The Satanic Verses: Study Questions. VII. The Angel Azreel
1. When Saladin returns to his Notting Hill home, two elements seem prominent--his relative optimism, and his tolerance of the presence of Joshi as his wife's lover. As this section develops, how and why does he change from his position of optimism, and why is his toleration of Joshi important (especially as compared to Gibreel's jealousy about Allie)?
2. If you are not familiar with Shakespeare's Othello, you might find it interesting at least to look up the plot. Rushdie parallels the triangular relationship of Othello, Iago, and Desdemona to that of Gibreel, Saladin, and Allie Cone. Even apart from Shakespeare's play, what are the qualities of the relationship in The Satanic Verses? What motivates Chamcha's intrusion between Gibreel and Allie?
3. The third manifestation of "satanic verses" in the novel is the verses telephoned by Saladin to Gibreel and Allie. But each has taken already Saladin into his or her confidence. Why? How does he use these confidences? Can he justify what he does, or is he satisfying personal hatred and vengeance? Do we sympathize with his efforts to break up the affair?
4. Jumpy Joshi turns out to have some of the same interests as Saladin. Not only is he having an affair with Mrs. Chamcha, he has a similar sexual interest in Mishal Sufyan, and he even has the same dream about teaching his son to ride a bicycle. Are Jumpy and Saladin paired characters in much the same way that Saladin and Gibreel are? If so, what underlying characteristics do Jumpy and Saladin share? How are they different?
5. Entertainment plays a fairly significant role in this section, as it did earlier. The three central characters (as we have noted) are compared to Shakespeare's play and the first confrontation between Saladin and Gibreel takes place on a movie set for Dickens's novel Our Mutual Friend--a scale model of London. (What, by the way, do you make of the young lady that Saladin meets at "The Old Curiosity Shop"? Does she resemble the prostitutes at "The Curtain"?) Why is "entertainment" (films, television, radio, plays, and so forth) important to the relationship between Saladin and Gibreel and to Rushdie's satiric treatment of London? (Ultimately, riot on the streets becomes events on television.)
6. The third chapter of this section has two basic subjects: the breakdown of race relations to riotous conditions (is it a riot of the police or a riot of citizens?), and the transformation of Gibreel into an avenging angel, complete with fire-breathing trumpet. What are the stages of each transformation? What are the connections between the vengeance of the city and the vengeance of Gibreel/Azreel? At the end, Hanif Johnson thinks the events have a purely political significance: "We're talking about history; an event in the history of Britain. About the process of change." But Mishal is not so sure. What do you think?
7. What is the official explanation the fire (explosion?) at the Brickhall Community Relations Council, and does it contain any elements of truth? What explanation does the narrator suggest? The police say that there is a connection between this fire and that at the Shaandaar Café. Do we see points that the police do not? (Is there a connection between the fates of Pamela and Jumpy in one fire and of Hind and Sufyan in the other?)
8. At the end, Gibreel, knowing that Saladin was responsible for the satanic telephone calls, rescues him anyway. Why? What change does the rescue represent for Gibreel (for that matter, for Saladin)? What do you make of the Rushdie's comparison of Gibreel's parting of the smoke and the parting of the Arabian Sea? (Ask yourself this question again at the end of the next section.) In what way the rescue of Saladin a climactic event in the novel?