Melanie Samay

Rushdie's History of the Rock Icon in the Ground Beneath Her Feet Melanie Samay

Salman Rushdie creates his own literary version of the history of rock and roll in his novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Instead of using a general and realistic narrative, Rushdie draws from mythology and popular culture. Starting with an unreliable biographer, Rushdie creates an alternate reality to ours, making the reader question the narrator?s integrity. His book is populated with famous artists and musicians, including Andy Warhol, Lou Reed (as a woman), Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. The female protagonist is based on both John Lennon and Yoko Ono, allowing Rushdie to explore the birth, growth, and death of an icon. She reinvents herself through clothing, hairstyles, and names. Rushdie offers a complex study of what a rock star means to society and why fans need to identify with famous people. He explores the role of musicians in politics and social change. In addition, Rushdie reinterprets the Orpheus myth by using John and Yoko as the basis for Orpheus and Eurydice. In addition, he condemns the commodification of the artist after he dies.