52 • “Wall of Force” Channels 2022 elements apparent in the text, the historical and biographical context, and the emphasis on the partition in Rushdie’s previous novels. The censorship interpretation, while an important facet of the text, ignores the postcolonial and historical ramifications of the text, and the postcolonial interpretation overlooks the historical context of the novel. Analyzing the text with the partition in mind allows the reader to connect Rushdie’s argument with a tangible and realistic situation. Rushdie presents the negatives of separation, and he ends the book by showing how separated groups can achieve unity by pushing aside their stereotypes and recognizing the humanity on either side of the divide, thereby encouraging two divided peoples to value one another. Biblical Analysis of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Postcolonial Theory, and the Partition Although Rushdie does not discuss Christianity in Haroun, Rushdie’s and postcolonial theory’s criticism of the Other—whether in a colonized and colonizer relationship or a geopolitical relationship—relate in some ways to the Bible’s discussion of Jew and Gentile conflict. The book of Genesis details how God createdmankind in His image (Genesis 1:27). The Apostle Paul later affirms, in the context of those baptized into the church, that God does not distinguish between different people groups: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 ESV). Paul repeats this idea in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Colossians 3:11. Under Christ, divided people groups like the Jews and Gentles can find peace and unity as well as acknowledge that God has created all humans, no matter their ethnicity, in His image. Postcolonial theorists who decry the idea of the Other because of its dehumanizing nature would agree with Christianity’s commandments concerning human relationships, though they do not draw upon a biblical worldview. This idea of the Other often relates to colonized and colonizer relationships, but the relationship between India and Pakistan after the partition demonstrates how two countries with similar origins and experiences can abuse and dehumanize one another. Christians cannot support all elements of postcolonial theory, but they can support the theory’s opposition to othering in any context. Separation can sever families and build physical or societal walls between two groups, as Rushdie experienced firsthand. Since the Bible urges respect for other humans and unity among believers, Christians should resist such separation and hostility. Rushdie does not champion one religion over another in his text, but Christians can notice how the Bible’s teachings of unity and the value of human life resonate with Rushdie’s novel.
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