Advocacy of Free Speech in Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Abstract

Haroun and the Sea of Storiesby Salman Rushdie, on one level is a children’s adventure story, written in a fairy tale style with a blend of multiple postcolonial narrative techniques which transcends all the previous techniques, while on the other level, it deals with Rushdie’s reaction to his real life events that boycotted his freedom. This study makes an attempt to track down the elements that reflect Salman Rushdie’s advocacy of free speech along the line ofpostcolonial perspective. In its quest to find answers to the research questions–How do the characters oppose colonial motives? Why is Salman Rushdie in favour of free speech? Is it possible in closed society?--this study arrives at the conclusion that, speaking from the backdrop of the censorship experienced by the author in his life, the novel reveals Rushdie’s will to free speech and expressionas well as open societyin various ways. The conclusion effects fromRushdie’sportrayal of a postcolonial world of freedom loving characters and an amalgamation ofa number of literary devices such asallegory,allusion, wordplay,symbols and images that largely correspond toRushdie’sreal life events, especially relating the censorship. ThoughRushdiesometimes seems to favor silenceand darkness,the novel clearly stands in favour of free speech and open society. The victory oftheGuppees over the Chupwalas, the end of Khattam-Shud, the symbol for censorship, the emphasis on open societyand the revival and continuation of culture of story and song at the end of the story all help justify this point.