Symbolic value of the pickling process: all the six hundred million eggs which gave birth to the population of India could fit inside a single, standard-sized pickle-jar; six hundred million spermatozoa could be lifted on a single spoon. Every pickle-jar {you will forgive me if I become florid for a moment} contains, therefore, the most exalted of possibilities: the feasibility of the chutnification of history; the grand hope of the pickling of time!
In Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children," the symbolic value of the pickling process reflects the immense potential contained within a simple jar. The idea that six hundred million eggs, which represent the beginnings of India's population, could fit into such a small container illustrates the concentration of possibility within each individual. By comparing spermatozoa to items lifted on a spoon, Rushdie emphasizes how life, history, and identity are encapsulated in that jar, suggesting that something grand can emerge from modest origins.
This imagery points to the notion that history can be preserved and transformed by time, much like food in a pickle jar. The "chutnification of history" echoes the hope that the past can be revisited, reinterpreted, and infused with new meanings. Rushdie's metaphor elevates the simple act of pickling to a grand narrative about humanity, suggesting that within the confines of very ordinary objects, there exists the potential for extraordinary stories and connections, embodying the essence of India's complex identity.
