging him to eat and sleep.... (full context)

British Colonialism and Postcolonialism Theme Icon

...just six short months—“tick, tock”). Saleem interrupts his own story to complain about a doctor Padma recently called on to examine the cracks in his skin. Padma shoos the doctor away... (full context)

Saleem continues his story for an eager Padma; but before he does, he quickly recaps how far he has come. He flies through... (full context)

Saleem continues his story and tells Padma about a framed painting hanging on his bedroom wall in Buckingham Villa, left over from... (full context)

Before Saleem continues his story, he notes that Padma has been gone for two whole days, following her unreasonable and angry outburst at his... (full context)

Padma has not returned, and Saleem is still feeling her absence. Alone at the pickle factory... (full context)

Padma has finally returned, and she is full of apologies for Saleem. For the past week,... (full context)

Saleem tells Padma of a strange dream he had while delirious. In the throes of fever—which he assures... (full context)

...has come to visit. He is accompanied by a caretaker whom Saleem refuses to identify—yet. Padma hints that Saleem should see another doctor, but he refuses. He must continue to work... (full context)

...by an unknown paymaster to stand outside polling stations armed with sticks, rocks, and knives. Padma interrupts Saleem to ask about the date, and he suddenly realizes that he has again... (full context)

As Saleem continues his story for a rapt Padma, Narlikar’s women have begun to demolish Methwold’s Estate, and a massive cloud of dust settles... (full context)

Saleem begins to tell Padma the story of his time in the Pakistani army, claiming that Jamila sent him to... (full context)

Padma is disappointed in Saleem for leading the troops to Sheikh Mujib, but Saleem never questions... (full context)

...and he has only led the boys away from Dacca to avoid following further orders. Padma is relieved that Saleem has come to his senses; however, now the four soldiers are... (full context)

...that he now has twenty-six pickle-jars present for each of the chapters in his story. Padma continues to enjoy the story and Saleem’s company. She talks of a Kashmiri vacation together,... (full context)

Saleem continues his story, telling a captivated Padma that on February 23, 1975, he marries Parvati-the-witch. Padma immediately becomes upset, but Saleem quickly... (full context)

...They still have “unfinished business” that will persist as long as Saleem lives. For now, Padma wants to be married in Kashmir, and Saleem agrees. (full context)

Arriving at the factory, Saleem meets a feisty Padma for the first time, and standing at the top of the stairs is his former... (full context)

Padma Character Analysis

Padma Quotes in Midnight’s Children

Book 2: At the Pioneer Café Quotes

Book 3: Sam and the Tiger Quotes

Book 3: A Wedding Quotes

Padma Character Timeline in Midnight’s Children