The Satanic Verses

Saladin finds himself trapped in a police van, surrounded by immigration officers and policemen who show no compassion. They ridicule him relentlessly, tearing off his pajamas and exposing the grotesque transformation his body has undergone. His legs have become muscular and hairy, ending in cloven hooves, and his penis has grown to an alarming size. The officers find his new appearance and make crude jokes, delighting in his discomfort. Notably, none of them seems to find Saladin’s transformation particularly strange.

Saladin lies on the floor of the van as the policemen hold him down and restrict his movements. His horns repeatedly bang against the hard surfaces around him, causing him further pain. He considers the possibility that he might have died in the plane explosion and that everything happening now is some form of afterlife, but he dismisses this idea, realizing that the pain feels too real.

The van rumbles on, and Saladin grows increasingly desperate. The officers’ taunts grow crueler as they force him to clean up his own excrement, which now resembles the pellets of a goat. The officers push Saladin’s face into the mess and laugh at his disgusted reaction. Saladin attempts to assert his dignity, but their laughter and mockery drown out his words. Eventually, the officers get sick of torturing Saladin and discuss sports instead. However, after some time, they remember Saladin’s presence and begin abusing him again.

Saladin’s mind drifts as the beatings continue. He begins to feel detached from his body, as though the pain is happening to someone else. His thoughts become jumbled, and he loses track of time. The officers and policemen, meanwhile, discuss the need for increased surveillance and more control over the population. Eventually, the van halts, and the officers realize they face a problem. A check with the Police National Computer confirms that Saladin is a British citizen, which complicates their plans. They debate what to do with him, considering ways to cover up their mistreatment. Eventually, they decide to knock him out and leave him.

Saladin wakes up in a hospital bed, coughing up green slime from his lungs. His body feels frozen, and he struggles to make sense of his surroundings. A nurse named Hyacinth Phillips introduces herself and begins a brutal treatment regimen to clear his lungs, which leaves him feeling even more battered than before. Despite his initial resistance, Saladin has no choice but to endure the painful sessions, as Hyacinth firmly tells him that he needs them to get better.

During his recovery, Saladin becomes aware of the strange noises around him—animal sounds, cries of pain, and the continuous wailing of a woman in labor. The stench of the hospital, a mixture of jungle and farmyard odors, combined with the sounds of suffering, overwhelms his senses. Determined to regain some control over his situation, Saladin attempts to stand, but his new legs betray him, and he collapses to the floor.

While Saladin is the hospital, one of the policemen, Stein, pays him a visit. Stein warns Saladin that he shouldn’t bother filing a complaint, as he and the other officers have made sure it will not be taken seriously. That night, Saladin receives a visit from a manticore, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a tiger. The manticore explains that the mutations affecting them all result from the authorities’ power of description: they are being reshaped by the way they are perceived.

The manticore tells Saladin that he and several others are planning to escape the hospital immanently. The manticore invites Saladin to come along, warning him that his transformation will only grow worse if he stays. Ultimately, Saladin agrees to escape with the manticore, hoping to take back control over his life. As he runs through the night, Saladin catches glimpses of other escapees—men and women who have been transformed into bizarre, monstrous forms, part plant, part animal, or even part building. Ultimately, the escape plan is successful, though Saladin struggles to see what he should do now that he is free.