The narrator is an interesting force in the novel because, although the narrative mostly reads as though it is written in third-person, the narrator repeatedly interjects in ways that makes it seem as if the story is actually a first-person retelling of events. Rushdie employs this narrative technique to play with the idea that his third-person omniscient narrator is God, a figure who is also supposed to be all-knowing. As Gibreel and Saladin arrive on the beach, Gibreel embraces the idea that they have been reborn, whereas Saladin appears deeply upset by the turn of events and does not agree with Gibreel’s framing of their situation.