Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Revisited

After this exposure to Salman Rushdie's work, I have come to realize just what an active, political figure he was/is in today's world. Now, I don't know what any of his personal issues with Indian culture and religious traditions (perhaps that is, after all, the reason for his writing), but the fact remains that he gives a strong message to the world about the ramifications of politics and religion.

It would be interesting to look at the philosophical traditions that Rushdie has looked at as well. Philosophers like Kierkegaard and Nietzsche easily collaborate what Rushdie says in both his political essays and works of fiction. Truth that claims to be absolute makes a wide claim, especially in today's world which continues to get smaller and smaller. Both of these philosophers advocate a world that operates in shades of gray instead of black and white, which Rushdie strongly advocates for.

The makeup of the world of Kahani has various threads of stories that continue to grow and change. They each benefit from one another, combining themselves into different ways and ideas, just as people learn from one another and can change their ideas and perceptions of the world based on their own unique experiences. Humanity starts out from the same source but as life happens, they develop into their own unique persons. Not to symbol hunt, but Rushdie's fundamental world view also makes up his fantasy world, Kahani.

However, the most interesting question that Rushdie brings up indirectly (and was also brought up in class as well...) would have to be this: Is magical realism right? Does the world have magic in it? To this , I respond as follows. Rushdie would say, not suprisingly, that each person can choose to experience the magic of the world or not. He would also say that if we allow ourselves to be open to it, the world can have magic interwined in with the difficulties of life. Again, not to be cliche, but the choice belongs to each individual.