Chapters 9-12

Final Impressions

The end of Haroun and the Sea of Stories was much more action-packed than any other part of the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Although this story is like many others, it has a special kind of charisma to it that can keep the reader interested (once they get through the first couple chapters, that is; read more in my first post). Yet at the very end - the conclusion/epilogue, one might say - the atmosphere was a bit unsettling, as if the story hadn't quite finished. There was a "happy ending," but the reader knows that it isn't necessarily true to it's name, and that more conflict is sure to arise soon after because of it.

The Best Annotation

My favorite part of the final chapter(s) of the story is, "'Happy endings must come at the end of something,' the Walrus pointed out. 'If they happen in the middle of a story, or an adventure, or the like, all they do is cheer things up for a while.'"(Rushdie, Salman. “Was It the Walrus?” Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Penguin Books, 2014, p. 202.) This line at the end of the story intrigued me because it can be related to the very end of the story further on, almost like a foreshadow. Yet, what it foreshadows is not a part of the story. This causes the reader to associate what the Walrus has said with possible endings that could happen once the pages cease to go on.

The Discussion

During our final discussion my group dove deep into the depths of why the Gups and Chups were enemies in the first place. The book never elaborates on or even talks about why they are enemies, even though they are perceived as opposites. We even discussed how the Gups might be the real "evil" characters, since the Eggheads (Gups) are the ones who control the rotations of the moon Kahani, casting the poor Chups into eternal darkness and cold, and the Chups couldn't do anything about it. It makes more sense for the Chups to be innocent while the Gups are guilty do to their actions - books aren't to be judged by their covers, but rather what stories they have inside.

Insights: Satire

At the end of the novel is where majority of the satire is, and this blog explains it better than I ever could. What is interesting to me about this story in terms of satire is that is covers a variety of platforms and groups represented by abstract characters, and those characters can easily be compared to a person in power in real life without the restriction of time periods (trends, current events, etc.). For instance, some say Khattam-Shud is much like current-day leader Vladimir Putin, with his menacing power matching that of the fictional villain, along with his unassuming physical appearance that can cause others to underestimate him, giving him an advantage when it comes to gaining said power.

"Fictional Stories Are Just Morally Good Lies"

Now that the story is over, this line has a slightly different meaning (but only slightly - we talked so much about it in class that it was hard to not find every meaning). The way this has changed in my mind is through the original definition of a lie, which we also discussed in class. The whole point of a lie is to make the person reading/hearing it believe that it's true, while the liar knows its false. Yet, when you read a story that's titled as fictional, you know that its not true. The reader knows that the stories within the book never happened, yet they still get so intrigued that when they read, it's as if the reader is right there doing the things they know were never done by these people the reader knows never existed in the first place.

Last Thoughts

Overall, the novel's structure wasn't new, nor was the story's purpose, but the way it pulled in the reader was fascinating. It's considered a children's book by adults, but as a teenager its pretty clear that 10-year-old me wouldn't have liked and/or understood this book to a point where I could make full sense out of it all. The "template" the novel uses is common in storytelling, but that's what makes it seem like a classic. Along with a not-so-complete ending, this book certainly messes with the mind in a rather pleasing manner (for the most part) that keeps readers yearning for more.

#haroun #satire #HATSOS #ending