The short stories of East West by Salman Rushdie fixate on the enmity created by pressures escalating between the modern and traditional worlds. The high-strug characters in Rushdie’s stories are commonly used as symbolic figure for either a modern or traditional lifestyle. Throughout the numerous short stories, Rushdie continuously pits the new against the old, allowing the reader to observe the dramatic controversies against these two counterparts. The feuds between the two domains always struggle in trumping one another. As these disputes take a grotesque shift, Rushdie skillfully illustrates the expanding intensities of both sides. The reader can clearly study the opposing characters compeling each other to sink deeper into their beliefs.
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Tensions between the modern and traditional worlds exist and arise from both sides attempting to define gender roles. In The Prophet’s Hair, Hashim, the father of Huma, changes after the discovery of an ancient relic, a hair of the Prophet Muhammad. Hashim transformed from a family oriented, nurturing father to a strict, pious man, “accusing his daughter of lasciviousness, because she went around the city barefaced, which was unseemly for any good Muslim girl to do” (46). Hashim’s intensively religious mindset and traditional views lead him to believe that men have authority over women. Furthermore, Hashim believed in the traditional woman who is meant to be dependant, obedient and lower on the social hierarchy. Huma, his strong willed and modern daughter argued with her traditional father, stating that his traditional ways contradicted the modern beliefs he once had. As a result of religion taking control of Hashim, the once compassionate father disowned and beat his child in response to her protests. The harsh gender role of lowering women created by tradition complicated and ultimately tore Hashim’s stable family to shreds. In The Free Radio, Ramani, a young rickshaw driver falls in love with an elderly widow. The narrator opposes this pairing and confronts the widow, surprised …show more content…
In Good Advice is Rarer Than Rubies, Ali, an older crook becomes captivated by a young girl, Rehana, and her beauty. Ali is found to be helpless and raptured by Rehana’s aurora, eventually admitting, “the oldest fools are bewitched by the youngest girls” (11). Ali’s rugged lifestyle is immediately transformed by a single sight of Rehana’s youth. As the con-man persona of Ali vanishes, he takes the risk of not collecting enough money for his daily meal. Once Ali offers advice to Rehana without a charge, he accepts the dire consequences. Throughout the story, the aged thief struggles to construct excuses in order to gaze at Rehana’s beauty. With every small glance of her youthfulness, Ali is put at ease by being so enchanted by her beauty. Rehana’s alluring complexion allows Ali to forget the familiar feelings of nearing death. Ali becomes so attracted to what he doesn’t have that finds an escape through Rehana’s youth. In The Free Radio, the narrator strongly disagrees against the relationship of an elderly widow and the adolescent Ramani. The traditional narrator tries to break apart this modern couple by challenging the widow, stating, “Ramani the rickshaw boy is dear to me, and you must find some person of your own age” (23). The widow’s older age provokes animosity in the narrator because of his vigorous, traditional views. Despite the narrator being of rather
Tensions between the modern and traditional worlds exist and arise from both sides attempting to define gender roles. In The Prophet’s Hair, Hashim, the father of Huma, changes after the discovery of an ancient relic, a hair of the Prophet Muhammad. Hashim transformed from a family oriented, nurturing father to a strict, pious man, “accusing his daughter of lasciviousness, because she went around the city barefaced, which was unseemly for any good Muslim girl to do” (46). Hashim’s intensively religious mindset and traditional views lead him to believe that men have authority over women. Furthermore, Hashim believed in the traditional woman who is meant to be dependant, obedient and lower on the social hierarchy. Huma, his strong willed and modern daughter argued with her traditional father, stating that his traditional ways contradicted the modern beliefs he once had. As a result of religion taking control of Hashim, the once compassionate father disowned and beat his child in response to her protests. The harsh gender role of lowering women created by tradition complicated and ultimately tore Hashim’s stable family to shreds. In The Free Radio, Ramani, a young rickshaw driver falls in love with an elderly widow. The narrator opposes this pairing and confronts the widow, surprised …show more content…
In Good Advice is Rarer Than Rubies, Ali, an older crook becomes captivated by a young girl, Rehana, and her beauty. Ali is found to be helpless and raptured by Rehana’s aurora, eventually admitting, “the oldest fools are bewitched by the youngest girls” (11). Ali’s rugged lifestyle is immediately transformed by a single sight of Rehana’s youth. As the con-man persona of Ali vanishes, he takes the risk of not collecting enough money for his daily meal. Once Ali offers advice to Rehana without a charge, he accepts the dire consequences. Throughout the story, the aged thief struggles to construct excuses in order to gaze at Rehana’s beauty. With every small glance of her youthfulness, Ali is put at ease by being so enchanted by her beauty. Rehana’s alluring complexion allows Ali to forget the familiar feelings of nearing death. Ali becomes so attracted to what he doesn’t have that finds an escape through Rehana’s youth. In The Free Radio, the narrator strongly disagrees against the relationship of an elderly widow and the adolescent Ramani. The traditional narrator tries to break apart this modern couple by challenging the widow, stating, “Ramani the rickshaw boy is dear to me, and you must find some person of your own age” (23). The widow’s older age provokes animosity in the narrator because of his vigorous, traditional views. Despite the narrator being of rather