1. Introduction
While reading the title of Rushdie’s short story cycle East, West a very important question arises in the reader’s mind: does Rushdie use the comma in between the title to show the binary division of the Orient and Occident or does he want to make a bridge between East and West (Homeless Is Where the Art Is 162)?
However, after in depth research on this book, it becomes clear that Rushdie goes even further than this bridging device. He not only tries to connect or mediate both the East and West, but as a traveller and migrant himself, he pokes fun at the traditional notions of Orient and Occident, employing a vast range of styles, genres, structures and techniques, finally deconstructing the binary division between East and West.
In doing so, he subverts the reader’s traditional assumptions about the Orient and Occident and clarifies that, in today’s reality; the East and West cannot be described in such a simplistic way anymore.
In Imaginary Homelands, Rushdie writes that “literature is, of all the arts, the one best suited to challenging absolutes of all kinds” (Beck: 356) this is precisely what happens in his short story cycle East, West. Nothing is “sacred” any longer, hence most of the stories in East, West can be regarded as examinations to provoke and deconstruct the inviolable of Eastern and Western culture (Beck 360).
To summarise, Rushdie mocks absolutist concepts of the oriental and occidental systems. By criticizing and deconstructing traditional notions he points out that, within the global village, the East and West are closely interrelated and cannot be regarded as opposites. Rushdie goes far beyond the familiar row about the binary division of the Orient and Occident.
Although the short stories in East, West on the one hand embrace this deconstructive design and on the other depict the abundance and manifoldness of human existence in the Orient and Occident, they do not provide easy interpretations.
This term paper attempts to determine the way Rushdie criticizes and deconstructs the traditional concepts and prejudices regarding the Orient and Occident and the way in which he disassembles these false images. The thesis that Rushdie deconstructs the binary division between the East and the West and displays the world as an intricate, interrelated system will be the main focus of this paper.
Two stories from the East part of his short story cycle East, West; Good Advice Is Rarer than Rubies, The Prophet’s Hair one...
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. East
2.1. Good Advice Is Rarer than Rubies – Deconstructing the binary division
2.2. The Prophet’s Hair – Deconstructing the binary division
3. West
3.1. At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers – Deconstructing the binary division
4. East, West
4.1. The Courter – deconstructing the binary division
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper aims to analyze how Salman Rushdie criticizes and deconstructs traditional binary oppositions between the Orient and the Occident in his short story cycle East, West. The central thesis posits that Rushdie challenges simplistic stereotypical portrayals by depicting a world characterized by an intricate and interrelated system, rather than mutually exclusive entities.
- Deconstruction of Orientalist and Occidentalist stereotypes.
- Examination of the interplay between Eastern and Western cultural paradigms.
- Analysis of Rushdie's stylistic techniques, including magic realism and anachronistic narration.
- Critique of religious fundamentalism and the role of the "global village."
- Exploration of linguistic appropriation and post-colonial identity.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2. The Prophet’s Hair – Deconstructing the binary division
The Prophet’s hair is a story based on the disappearance of the hair of the Prophet Muhammad from the Hazrat Bal Mosque in Srinagar in 1963. Rushdie develops his story from this incident. He deconstructs eastern absolutes concerning the blind veneration of the Prophet Muhammad. This story introduces a note of magic realism. Through the simple act of spending some time in the same environment as the Prophet’s hair, four paralysed beggars are healed and their mother regains her sight (Rushdie East, West 63).
Hashim the wealthy moneylender is “not a godly man [but sets great store by] living honourably in the world” and asks for interest rates of over seventy percent, despite the rules of the Qur’an (Rushdie, East, West 43). At first, his wife and children live quite a secular life. His daughter Huma, for example, reluctantly visits a Muslim girl, goes to the cinema and does not wear a purdah. No one in the family prays five times a day.
One morning after Hashim accidentally finds the relic of Prophet Muhammad’s hair, his behaviour suddenly changes. He starts forcing his family to live according to the laws of Islam. He becomes a religious fanatic. However, quite surprisingly, this change in his life does not change his morality. He starts beating his wife and daughter and is merciless to his debtors.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the core argument regarding Rushdie's subversion of the binary division between East and West, establishing the text as a critique of absolutist concepts.
2. East: Analyzes how the short stories in this section dismantle stereotypes regarding Eastern femininity, submissiveness, and the perceived mysterious or irrational nature of the Orient.
3. West: Explores the critique of Western materialism and the psychological disorientation within the capitalist system, using the context of a dystopian, fictionalized future.
4. East, West: Investigates the significance of the comma in the title and the theme of language as a power structure to deconstruct the idea that individuals must choose between Eastern or Western identity.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the analysis to confirm that Rushdie successfully presents the Orient and Occident as complex, interrelated systems rather than rigid opposites.
Keywords
Salman Rushdie, East West, Post-colonialism, Deconstruction, Orientalism, Occident, Orient, Binary Division, Magic Realism, Cultural Identity, Literature, Ideology, Religious Fundamentalism, Intertextuality, Global Village.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic work?
The paper examines Salman Rushdie’s short story cycle East, West to explore how the author deconstructs the binary opposition typically perceived between Eastern and Western cultures.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The work focuses on cultural stereotypes, the critique of religious fundamentalism, Western materialism, linguistic identity, and the blurring of boundaries between reality and fiction.
What is the main research question?
The thesis investigates how Rushdie utilizes various narrative techniques to disassemble false images of the Orient and the Occident and whether he presents them as an interrelated global system.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper employs literary analysis, drawing upon post-colonial theory and secondary critical literature to interpret Rushdie's short stories within their socio-political contexts.
What is the focus of the main section?
The main part of the paper provides close readings of specific stories like Good Advice Is Rarer than Rubies, The Prophet’s Hair, At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers, and The Courter to support the overarching thesis.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Orientalism, Deconstruction, Post-colonialism, Cultural Identity, and Interrelatedness.
How does the author characterize the 'comma' in the title?
The author argues that the comma represents the bridge or the middle space where Rushdie himself, as a migrant and writer, exists, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the two worlds.
In what way does the paper critique religious fundamentalism?
Through the analysis of The Prophet’s Hair, the paper illustrates how Rushdie portrays religion when turned into a "sick fetish" for political or personal power, ultimately advocating for the use of intellect over blind religious adherence.
- Quote paper
- Abdullah Buran (Author), 2009, Salman Rushdie’s East, West: Deconstructing the binary division between Orient and Occident, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/138688
