E212: British Literature since 1760

Salman Rushdie Study Questions

Al Drake | Uni Hall 329 | Th. 6:00-7:00 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com

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Assigned: "The Prophet's Hair" (2842ff).

1. General question: what features of "magic-realism" appear in this short story? What do the conventions of such a genre as magic-realism make possible that would not be possible in a story without supernatural occurrences?

2. Discuss a few of the most salient features of Rushdie's style as a storyteller--for example, the way he structures his tale, and the quality of language employed to convey it. What seems to be the narrator's attitude towards the events he tells us about?

3. Why is it appropriate that the moneylender Hashim, of all people, should be so "lucky" as to happen upon the stolen vial with the Prophet's lock of hair? That is, what is it about his way of life, and the attitudes he manifests, that might make him the man to have such an experience? And why does he keep the vial instead of returning it to the mosque?

4. How do you account for the changes in behavior Hashim undergoes once he decides to hang on to the vial--simultaneously (and contradictorily) becoming devout in his religious practices, beating his wife, abusing his children, and savagely pursuing his debtors?

5. What lesson should we take away from the experience of Sín, the thief engaged by Hashim's daughter Huma to steal the vial from under Hashim's pillow, and the experience of the thief's own family (his four lame sons and his blind wife)? Why should he fail, and why should they be restored to health and sight?

6. This story is parable-like in its tone, so it makes sense to ask whether it offers a moral lesson. What do you take to be the moral of the story? One thing to consider is the question, "what happens when something sacred comes into the possession of those who are unworthy of it?" But perhaps you have other questions to pose and explore....

Edition: Abrams, M.H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2A. Seventh edition. New York: Norton, 2000.