We know the force of gravity, but not its origins; and to explain why we become attached to our birthplaces we pretend that we are trees and speak of roots. Look under your feet. You will not find gnarled growths sprouting through the soles. Roots, I sometimes think, are a conservative myth, designed to keep us in our places.
In Salman Rushdie's "Shame," the author draws a parallel between gravity—which we comprehend but can't fully explain—and the concept of attachment to our origins. He suggests that just as we understand gravity's effects, we struggle to understand why we feel connected to our birthplaces. This connection is often romanticized, likening individuals to trees with roots anchoring them to a specific location.
Rushdie questions the validity of this metaphor, implying that the idea of "roots" might be a simplistic notion used to maintain stability and conformity. He provocatively directs the reader to examine their own surroundings, suggesting that instead of physical roots, our ties to place may be more complex and less tangible than we assume.
