Previous
Part 4
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
Saladin, now a grotesque creature with horns, hooves, and a tail, finds himself living in the Shaandaar Café as Sufyan agrees to take him in. His monstrous appearance creates a mix of fear and revulsion among those who frequent the café. Despite this, Sufyan’s daughters, Mishal and Anahita, feel drawn to him. Mishal, the elder daughter, views Saladin as a symbol of rebellion and defiance. Anahita, though also interested, does not like how much of an interest Mishal takes in him.
Saladin’s grotesque new form sets him apart as both an object of fascination and repulsion in the Shaandaar Café. Mishal’s attraction to him as a symbol of rebellion highlights how the grotesque can serve as a form of resistance against social norms. Saladin’s physical transformation also mirrors his psychological alienation, where his monstrous exterior reflects his inner turmoil.
Themes
Within the Sufyan household, tensions rise as Hind Sufyan, Sufyan’s wife, wants Saladin out. Hind, who once embraced her role as a loving and supportive wife, now battles with deep-seated resentment. Years of feeling trapped in an immigrant life in England, coupled with her husband’s passive nature, have left her bitter. To make matters worse, the sight of the monstrous Saladin in her home triggers memories of everything she believes she has lost. Her anger festers, particularly when she discovers that her daughter Mishal has become romantically involved with Hanif Johnson, a local lawyer who also boards in the upstairs of the Shaandaar Café.
Hind’s intense anger towards Saladin stems from her own frustrations and sense of entrapment in her immigrant life. She projects her feelings of loss and bitterness onto Saladin, who symbolizes the disruption and decay she perceives in her family and home. Her reaction to Saladin also reflects deeper cultural and generational conflicts—her struggles as an immigrant woman dealing with her husband’s passive nature and the perceived erosion of traditional values in her household.
Themes
Hind Sufyan’s anger toward Mishal and Hanif escalates into a full-blown crisis when she confronts her daughter about the relationship. Tensions rise and Hind slashes at Mishal with a kitchen knife, but Mishal kicks the knife away and avoids any serious injuries. Angry at how her daughter has been behaving, Hind accuses Saladin of bringing misfortune upon her family. She sees him as the root of all her problems, the devil incarnate who has cursed her life.
Hind’s violent confrontation with Mishal, escalating to the point of wielding a knife, illustrates how deeply her resentment has festered. She blames Saladin for corrupting her household, casting him as a literal and metaphorical devil figure who brings chaos and misfortune. Saladin’s monstrous form becomes a convenient scapegoat for the family’s deeper issues.
Themes
As Saladin’s physical transformation progresses, he unwittingly becomes a symbol of fear and fascination in the local community. Rumors of the horned devil in the attic spread through the neighborhood. People begin to dream of Saladin as a powerful, demonic figure, rising up to challenge the world. In these dreams, Saladin grows to gigantic proportions, his horns twisting into elaborate designs, his voice echoing with guttural, unintelligible chants.
As rumors about Saladin’s presence spread, he becomes a figure of myth within the local community. The neighborhood’s fascination with Saladin as a demonic figure demonstrates how easily society turns outsiders into someone or something other than what they are.
Themes
Get the entire The Satanic Verses LitChart as a printable PDF.
The youth of the neighborhood, drawn to Saladin’s rebellious image, start to idolize him. They see in him a reflection of their own struggles. They begin wearing rubber devil horns, imitating the figure that haunts their dreams. Saladin’s image starts to appear on banners and posters, his monstrous form transformed into a symbol of resistance against the status quo. The unintended attention thrust upon him only deepens Saladin’s despair. He feels trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape the grotesque parody of his former life.
Although Saladin’s grotesque form unintentionally inspires local youth, he feels trapped by this new role. He becomes a symbol of resistance against his will, a parody of his former life. This tension between his internal desire for normalcy and the external projection of his image as a rebel demonstrates the difference between how he sees himself and how others see him. Even if others are not knowingly misappropriating his image, they are doing so nevertheless.
Themes
One night, Hanif Johnson bursts into the Shaandaar Café with alarming news. The police have arrested Dr. Uhuru Simba, a local Black activist, and plan to frame him for the “Granny Ripper” murders, a series of killings targeting old women that has been plaguing London. The authorities, desperate to quell the growing unrest, accuse Simba of using black magic, casting him as a voodoo-priest responsible for the killings. Hanif warns the Sufyans to lock their doors, as he expects there to be violence in the streets over the case.
The authorities’ attempt to frame Simba for the “Granny Ripper” murders ties into the theme of xenophobia that runs throughout the novel. This moment reflects on the broader societal tendency to demonize the “other,” even when the other may not have done anything wrong. Because Simba is an activist, it’s implied that the police are trying to pin the crime on him not only because he is Black, but also because he is an obstacle to their political goals.
Themes
Hind Sufyan, already at her wit’s end, snaps. In a fit of uncontrollable rage, she attacks Hanif, striking him across the face with all her strength. The blow catches Hanif off guard, and he collapses, more from shock than from pain. As Hanif lies unconscious on the floor, Hind rushes upstairs and begins hurling his office equipment out the window, her anger and frustration spilling out in a destructive frenzy. Meanwhile, Mishal and Anahita look on in horror.
Hind’s breakdown is a manifestation of her psychological turmoil and the growing tension within the family, exacerbated by Saladin’s presence. Her violent outburst and the subsequent chaos mark the fracturing of familial relationships in a scene that recalls Saladin’s break from his parents.
Themes
The café descends into chaos. Mishal, fed up with Hind Sufyan, decides to leave home. She packs her bags and announces her departure, daring anyone to stop her. Hind, seeing her daughter on the verge of walking out of her life forever, begs Sufyan to see reason. She wants him to recognize that Saladin’s presence has brought nothing but misery to their family. Her pleas go unheard as the building begins to tremble, and the ominous sound of something growling and singing echoes through the walls.
Mishal’s decision to leave shows her growing sense of independence and rejection of her mother’s control. Meanwhile, Hind’s inability to understand the root cause of the chaos emphasizes her disconnect from the deeper, underlying issues affecting her family and their environment. This break between mother and daughter corresponds with Saladin’s final transformation, which can be heard coming through the walls.
Themes
Mishal, unafraid and with Hanif by her side, goes upstairs to see what is happening to Saladin. When they reach the attic, they find Saladin in a terrifying state. He has grown to over eight feet tall, his nostrils emit smoke in two colors—yellow from the left, black from the right—and his once-human form now resembles a demonic beast. Saladin stands before them, naked except for the thick hair covering his body, His tail swishes angrily, and his eyes glow red.
Saladin’s monstrous transformation is a physical manifestation of his inner rage, alienation, and the trauma he has experienced. The grotesque imagery of his demon-like appearance reflects his psychological state, as he struggles with his identity and his need for vengeance against Gibreel.
Themes
Despite the monstrous sight before her, Mishal does not flinch. She questions Saladin, asking where he plans to go, knowing full well that he wouldn’t survive long looking as he does. Saladin, in a voice that rumbles like thunder, responds that he is considering taking action, that there is someone he needs to find. Mishal urges him to wait, promising that they will work something out. In the dead of night, Mishal and Hanif make arrangements to move Saladin to a safer place. They contact their friend Pinkwalla, a local DJ, and convince him to use his van to transport Saladin. Pinkwalla arrives at the Shaandaar Café and watches in awe as Saladin climbs into the back of the van. Then, Pinkwalla drives Saladin to Club Hot Wax, a nightclub filled with wax figures of historical and cultural icons.
Mishal’s pragmatic response to Saladin’s predicament illustrates that she understands him far more than she fears him. Saladin, his transformation now complete, wants to find Gibreel as soon as possible to get revenge. However, instead, Mishal arranges for him to go to Club Hot Wax, where he will be surrounded by wax figures that represent British culture. Notably, Saladin is not important enough to be made into a wax figure and, more importantly, he is not “English” enough to make it into the museum.
Themes
At the club, Mishal and Hanif lay Saladin down on a couple of sleeping bags. As Saladin drifts into a fitful sleep, his mind fixates on Gibreel. In his dreams, Saladin sees Gibreel’s face on every wax figure in the club, mocking him, taunting him. Unable to control his fury, Saladin lashes out, destroying every wax figure in the room. As Saladin succumbs to exhaustion, the intensity of his emotions triggers another transformation. This time, his body shrinks back to its human form. When Mishal, Hanif, and Pinkwalla return to the club in the morning, they find Saladin lying among the wreckage, naked but human once more. His body, though restored, still bears the marks of his ordeal—his eyes still glow a faint red, and his face reflects the bitterness that consumes him.
Saladin’s dream of Gibreel taunting him from every wax figure reveals the depth of his anger and obsession. His violent destruction of the wax figures represents his struggle to assert control over his own identity and reject the influence of those who have wronged him. The return to his human form shows that, at least temporarily he has managed to get himself under control. However, the lingering signs of his transformation—the glowing eyes and his expression of bitterness—suggest that his journey of healing and reconciliation is far from complete.
Themes
