Sorcerer’s Apprentice, by Tahir Shah, is a travel narrative about Shah’s education in the art of illusion and his trek through India. Throughout the narrative, Shah meets many people and sees many things that contribute to the uniqueness of India. One of the most thought provoking concepts in the story are the supernatural characteristics given to objects that, in America, are basic parts of everyday life. An example of this is the salesman selling wedding eggs. Wedding eggs are Easter eggs bought out of season in America that the salesman claims, if given to wedding guests by brides family, will give them a plentiful future. The salesman was not, however, is only one who has his hands on out of season Easter eggs. A godman named Sri Gobind
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One could say America is also has a hyper consumerism culture, but in America, beliefs grounded in science are the norm. Things such as magic 8 balls and fortune telling provide most Americans with entertainment, not information to base the rest of their life on. The average American or Westerner would be quick to point out flaws in the supernatural, just like Shah did during his journey. In America, children learn from a young age that if science does not support something, then it cannot be true. Because of this, the hyper consumerism culture in America looks very different from that in India. One similarity between the cultures is that they both rely on illusion. Because in India, supernatural belief is common, salesmen might sell an otherwise useless product by claiming it is lucky. In America, companies could sell the same product by putting some false statistics on the packaging about how much it has improved the its users quality of life. Illusion is used in both examples; people in India wrongly believe the product is lucky, and people in America wrongly believe the scientific looking stats on the packaging are true. The interplay between illusion, the supernatural, and the hyper consumerist culture in India is very fascinating. After some analysis, one can see how all of these concepts can work together to transform something as simple as an
One could say America is also has a hyper consumerism culture, but in America, beliefs grounded in science are the norm. Things such as magic 8 balls and fortune telling provide most Americans with entertainment, not information to base the rest of their life on. The average American or Westerner would be quick to point out flaws in the supernatural, just like Shah did during his journey. In America, children learn from a young age that if science does not support something, then it cannot be true. Because of this, the hyper consumerism culture in America looks very different from that in India. One similarity between the cultures is that they both rely on illusion. Because in India, supernatural belief is common, salesmen might sell an otherwise useless product by claiming it is lucky. In America, companies could sell the same product by putting some false statistics on the packaging about how much it has improved the its users quality of life. Illusion is used in both examples; people in India wrongly believe the product is lucky, and people in America wrongly believe the scientific looking stats on the packaging are true. The interplay between illusion, the supernatural, and the hyper consumerist culture in India is very fascinating. After some analysis, one can see how all of these concepts can work together to transform something as simple as an