The Allegory Of Censorship In Salman Rushdie’s Haroon And The Sea Of Stories

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the allegorical issue of censorship politics in Haroun and the Sea of Stories. It is Salman Rushdie’s fifth novel following the publication of The Satanic Verses. Haroun and the Sea of Stories appears to be a children’s book on the surface, but it also contains an adult cautionary story.  Rushdie’s personal experiences with censorship are reflected in this highly metaphorical book, which can be interpreted in the light of the global uproar that followed the release of The Satanic Verses. The Ayatollah of Iran issued a ‘fatwa’ against Rushdie as a result of the novel's contentious portrayal of Islam. He began living a secretive and reclusive lifestyle as a result, and it was at this time that he published Haroun and the Sea of Stories. The separation between the Guppees and the Chupwalas, as well as the Old Zone section of the Sea of Stories, serve as vehicles for Rushdie's experiences with censorship. Rashid, Princess Batcheat, Prince Bolo, and even Haroun are all characters in the book who allegorically represent Rushdie. By using an allegorical method, Rushdie provides his own opinions regarding his circumstances and those in charge of censoring while discreetly making fun of himself and his place in the bigger scheme of things. In the end, however, Rushdie wrote the book with the greater issue of censorship in mind rather than the significance of his particular circumstance.