The Miracles of Satire

        In a world that constantly contradicts itself, satire can become an important concept when analyzing the world around you.  When you can order a super sized Big Mac and at the same time enjoy a “diet” Coke, how can one take themselves seriously?   In the collection of short stories entitled East, West by Salman Rushdie, satire is a common theme manipulated to drive messages home for readers.  In the story entitled “The Prophet’s Hair” Rushdie uses satire to make a statement on religious standards and family values. 
        Hashim, a successful money lender is a major character in this story of tragic outcomes.  A picture is painted of a happy family, coexisting in harmony and bringing out the best in each other.  All of this changes when Hashim discovers a preserved hair from the prophet Muhammad and chooses to not return it to its rightful place.  This kind of moral breech has been discusses in many popular stories and movies over time.  Starting at a young age, we are warned against the crimes of keeping what is not ours, or trespassing on other people’s property or belongings.  The effacing of other’s personal property has been a common theme in Hollywood movies and rumored curses in the real world.  When a family moved onto an Indian burial ground and found an array of things threatening them, the movies Poltergeist shows how Hollywood adapted to this theory of intruding on other’s space.  When King Tutankhamen’s remains and personal objects were removed from their resting place, a curse was rumored to follow those who disturbed them.  Much like these situations, when Hashim decides to keep the relic for himself, his life is negatively effected by this decision.  This kind of satire is used as a warning mechanism for children and adults alike to remind them of the consequences of taking what is not rightfully yours.
        After Hashim decides to keep the relic, he find that his religious inclinations overpower any loyalty or compassion he feels for his family.  He tells his wife that he has been cheating on her, he informs his son that he is a “dope” and accuses his daughter of “lasciviousness” because she does not wear the proper face covering.  Hashim requires ritual prayers five times a day and burns all books except for the Qur’an.  He requires readings of Qur’an passages two hours everyday and physically abuses his family.  He also tears into his clients in his money-lending career, causing them to flee with injuries from his residence.  The physical abuse aside, Hashim’s daily regiment of religious piety is what you might expect from a family who is devoted to their faith.  Instead of comfort and strength, anguish and terror arise from these activities being forcibly performed by his family.  Satire is used to show a family who suddenly acquires strict religious devotion, and is torn to the brink of insanity by it.  Religion is a standard of faith, strength and togetherness no matter where you live in the world, or what faith you follow.  The fact that religion is the culprit of this family’s torment involves the use of creative satire.  Hashim’s overnight conversion has caused an unspeakable amount of pain for his family and eventually is a means to their destruction. 
        Another use of satire by Rushdie in “The Prophet’s Hair,” is the “miracles” the hair brings about.  The first is Hashim’s sudden enlightenment and devotion to religion.  This event causes the death of himself and his loved ones.  If this “miracle” was not brought forth by the hair, his family would have functioned normally and lived out their lives free from the tragedies that ensued after Hashim’s conversion.  The next event is the awakening of Hashim’s son Atta after he has been trapped in a deep coma.  Atta wakes at the exact moment a thief is in his father’s presence and Atta exclaims “Thief!” before collapsing on his death bed and sending his mother into hysterics.  This rouses his father and sets in motion the death of Hashim and his daughter.  If Atta had not miraculously awoke, the fate of Hashim and his daughter could have had a different outcome.  The next “miracle” is the curing of the thief’s crippled sons.  By disfiguring them at birth, their father enables them to achieve a relatively steady income as beggars.  Upon their “healing” they are thrown into debt and poverty because they do not have the sympathy extracting features they once relied on.  The final “miracle” is that the thief’s wife, who has been stricken with blindness, regains her sights.  She is now free to live out her final days viewing the slums she resides in.  Each of these “miracles” taken out of context, are empowering and positive events.  Finding religious faith, regaining vision and the healing of the crippled are all normally fantastic and inspiring events.  However, Rushdie uses his satire to incorporate them into the story in a way which turns them into unfavorable events that cause the characters much misery and suffering.
        Throughout the story “The Prophet’s Hair,” Rushdie effectively uses satire in a way which turns our world upside down.  A religious relic destroys a family and brings about misfortune all through seemingly benevolent “miracles.”  Rushdie’s satire reflects how our everyday values and actions can be questioned in an effort to get to the bottom of in which way is the most meaningful and successful life achieved.  Everyone has differing beliefs and practices, an example of a functioning family turned awry by a religion is a perfect example of the power of satire in our everyday life.