Frame of mind Quote by Salman Rushdie
““There was a scavenging peasant moving about, whistling as he worked, with an outsize gunny sack on his back. The whitened knuckles of the hand which gripped the sack revealed his determined frame of mind; the whistling, which was piercing but tuneful, showed that he was keeping his spirits up. The whistle echoed around the field, bouncing off fallen helmets, resounding hollowly from the barrels of mud-blocked rifles, sinking without trace into the fallen boots of the strange, strange crops, whose smell, like the smell of unfairness, was capable of bringing tears to the buddha's eyes. The crops were dead, having been hit by some unknown blight... and most of them, but not all, wore the uniforms of the West Pakistani Army. Apart from the whistling, the only noises to be heard were the sounds of objects dropping into the peasant's treasure-sack: leather belts, watches, gold tooth-fillings, spectacle frames, tiffin-carriers, water flasks, boots.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie, 1981
A peasant’s resilient spirit endures amid war’s devastation, using music to sustain hope.
In simple terms: Even in ruin, people find ways to keep hope alive.
Find small acts of joy to survive hardship.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- refugee camps
- conflict zones
- personal loss
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you maintain hope when surrounded by loss?
- What small rituals help you cope with trauma?
The narrative may romanticize suffering, overlooking systemic causes.