POST-COLONIAL MYTH IN SALMAN RUSHDIE’S NOVEL THE GROUND BENEATH HER FEET

Abstract

The article examines the reinterpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in Salman Rushdie's novel, The Ground Beneath Her Feet. The analysis aims to underscore this myth's significance within the post-colonial and post-modernist context.

As a distinguished post-colonial writer, Rushdie critically engages with established concepts of colonialism, postcolonialism, nationhood, nationalism, history, and politics, utilising innovative theoretical frameworks. Notably, scholarly examination of Rushdie's work constitutes a relatively new area of inquiry within the Georgian academic community.

Post-colonial authors frequently employ myth, fantasy, and magical realism as tools to critique imperial structures, resulting in works infused with exotic, magical, and mythological elements. This narrative strategy serves as both a regional counter-narrative and a protest against Eurocentric worldviews. By reconstructing the histories of subjugated nations, these authors provide an alternative to the dominant narratives imposed by colonial powers, enabling marginalized groups to express their identities. Rushdie, in particular, explores the theme of identity formation among postcolonial migrants through the lens of myth.

Scholars argue that Rushdie’s modernization of Orpheus is entirely justified. The novel’s protagonist, akin to a god of music, possesses the power to captivate and influence others, much like Orpheus. Rushdie intricately links Ormus’s life, his music, and the broader concept of migration.

From ancient Greek sculpture to twenty-first-century experimental music, Orpheus has inspired diverse artistic works across centuries. Rushdie’s interest in the Orpheus myth allows for multiple interpretive perspectives. On one hand, Orpheus’s descent into the underworld to retrieve Eurydice reflects the perilous journeys undertaken by immigrants transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. By invoking Orpheus, Rushdie employs music as a medium of transcendental and universal communication.

The character of Orpheus is compelling in his defiance of the boundary between life and death. His ambiguous genealogy—presented as the son of Apollo in some sources and of Egrus in others—positions him as a figure embodying Greek, Thracian, European, and Asian identities, existing simultaneously as both human and divine.

Rushdie advocates for a model of a hybrid world, one where diversity and heterogeneity are not only tolerated but are essential for cultural uniqueness. He aligns with Homi Bhabha’s concept of hybridization, proposing a framework in which cultural equality prevails, free from hierarchy, discrimination, and prejudice.

The novel thus serves as a space where ancient myths are reimagined into complex, multifaceted identities, while new metaphors of migration are simultaneously born. In this context, myth, migration, and identity emerge as central themes in Rushdie's novel, carrying profound implications for the modern, globalized world.

Keywords:   Rushdie, Interpretation, Myth, Orpheus, Eurydice