Haroun and The Sea of Stories- Chapter 3 & 4

pg. 50) Snooty Butto is the politician's name, and he is a bit on the arrogant side. He is taking Rashid and Haroun to a houseboat on the Dull Lake by swan-boat. The lake seems to be very temperamental and the weather is doing crazy things. This situation reminds Haroun of one of Rashid's stories called the Moody Land. The land would arrange itself to fit the mood of the people, and since Rashid was depressed, Snooty Butto was full of hot air, and Haroun was irritated by Buttto, the lake was following their moods! So, perhaps the Sea of Stories is actually full real of real stories in the world, or it's stories are influenced by different places and things my Earth. How else would the story of the Moody Land fit perfectly with the Dull Lake.

(pg. 57) As Rashid and Haroun settled in to sleep, Haroun hears a noise from his bathroom. Look at what he finds! A Water Genie disconnecting his father's Story Water tap. Rashid ended his subscription, thinking he's lost his storytelling talent. Haroun takes his powerful Disconnecting Tool and questions this Water Genie. How did he know his father ended the subscription?

"'He sent it by the usual means,' Iff shrugged. 'A P2C2E.'

'And what is that?'

'Obvious,' said the Water Genie with a wicked grin. 'It's a Process Too Complicated To Explain.'" (Rushdie 57) I knew it! I knew it was important and the real way to become a subscriber, or in this case, end a subscription.

(pg. 58) Haroun continues to question the Water Genie all about the Sea of Stories and the land it's located on.

"'At P2C2E House in Gup City there are many brilliant persons employed, but there is only one Grand Comptroller. They are the Eggheads. He is the Walrus.'" (Rushdie 58) Isn't that a Beatles song?

[I Am The Walrus, by The Beatles: I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus]

Eggheads, eggman... pretty close.

(pg. 66) The Genie named Iff has agreed to take Haroun to Gup City, where the Sea of Stories is. Haroun wants to talk to "the Walrus" about his dad's subscription. The way of transportation to another world is by mechanical bird, which reminds Haroun of another character he just met that day. "'You maybe have some objection to machines?' it inquired, in a loud, booming voice that was identical in every respect to the Mail Coach Driver's." (Rushdie 66) Just like in What is the What, everything from his present state to his past connected eventually, so Haroun's story all connects too with characters.

(pg. 75) The Chups are polluting the Gup's Sea of Stories! The Land of Chup is basically the anti-Land of Gup. Polluting the sacred Sea is a huge offense because the Gups are all about talking and storytelling and the Chups are all about silence. "... things at Gup City must be close to crisis. Quick, quick! Top speed ahead! This could mean war.'" (Rushdie 75) I can't help but connect theses two lands to the government versus the SPLA in Sudan. They both are civil wars (since the Land Of Gup and Chup are connected), and like the government unfairly hired the murhaleen to raid Sudan, the Chups poisoned the Gup's Sea of Stories.

Genie!