Khattum-Shud

“Haroun and the Sea of Stories” covers many of the things we have studied in class. It is a hero’s journey, complete with spiritual guides and mystic weapons. Haroun’s quest helps him find happiness and heal those around him. “Haroun” contains an anti-hero in the form of Mudra. When Haroun first comes upon Mudra, Mudra seems like a foe, someone that Haroun will go up against. He is scary in appearance, with his reverted eyes, and he is first shown fighting his shadow, something that seems wrong and terrifying. Mudra seems like he should be a villain but he turns out to be an ally for the land of Gup. In this way, he is an anti-hero. We expect him to be a villain but he is a good guy. The book also features a lot of magic, an element often found in traditional hero stories. “Beowulf” contains mystical creatures like Grendel, and Beowulf fights with an ancient, magical sword. “Haroun” is set in an otherworldly place known as Kahani, a moon. Here, there a talking fish and floating gardeners and ships made of shadows. Haroun uses some Wish Water and a Bite-a-Lite to accomplish his odyssey. The book contains a female hero, something that we have not really looked at. Blabbermouth is a strong woman. Men do not daunt her. When she and Haroun have an argument, she holds her own and wins. Because “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” is a hero cycle and features properties from all of our units, it is a good story to end the semester on.

You think it's easy for a girl to get a job like this?

There are indeed contemporary female heroes. There’s Wonder Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and, my personal favorite, Sydney Bristow from “Alias.” There’s also Neytiri from “Avatar,” Trinity from “The Matrix,” and Lyra Belacqua from “His Dark Materials.” Women can certainly be heroes, but they’re not always valued for being women. Sometimes, women are encouraged to act like men if they want to succeed. Mulan in the Disney film “Mulan” is forced to dress as a man in order to join the army and fight for her country. Without her disguise, her adventure would have never taken place. Other times, women are congratulated and recognized for having talents commonly associated with men. Medea in Euripides’s play “Medea” is praised for “thinking like man.” “Wow,” some of the men of the play exclaim when she talks to them. “You use logic when you argue. You think like man. Remarkable!” The assumption that traits like strength and intelligence are inherently masculine is degrading and rude. Too many times, heroines are admired just for their looks and sexuality. Just type in “female comic book heroes” into Google Images, and you’ll see what I mean. Heroines in comic books have ridiculous proportions and wear outfits that I really don’t think could handle much crime fighting. If female heroes are valued for their femininity, it’s more for what their sex entails than for what they can do to help raise the female population.