The grammar of idols Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "The Hair of the Prophet" by Salman Rushdie reflects on religious practice and worship as a number of people encounter a holy relic that has had their mosque stolen. A vial, containing a lock of Muhammad's hair, is retrieved by Hashim only to incite chaos and suffering among the non-believers he encounters. It can easily be argued that this interpretation underlies the message of the story. However, the assumption that relic idolatry is the only destructive force in history overlooks another possibility. The second idol woven into the text is money. A grammatical analysis of “The Hair of the Prophet” reveals that money, not the relic, acts as a destructive force that drives the plot as it transforms from normative grammar and redefines itself in various parts of speech. Grammatically both idols are nouns, but money's ability to transform into an adjective and verb suggests that its power extends beyond that of the relic. Relic appears primarily as a noun. The first introduction to this idol states that Hashim “noticed a small vial” (2856). The use of the word “phial” as a descriptor of the relic is repeated numerous times throughout the text. In addition to being a "vial", the relic is called a "coloured glass cylinder" and a "hair" (2857). The relic is commonly called a “relic”, “hair” or “phial”. 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, although more elaborate than other words used to invoke the relic idol, remains a noun. Even then, this noun contains a double meaning. A treasure, although referred to as a relic in history, is traditionally an object of great monetary value. Furthermore, money idol often occurs as a noun, but unlike the stagnant nature of the relic, it also takes form as an adjective. In phrases like “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 the fool is intrinsically rooted in wealth. Here, as in many other cases in the text, money is the force that controls the interpretation of people, places, ideas, and things. The names of the narrative are swallowed up by monetary descriptors. Even those without funds are defined by their relationship with money. In one case the men are described as “hired thugs” (2859). The employment of these men - their financial ties to the company and Hashim - is the crucial element of identification. If these men were not “hired,” as “thugs,” they could be untrustworthy or a threat to Hashim. Instead, the narrator chooses to use money as a descriptor 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 establishing the plot. Complimenting the nature of money as an adjective, the use of money as a verb deepens the grammatical expansion of the idol in contrast to the 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 for goods or services will be provided. Therefore, money is the action, the force that drives narrative movement in the story. Huma also states that her father "won't pay any ransom" when she reaches outto thieves in an unfamiliar environment (2854). Money is revealed several times in the text in the form of the verb “to pay.” The constant presence of the idol in this verbal form reaffirms the idol's unwavering and active role in the lives of the characters and the results of their actions.actions. The idol of money presents itself as an overwhelming and all-encompassing force in its nature as a noun, adjective and verb. On the other hand, the relic idol remains a constant noun, an object outside of the actions and definitions that the characters take on. A deeper understanding of the particular grammatical categories that each idol as a noun takes on reveals the dynamic behavior of money versus the static nature of the relic. When presented as a noun, relic can always be classified as a thing. The words “vial,” “relic,” and “hair” remain nouns that are objects that can be observed and held in the hand. It is something measurable and physically evident. As such, the object cannot move or change in any way; rather it remains the same despite changes in the environment. In contrast to 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 "an unmistakable splendor of wealth." The word “wealth” is a noun classified as an idea. This is repeated in the text along with mentions of “valor” and “luck,” also ideas. A noun as an object is clearly defined and stagnant, while ideas can transform societies, grow or shrink, and change based on perspective. Ideas cannot be precisely categorized or concretely limited as the relic can be as a substantive object. Money's ability to embrace the role of an idea, as well as an object, gives it unlimited power and influence over the text, characters, and conclusions. Furthermore, money is presented as a noun that can be classified as a person. Words synonymous with money or clarified by their relation to money replace the actual names of the men in the narrative. The presence of the money idol as a noun indicative of people suggests that money is much more dangerous or influential than the nonexistence of relic language to entirely replace people. Hashim, Sin, and characters who are never formally named are identified and referred to as their respective occupations or ways of acquiring financial status. The noun money takes shape as a person when Hashim is simply called “the moneylender” (2856). Likewise, Sin is called “Thief of thieves” or more simply “thief” (2861). In both cases, the characters are named for their relationship with money and involvement in financial matters. The idol of money is so deeply rooted in society that first names like birth names are replaced by references to the idol that society worships: money. Ironically, the relic itself is a hair from the head of Muhammad, a person. Despite this, the use of the word relic and those that accompany it are never used as poignant or solitary references to people. The act of referring to an entire person through the language of an idol would suggest that strength is truly dangerous as it transcends the root of humanity. In contrast to this dangerous state, the relic idol abandons its confines as a noun to be replaced by a pronoun. When not appearing directly as a specified object noun, sentences like "have found it" use the pronoun "it" for.