Haroun: A River Runs Through It

I really enjoyed Haroun and the Sea of Stories as the initial reading for this class. Dr. Sexson brought up in class the connection between water and the creation of stories that continuously flow throughout Rushdie's work. Also the idea was brought up that when we don't read this flow of water becomes polluted and the subject matter of the stories is changed forever. This idea of the relation between water and stories, and even language, really intrigued me while I was reading Haroun.

One quote that really perfectly described this idea was on page 72. Rushdie writes of the sea of stories, "...like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity...." I loved that that in Haroun each stream is a story within the sea, and they all run into each other making the stories change and evolve over time. Dr. Sexson also mentioned in class that this describes Joyce's Finnegan's Wake as well.

Joyce's writing flows like water and he focuses on water/streams in his work as well. But each line is part of a greater whole in his writing. Like any story or novel each character, place, event can be its own story but when brought together they all form a more whole and complete tale. Rushdie's work seems to be a novel about the creation of a novel or story. From the army that forms a "book" when set into action, to the streams of stories, Rushdie is writing of creation in all its forms. Writing for Rushdie even leads to the creation of other and new worlds beyond our perception.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories also perfectly encompasses the theme of the myth of the eternal return. The novel itself, like Joyce, ends where it begins with Haroun's father retelling their adventures to the crowd. This is also seen in the act of writing and creating the stories themselves by Rushdie. This novel to me seems to be about the act of creation through language and the written word.