The grammar of idolsSay no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'?Get Original Essay Salman Rushdie's 'Hair of the Prophet' reflects religious practice and worship as a number of people cross paths with route of a sacred relic that was stolen from their mosque. A vial containing a lock of Muhammad's hair is collected by Hashim only to incite chaos and suffering among the non-believers she encounters. It can easily be said that this interpretation forms the basis of the message of the story. However, the assumption that relic idolatry is the only destructive force in history overlooks another possibility. The second idol in the text is money. A grammatical analysis of “Hair of the Prophet” reveals that the money, not the relic, acts as the destructive force that drives the plot as it transforms from normative grammar and redefines itself in different parts of speech. Grammatically, both idols are nouns, but silver's ability to transform into an adjective and verb suggests that its power extends beyond that of the relic. Relic appears primarily as a name. The first introduction to this idol states that Hashim "noticed a small vial" (2856). The use of the word "vial" as a descriptor for the relic is repeated several times throughout the text. In addition to the term "vial", the relic is called "a cylinder of tinted glass" and "hair" (2857). The relic is most often called a "relic", "hair" or "vial". The most creative interpretation of the idol is the speaker's choice to call it "treasure" in two places in the text (2857, 2860). The word treasure, while more elaborate than other words used to summon the relic idol, is still a noun. Even then, this name contains a double meaning. Treasure, although referred to as a relic in history, is traditionally an item of great monetary value. Additionally, the Money Idol is often presented as a noun, but unlike the stagnant nature of the relic, it also takes the form of an adjective. In phrases such as “the story of the rich idiot,” monetary value is implored as a descriptor of a type of person (2854). Although the person is described as a fool, the adjective used to define fool is inherently rooted in wealth. Here, as in many other examples in the text, money is the determining force for the interpretation of people, places, ideas, and things. The names in the narrative are swallowed up in monetary descriptors. Even those who lack funds are defined by their relationship to money. In one case, men are described as “hired thugs” (2859). These men's employment – ​​their financial ties to the company and Hashim – is the crucial element of their identification. If not “hired,” these men, like “thugs,” might not be trustworthy or pose a threat to Hashim. Instead, the narrator chooses to use money as a descriptor in order to better define the role and relationship of the men involved in the scene. Once again, this use of money as an adjective plays an important role in developing and defining the plot. Complementing the nature of money as an adjective, the use of money as a verb deepens the grammatical expansion of idol in contrast to relic easily defined as a noun. Huma, the moneylender's daughter, asks: "Where can I hire a thief?" (2854). This question poses money as a verb manifested in the word “hire.” Hiring a person suggests that a monetary exchange forgoods or services will be provided. Money is therefore the action, the force which animates the narrative movement of history. Huma also states that her father "will pay no ransom" when she addresses the thieves in unfamiliar surroundings (2854). Money is revealed in the form of the verb “to pay” several times in the text. The constant presence of the idol in this verbal form reaffirms the active and unwavering role of the idol in the lives of the characters and in the results of their actions. The money idol is presented as an overwhelming and all-encompassing force by its nature as a noun, adjective and verb. On the other hand, the idol of the relic remains a constant name, an object outside the actions and definitions assumed by the characters. A deeper understanding of the particular grammatical categories that each idol assumes as a noun reveals the dynamic behavior of money in relation to the static nature of the relic. When presented as a noun, relic can still be classified as a thing. The words “vial,” “relic,” and “hair” remain nouns that are objects that can be observed and held. It is something both measurable and physically apparent. As such, the object cannot move or change in any way; on the contrary, it remains the same despite changes in the environment. Unlike the static interpretation of the relic as an idol, money transcends expectations and explores identification as a person and idea in addition to being a thing or object. The very first mention of money is presented as an idea rather than an object. Atta, Huma's brother, is identified with "a burst of unmistakable wealth." The word “wealth” is a noun that is categorized as an idea. This is repeated in the text with the mentions of "value" and "fortune", which are also ideas. A noun as an object is clearly defined and stagnant, while ideas can transform societies, grow or shrink, and change depending on perspective. Ideas cannot be clearly categorized or concretely limited in the way that the relic can as a nominal object. Money's ability to take on the role of an idea as well as that of an object gives it unlimited power and influence over the text, characters, and conclusions. Additionally, money is presented as a noun that can be classified as a person. Words synonymous with money or specified by their relationship to money replace the real names of the men in the story. The presence of the idol of money as a name indicative of people suggests that money is far more dangerous or influential than the non-existence of the language of the relic to replace the characters entirely. Hashim, Sin, and characters who are never given formal names are identified and referred to as their respective professions or means of acquiring financial status. The noun money takes the form of a person when Hashim is simply called "the moneylender" (2856). Likewise, Sin is called “Thief of thieves” or more simply “the burglar” (2861). In both cases, the characters are named according to their relationship to money and their involvement in financial affairs. The idol of money is so deeply ingrained in society that proper nouns such as birth names are replaced by references to the idol worshiped by society: money. Ironically, the relic itself is a hair from the head of Mohammad, a man. Despite this fact, the use of the word relic and those that accompany it are never used as poignant or solitary references to people. Referring to an entire person through the language of an idol would suggest that this force is truly dangerous because it transcends the root.