Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Contributing Authors


 

Haroun and the Sea of Stories - Chapter 5
by Kiwi Jivan and Beant Gill

::SUMMARY::

Haroun, Iff, and Butt the Hoopoe are heading towards Gup City. Iff explains that Khattam-Shud is the "foe of speech" and the leader of Chup. Butt informs Haroun that Kahani is controlled so that Chup is always in darkness, Gup is in sunlight always, and the Twilight Strip is in-between.

Iff comments that something serious is going on because all units of Gup have been ordered to return to Gup. As they continue to Gup, they meet Mali, the floating gardener. Mali says that the sea of stories is highly polluted and it may take many years to clean. As they continue their journey to Gup, Haroun meets the Plenitmaw Fishes that agree with Mali's claim on the pollution, and say that the Old Zone (where the ancient stories are) is polluted the worst. They finally reach Gup City.

In Gup City, Haroun sees beautiful gardens, lagoons, and a beautiful archipelago. The government consists of King Chattergy, the Chatterbox (Parliament), and the Library (the army). Haroun meets Prince Bolo and the Walrus in a town center meeting. The Prince informs the Guppees (and Haroun) that Princess Batcheat has been kidnapped and the Chupwalas and their leader, Khattam-Shud, are polluting the sea of stories. The Guppees promise to save the ocean and Batcheat. Iff says Haroun should give the Disconnecting Tool back because he probably won't have time to meet the Walrus since they are going to war. Haroun refuses to give it back. Haroun learns that the Guppees get luxury foods from Earth (that's why we have UFO's). Guppee Patrols caught a spy in the Twilight Strip and Prince Bolo will interview him. They bring out the spy, and to Haroun's amazement, its Rashid Khalifa.

::ANALYSIS::

In relation to Salman Rushdie's life, the pollution of the Sea of Stories is the writer's block that Rushdie claimed to have before writing this book. Rashid is symbolized as Rushdie himself and Khattam-Shud also being the writer's block. Another comparison to his life is between the lands:

The Walrus also is portrayed as a dictator because: (1) He controls the spin of the moon. (2) He is respected and feared. (3) All the eggheads have no hair, but he has hair so the eggheads are proud of it (The eggheads emphasize "hairy" and "silky smooth"). (4) He never explains P2C2E; only he fully understands it.

Mali is very quiet, tough, and tends to speak in biblical terms. In some ways, he is considered the "God-like" figure. The Plentimaw Fishes are two fish that intertwine different stories and make new ones. Even though they are two fish, they are considered ever linked because they speak together in rhyme, they connect stories, and they help each other. Earlier in the story on Earth, Buttoo says there are plenty of fish ("plenty more"/ Plentimaw) in the sea, but Rashid says there are very few angelfish. The Plentimaw Fishes are united, so Rashid is ever linked to his wife.


© Smelli Notes 2001