Haroun
and the Sea of Stories: Analysis
In
Salman Rushdie's book; “Haroun
and the Sea of Stories”,
a storyteller and his son are travelling to the Sea of Stories to
help claim his fathers imagination but end up in a conflict between
the nations of Chup and Gup. Which the former were poisoning the
Ocean, trying to silence the stories. The protagonists help defeat
Chup and wish to reunite their family. The important themes that are
present in the novel is the importance of story to both books and in
culture, as the land has become tainted with sadness that come from
modernisation and the loss of tradition. The balance of stories and
silence is also commented upon, drawing from real social and
political issues faced. The author comments on this with roles of
freedom of speech and censorship that are represented by both
nations, as a balance is needed for one without the other can be
dangerous.
“What's
the use of stories that aren't even true?”,
asks the main character that shows the core theme of this novel, the
importance of story. The characters exist in a land that is full of
sadness and what little stories that exist and warped and twisted to
meet the wants of politicians. Haroun's journey through the book is
about finding the answer to this question. In the end of his journey,
he finds out the truth of the importance of stories and that they
give meaning to both the book but also to culture and tradition.
The
conflict between freedom of speech and censorship is at the heart of
the war between the Lands of Gup and Chup. This is an allegory about
the current issues that are faced in the real world, Especially to
the rise of autocratic governments in the Middle East and Asia and
the effects that this has on traditions of the people. “But
but but what is the point of giving persons Freedom of Speech,'
declaimed Butt the Hoopoe, 'if you then say they must not utilize
same? And is not the Power of Speech the greatest Power of all? Then
surely it must be exercised to the full?”.
In this quote, the army of Gup borders on mutiny by questioning
authority, that total free speech can still be dangerous and that a
balance must be found. In the end, the freedom that Gup has proves to
be the key to their victory over the Chupwala army.
The
Chupwalas...turned out to be a disunited rabble. Just as Mudra the
Shadow Warrior had predicted, many of them actually had to fight
their own, treacherous shadows! And as for the rest, well, their vows
of silence and their habits of secrecy had made them suspicious and
distrustful of one another...The upshot was that the Chupwalas did
not stand shoulder to shoulder, but betrayed one another, stabbed one
another in the back, mutinied, hid deserted....”.
The point that the author makes through this quote is that a
political society of censorship and authoritarian control can never
stand when truly challenged. Because the people of Chup had been
silenced by Khattam-Shud and because they had to abandon the
narrative of their past and present, they proved to be no match for
the free and talkative Guppees. The Chupwalas are meant to symbolize
the destruction authoritarian regimes that try to silence the
traditions and free will of the people. The author criticizes this as
being nothing more than a shadow that will turn against it's owner
during difficult times.
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