Haroun and the Sea of Stories Week 1

My First Impressions

At first, I thought Haroun and the Sea of Stories was just going to be a collection of all different tales. However, I now realize that it isn't that at all. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this novel does have a plot like other stories, but it is still very different at the same time. I find the way in which Salman Rushdie wrote this novel to be very interesting and I am excited to keep reading and see what happens next.

The Hero's Journey

As I read Haroun and the Sea of Stories, I will be looking through the lens of the Hero's Journey, which is a cycle that the hero will go through as the plot progresses. So far, it is clear that the character Haroun will be the one going through this journey. As my group and I began to analyze this journey based on the 17 Stages of Joseph Cambell's Monomyth (pictured to the right), we realized that Haroun is clearly going through these stages. For example, his Supernatural Aid is Iff the Water Genie.

Meta-Level Analysis

As I read Haroun and the Sea of Stories, I will also be analyzing it at the meta-level. I will be looking for how the author uses language as a tool, language and its meaning, the story at the level of story, and appearance vs. reality. While reading chapters 1-4, I found multiple areas to analyze at the meta-level. For example, on page 24, Rushdie states "Was he stuck in time like a broken clock?" This is an example of language being used as a tool in the form of figurative language. Not only does this quote represent meta-level analysis, but it also represents Haroun's call to adventure stage of his journey. I also analyzed a quote about stories. On page 63 it says, "Africa, have you seen it? No? Then is it truly there?" This brings into question the point of telling stories that aren't even true. This quote also make me wonder what we should believe and why we believe certain things that we are told.

Discussion Chapters 1-4

In class, we had a discussion on chapters 1-4 of Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I learned a lot from this discussion and heard so many new insights. I found the discussion about whether or not authors of fictional stories were actually liars to be very interesting. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the definition of lie is "to make a believed-false statement to another person with the intention that the other person believe that statement to be true." So now I wonder if Rashid is actually lying in the story. Does he really intend for others to believe that what he is saying is true? I still wonder if lying in stories can lead to ignorance. If children are believing stories to be true, what will happen to them when they experience real life situations? I am excited to continue reading this novel and hear more insights about it from others.