Midnight’s Children: Book 2: Alpha and Omega Summary & Analysis

As Saleem continues his story, he describes the civil unrest present in Bombay after the election. Riots are frequent, and the language marchers continue chanting his nonsensical rhyme. The state of Bombay will soon be partitioned, and several prostitutes are found dead, murdered by strangulation. The newspapers report that instead of thumbprints, the corpses have much larger bruises around their necks—bruises which Saleem claims are “wholly consistent” with the marks left by “a pair of giant, preternaturally powerful knees.”

Bombay is rocked by a severe drought, and Methwold’s Estate is invaded by countless cats in search of water. After many failed attempts to rid them from the property, Evie Burns appears with her Daisy pistol. As she opens fire on the unwanted cats, killing them left and right, the Brass Monkey appears and knocks her to the ground.

Evie and the Monkey roll around, flailing and kicking, until the gardener finally separates them by spraying them with a garden hose. As the dust settles, it is clear the Monkey has bested Evie, “her spirit and her dominion over us broken for once and for all.” Shortly after, Evie’s father sends her back to America “to get a decent education away from these savages.”

The more Saleem communicates with the Midnight Children’s Conference, the more he dislikes Shiva. Shiva continues to insist that he is the true leader of the children, and Saleem suspects him of murdering the prostitutes (although he doesn’t have any proof—Shiva can close him out of his thoughts). Saleem discovers, in addition to his telepathy, that his mind can serve as a forum for the other children to communicate with each other. Every night after, from midnight until one, the Midnight Children’s Conference meets inside Saleem’s head.

The other children elect Saleem as their leader, and his first order of business is to figure out their collective purpose. “We must think,” he says, “what we are for.” Some believe they should use their skills to assist the government, while others suggest that they invade Pakistan. One girl even suggests that they offer themselves up to science to be studied. Overall, Saleem is disappointed with their ideas and becomes increasingly distracted by his school’s upcoming dance with the girls of their sister institution.

Later at school, Saleem attends his dreaded geography class taught by Mr. Zagallo, an unpleasant Anglo man who refers to his students as “sons of baboons.” The topic of the day is “human geography,” and when none of the students are able to provide a definition, Zagallo begins to aggressively twist the ear of a student named Jimmy Kapadia. “Heroism gets the better” of Saleem and he objects, telling Zagallo to stop on account of Jimmy’s heart condition.

Zagallo pulls Saleem out his chair by his hair and brings him to the front of the class. Laughing, Zagallo points to the birthmarks on Saleem’s face, and comparing them to a map of India, declares Saleem “human geography.” He then points to a smaller birthmark just under the larger, and referring to it as a stain, declares it Pakistan. “Remember, stupid boys: Pakistan is a stain on the face of India!” Just then, a large glob of snot drips from Saleem’s nose, landing on Zagallo’s hand. Enraged, he again lifts Saleem by a handful of hair, ripping it clean out of his head, resulting in a “monkish tonsure.”

Later, at the school dance, two bullies approach Saleem, mocking him because of his bald spot and calling him “map-face.” They give chase, and Saleem runs, slamming his hand in a door in the process. The top of his middle finger is severed, and he is quickly rushed to the hospital. As Saleem awaits surgery, the doctor asks his parents to donate blood for a transfusion.

Amina and Ahmed learn that Saleem’s blood does not match their own. Type A and O respectively (and rhesus positive), Saleem is neither A nor O—and is rhesus negative. Ahmed immediately accuses Amina of cheating, and as they leave the room to fight in private, Saleem hears the unmistakable sound of a slap. Sitting alone, Saleem comments to himself, “Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.”