#100: Midnight's Children (5)

In the beginning of the chapter of Book 2 titled "Accident in a Washing-Chest," Saleem (through a question regarding Padma) says that he has "miracle-laden omniscience" (p. 170). Omniscience is defined as the state of having infinite knowledge, of being all-knowing or infinitely wise.

Contradictory to this, later in the chapter we discover that Saleem, as a young boy, was not sure of much at all. He is questioned by his friends, who have already determined what they want to be when they grow up, about what he wants to be and although he is not given the chance to answer, he wouldn't have anything to tell them anyways.

However, this changes after the accident in the washing chest. During his silent punishment, Saleem begins to hear voices and it is through these voices that he feels he has finally found his purpose. Unfortunately, when he shares this revelation with his family they are outraged and think he is joking. He is punished and later says, "It was just fooling, Amma. A stupid joke, just like you said."

Litlovers.com states: "he never arrives at a certain image of himself without being thrown into chaos again (see above). But a child on an advertising hoarding is described as 'flattened by certitude (p.175).'"

These two statements present conflicting opinions about certainty and about purpose. So, in Saleem's case, is there value in being uncertain and are there benefits of uncertainty? If so, what are the values and benefits?