Themes and message

Deception

The short story “Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies” by Salman Rushdie explores the theme of deception through Miss Rehana and Muhammad Ali. 

Both characters use deception to get what they want from each other. At first, Muhammad Ali intends to trick Miss Rehana into buying his fake documents for England. However, he changes his mind when he becomes charmed by her beauty and apparent naivety. Furthermore, Miss Rehana ends up tricking Muhammad Ali and using his advice for her own secret purposes. She gives Muhammad Ali the illusion that she wants to go to England and reveals the truth only at the end, when she lets him know about her plan. 

When discussing the theme of deception, it would also be useful to consider the characters’ motivations...