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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.
Saladin’s return to his childhood home and his encounter with his father’s caregivers provide a stark contrast between his memories of the past and the current reality of his father’s illness. Saladin’s trust in their judgment shows his growing acceptance of different perspectives, moving away from his own rigid viewpoints. Notably, it is only now, at the end of his father’s life, that Saladin meets his stepmother for the first time.
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.
Changez’s physical decline strips away of the barriers that once defined his relationship with Saladin. As Changez becomes more vulnerable, Saladin begins to see him not as the harsh figure of his youth but as a man facing his mortality. The caregiving role that Saladin assumes signifies his acceptance of responsibility, a role he previously fled. The calm exchange between father and son marks a moment of healing that both men have put off for a long time.
Themes
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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.
Changez’s death scene is layered with ambiguity, reflecting the mystery of what lies beyond death. The mixture of terror and peace that Changez displays as he dies leaves a profound impact on Saladin, who is left contemplating the enigma of his father’s death. Meanwhile, the funeral preparations provide a moment for Saladin to connect with his heritage and the traditions he once distanced himself from, representing his full-circle journey back to his roots.
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.
The rediscovery of the magic lamp symbolizes Saladin’s reconnection with his past and his father’s legacy. Additionally, Zeeny’s return—which coincidentally (or perhaps magically) coincides with Saladin getting his hands on the lamp— allows for a rekindled romance. Also, by reverting to his original name, Salahuddin, Saladin signifies his acceptance of his cultural identity, moving away from the internal conflicts that once defined him.
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.
Gibreel’s return to India becomes a futile attempt to reclaim his former glory, which seems doomed to fail. The return of his bad breath suggests that he is rotting from within, putting him on the opposite trajectory from Saladin. Additionally, the police looking into Rekha’s death implies that Gibreel may have killed her, which would explain why she haunted him throughout the novel.
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.
Gibreel’s murder of Allie and the subsequent death of Sisodia mark his complete unraveling. The setting of Allie’s death in the same building as Rekha’s draws a parallel between the two women and serves as further evidence that Gibreel may have killed Rekha. After all, he is certainly capable of murder.
Themes
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.
Gibreel’s visit to Saladin serves as a final confrontation with both his friend and his fate. His handling of the magic lamp, an object associated with childhood wonder, presents a dark contrast to the violence that follows. Gibreel’s suicide is his final escape from the torment of his mind. Despite his angelic status earlier in the novel, his life ends in tragedy, suggesting he was never a mouthpiece for God after all.
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.
Saladin’s decision to leave the past behind represents a significant moment of closure. The moonlit path on the Arabian Sea symbolizes a new beginning, suggesting hope for the future. By turning away from the sea, Saladin rejects the unresolved turmoil of his past, choosing instead to embrace a more grounded future with Zeeny. This final act of turning away from the window and walking forward represents his growth from a man haunted by his past to someone ready to live in the present. Notably, living in the present also means living in India among those whom he has spent his life running away from. Finally, it is worth noting that Saladin’s fate is the inverse of Gibreel’s, even though he seemed to be the devil to Gibreel’s angel earlier in the novel. Once again, this suggests that the core, moral differences between angels and devils are less clearly defined than one might realize.
Themes
