He sees the worlds around him as existing only for the sake of being ruled, and his preferred method of ruling is through censorship. Khattam-Shud's desire to have absolute power stems from a need to control everything he possibly can. However, in spite of these threats, the novel ultimately champions the power of free speech, as Rashid's retelling of his and Haroun's adventures on the moon Kahani become an allegory for what is happening politically in Alfibay and ultimately leads to Mr.

Essentially, he understands the power that Rashid and his stories hold, and uses money and threats to attempt to censor what Rashid says. Buttoo hires Rashid to tell happy stories so that he can win the election in Alfibay. The general populace believes Rashid because he is upfront about the fact that his stories aren't true, while nobody trusts the politicos that make no such claims. The relationship between power and stories is first introduced when we learn that Rashid is in high demand with politicos (politicians). Consequentially, censorship emerges as a major theme as characters battle for power over not just what language can and should say or do, but over language itself. The novel presents a very clear position that language is power, and whoever is in possession of language can exert power over those around them. Especially in light of these events, Haroun and the Sea of Stories can be considered a meditation on ideas of power and censorship, and how language and stories are tools that can be used to exert, maintain, or undermine power. Haroun and the Sea of Stories was written in the years following the publishing of The Satanic Verses, which sparked immense controversy and began a years-long battle between Rushdie and some Muslim-majority countries, particularly Iran, over freedom of speech.

The novel haroun and the sea of stories