Previous
Part 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Satanic Verses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Fallibility of Prophets
Immigration and Identity
Religion and Blasphemy
Racial Prejudice and Xenophobia
Metamorphosis and Identity
Summary
Analysis
Eighteen months after the chaos in London, Saladin boards a plane to Bombay upon receiving a telegram informing him that his father, Changez, is dying of multiple myeloma, a fatal cancer of the bone marrow. Despite the long years of misunderstandings and emotional distance, Saladin feels an overwhelming need to reach his father before he passes away.
Saladin’s journey back to Bombay reflects his desire for reconciliation with his father. The news of Changez’s terminal illness breaks down the barriers that years of conflict and misunderstanding have built. Saladin’s urgent need to be there at his father’s deathbed signifies a deeper need to reconnect with his roots and to make peace with the past that he had been trying to escape.
Themes
Saladin faces a frustrating ordeal to obtain a visa at the Indian consulate. His anger flares when he’s met with indifference and bureaucracy, and despite his efforts, his visa is delayed, forcing him to wait for the next available flight. When he finally boards his flight, he remembers his last nearly fatal experience aboard an airplane. Overcome with terror, he nearly chickens out but a fellow passenger, Sisodia, notices his fear and reassures him that everything is going to be fine. During the flight, Sisodia, a boisterous movie producer, engages Saladin in conversation, prattling on about the film industry and gossip about mutual acquaintances, including Gibreel, who Sisodia says is now struggling to revive his career. While Sisodia talks, Saladin tries to focus on Changez. Despite their troubled past, Saladin still feels able to forgive Changez for everything.
Saladin’s ordeal at the consulate and his anxiety on the flight serve to underscore the psychological and emotional turbulence he’s experiencing as he returns to a place filled with painful memories. Sisodia’s chatter about Gibreel provides an ironic counterpoint to Saladin’s more serious thoughts, reminding him of the interconnectedness of their lives. Largely ignoring Sisodia—who represents the entertainment business Saladin once left India to join—Saladin instead focuses on his desire to heal his old wounds with his father.
Themes
Upon arrival in Bombay, Saladin makes his way to his childhood home where his stepmother Nasreen and Kasturba greet him. They inform him that Changez’s condition is dire: the cancer has spread throughout his bones, and he might pass away at any moment. Despite the advanced state of his illness, no one has told Changez the full extent of his condition. Saladin feels conflicted, believing his father should know the truth. However, his stepmother and Kasturba’s willingness to set aside their differences to care for Changez makes him trust their judgment.
Themes
When Saladin sees Changez, his father’s physical decline is shocking. The cancer has reduced Changez to a skeletal figure, stripping away the layers of harshness that once defined him. Saladin finds himself reconnecting with old, forgotten parts of himself as he reminisces with his father. In the days that follow, Saladin takes on the role of caregiver, shaving his father and helping him with his medication. Changez, aware of his impending death, speaks to Saladin with a calm acceptance, expressing that pain is the only thing he fears. Saladin reassures Changez, promising him that the worst of his pain is already over.
Themes
Literary Devices
Get the entire The Satanic Verses LitChart as a printable PDF.
As Changez’s condition deteriorates rapidly, Saladin decides to take him to the hospital, but there is little the doctors can do to help him. In his final moments, Changez experiences a profound terror, which deeply unsettles Saladin. Despite this, Changez dies with a smile on his face, leaving Saladin to wonder about the mystery of what his father saw in those final moments. After, Changez’s body is returned home, and preparations are made for his funeral. Saladin, along with the other mourners, participate in washing and preparing the body for burial. During this process, Saladin reflects on the significance of death. He feels the weight of his father’s life and legacy, as well as his own responsibility to carry on.
Themes
After the funeral, Saladin visits his family home. He discovers the magic lamp he recalls from his childhood, which Changez left to him along with a substantial inheritance. As he examines the lamp, Zeeny arrives unexpectedly. She explains that she stayed away to try to hurt Saladin, but now she wants to reconnect. They quickly rekindle their romantic relationship. As Saladin settles back into life in India, he embraces his heritage by returning to the original spelling of his name, Salahuddin.
Themes
During this period, Gibreel also travels to India. His attempts to revive his acting career fail, and rumors begin to circulate about his strange behavior, as well as the return of his infamous bad breath. Gibreel plans to finance his new films with his own money, but he struggles to complete them. He becomes increasingly unhappy and unwell, especially when the police begin investigating his involvement in Rekha’s death.
Themes
As Gibreel’s fortune dwindles, his mental state deteriorates further. His illness intensifies when he learns that Allie is coming to India for a mountaineering trip. While in Bombay, Allie stays in the same building where Rekha had taken her own life by jumping from the roof with her child. Gibreel confronts Allie, and in a fit of rage, he throws her from the same rooftop. When the police investigate, they also find Sisodia shot dead in Gibreel’s apartment.
Themes
Literary Devices
Gibreel manages to avoid capture by the police and, with nowhere else to turn, visits Saladin. Once inside, Gibreel begins telling a confused story about the murders. As he talks, he handles the magic lamp. Saladin notices that Gibreel has hidden a gun inside the lamp. Gibreel retrieves the gun and tells Saladin that he can no longer live with his illness and that he loved Allie. Just then, a knock on the door signals the arrival of the police. Gibreel uses the gun to take his own life.
Themes
Shortly afterward, Saladin gazes out of a window, looking over the Arabian Sea. He sees how the moonlight creates a path on the waves. After a moment of quiet contemplation, Saladin decides he must leave his past behind once and far. Hearing Zeeny behind him, he turns and joins her. Together, they walk out of the room, leaving the open window and the sea behind.
