LANGUAGE AND DICTION THEME ANALYSIS

Haroun and the Sea of Stories is extremely concerned with words, naming, and the intricacies of

language in general. It is lled with puns, plays on words, and double meanings, all of which

encourage the reader to consider how exactly language works and functions, as well as what

exactly its purpose is.

The novel contains many characters and locations whose names are derived from Hindustani

words, and Rushdie even includes a reference glossary to provide the reader with additional

tools to understand the names. This asserts, rst and foremost, the idea that names and words

have meaning and are worthy of consideration unto themselves. Most of the names have to do

with language and speaking, such as "Gup" meaning gossip and "Batcheat" coming from a word

that means chit-chat. In this way, the names of characters provide further evidence that

language is something important and worthy of study. In the same vein, "Khattam-Shud" means

"completely nished," and the character Khattam-Shud wishes to essentially nish and eradicate

completely all the stories in the Ocean. Similarly, Rashid and Haroun's names come from Harun

Al-Rashid, a historical caliph and an integral gure in One Thousand and One Nights. This

reference provides further weight to their positions as storytellers.

Verse, rhyming, and song are used to highlight important passages and relationships throughout

the text. The Plentimaw shes mate for life, and speak in rhyming couplets with their partner in

order to show their devotion to them. Similarly, though Batcheat's physical presence is minimal

throughout the text, when she does speak, she's most often singing about her love for Prince

Bolo. Rhyme also works to turn the act of reading the novel from a solo endeavor to a communal

one, as some rhymes are harder to pick out unless they're read aloud and heard. This works to

support the idea that language is not something to be used or understood by one person, as

Khattam-Shud would like it to be, since he's the only Chupwala allowed to speak. Rather,
language is a means of communication between individuals.

Iff the Water Genie states early on that to name or label something brings that thing into

existence. This raises the question of what the act of naming something means, and what the

implications are when naming and language are removed. Haroun's home city in Al bay is so sad,

it's forgotten its name. Further, the logic of the novel suggests that Khattam-Shud's insistence on

silence will also mean that names are lost or forgotten as a result of the silence. These

relationships between silence and loss indicate that the presence of language is linked to

happiness and an understanding of one's existence in the world, while the complete absence of

language eliminates understanding and purpose. In this way, when Haroun's city remembers that

its name is Kahani, which means "story," it is lled with happiness and celebration thanks to its

reclamation of its name and of this speci c language. Essentially, the novel's insistence on the

importance of naming encompasses the idea that by creating and using speci c language to

describe something, we can then begin to understand and engage with that thing in a

meaningful and purposeful way.