Pyramids is the seventh book in the Discworld Series and it is the first of the Ancient Civilization sequence. Pyramids consists of four parts: The Book of Going Fourth, The Book of the Dead, The Book of the New Son, The Book of 101 Things A Boy Can Do.
In this novel, Pratchett reveals the strong relationship between religion and politics and directs his cri
criticize any particular religion; instead, he questions the concept of religion as a whole focusing on the politics-religion relationship, religious rituals, beliefs, and traditions.
Although these are very serious issues, Pratchett skillfully blends them with humour.
Pyramids can be regarded as a properly-executed satire of religion and politics in which Pratchett criticizes fundamentalism and the use of religion in politics. Similar to other Discworld novels, Pyramids has an inquisitive structure and Pratchett asks his readers some difficult questions about the established norms in their societies. Pratchett
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plays with and distorts many Egyptian stereotypes and religious subjects and asks his questions while doing it. The narrator usually creates a contrast between Dios and Teppic, and encourages his readers to give their decision about some debatable subjects such as the role of religion in justice and politics. Dios, which means God in Spanish, is an aged high priest and the story's antagonist. He is blindly devoted to the country's traditions at all costs and can be seen as the role model of today's politicians who foreground their interests. Dios' religious fervor stems from his ambition to hold the power in the country. Dios can also be analyzed not only as a man but as an understanding. He is seven thousand years old, which implies that he represents the rulers' mentality who exploit religion and even invent new religious rules to maintain their position. On the other side, Teppic is the first member of his family who is educated outside of his kingdom. The education he takes in Ankh-Morpork makes him more modern and innovative about how to rule his country. Teppic's modern ideas clash with Dios' traditional beliefs throughout the novel. Teppic realizes, in a short time, that what seems proper according to the history of the country may not be best for the future of his country. Pratchett thus satirizes the relationship between religion and politics and criticizes the inequalities, injustice, lavishness, and rulers' selfishness hidden under the guise of religion.
In Pyramids, Pratchett gives people a chance to look at the religion they believe in. He encourages his readers to see what they believe from a different perspective.
Pratchett never says that religion is bad or one should not believe in anything. He respects his readers' faith in religion; he just encourages them to question the things they believe in, instead of blindly taking them for granted. Like the other Discworld novels, Pyramids has an inquisitive spirit, and Pratchett asks questions about the established norms and rituals of religion throughout the novel. As in other Discworld books,
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Pratchett uses satire to deal with the abovementioned issues. Questioning the relationship between religion and politics is a serious issue, but satire, which includes implicit criticism with humour, protects the satirist from any overreaction. Despite the questions it raises about religion, it would be wrong to regard Pyramids as a book about religion. In a humorous way, Pratchett tells the story of a young boy becoming a king and trying to save his kingdom. He blends his questions into the plot very wittily and skillfully so that they do not push the story into the background. The novel is to be studied to reveal the satirical aspects, and the comparisons, unexpected events, and the narrator's direct criticism against the exploitation of religion are to be used and shown with quotations for the analysis of the novel. Firstly a synopsis of the novel will be given before the analysis.
In Pyramids Pratchett tells the story of Pteppic who is the son of the king of an old kingdom named Djelibeybi. This is a really old kingdom located in a desert and it is described in the novel as such:
A kingdom two miles wide and one hundred and fifty miles long, which was almost entirely under water during the flood season, and threatened on either side by stronger neighbours who tolerated its existence only because they'd be constantly at war if it wasn't there (20).
The kingdom suffers from monetary problems because they spend all their money in order to build gorgeous pyramids to bury its dead kings. Therefore, Pteppic is sent to Ankh-Morpork to learn a new profession- to become an assassin and earn money for himself. The readers meet Pteppic in Ankh-Morpork and learn how he passes all those difficult exams and becomes an assassin while getting a little insight into the Assassin's Guild. Then, something unexpected happens and the king, who is also a
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pharaoh, dies so Pteppic needs to return to his kingdom and be the new king as he is the only heir to the throne. Upon becoming the new king, Pteppic wants to change something in the kingdom for people's welfare. However, in a short time, he understands that not the king but the thousands of years old traditions rule the kingdom.
The high priest Dios, who sticks to the traditions blindly, seems to be at the king's service at first sight, but he manipulates the king and decides what should be done in the kingdom. After various adventures, Pteppic escapes from the country with a handmaiden named Ptracci who turns out to be his half-sister. The two ride on the back of a camel named You Bastard, who is as is stressed many times in the story, the best mathematician in the kingdom. Meanwhile, a huge pyramid which is built for Pteppic's father warps time and space. Its effect on the kingdom is so great that the whole kingdom is rotated by 90 degrees. Further, a chaos starts in Djelibeybi as many different gods descend to the kingdom from the mountain they reside in and start playing with each other and fighting. Furthermore, the dead kings get out of their pyramids and they start marching in the kingdom. Eventually, Pteppic comes back to Djelibeybi and destroys the huge pyramids with the help of his ancestors. All the old kings get together to confront Dios, upon which it is revealed that Dios is seven thousand years old, and he has worked as an advisor to every pharaoh in the history of Djelibeybi. Upon the destruction of the pyramids, the lights coming from the pyramids send Dios back in time. Dios finds himself during the time of the first founders of the kingdom, which means that the time cycle restarts for him. Finally, Pteppic believes that being a king does not appeal to him, abdicates, and allows his half-sister Ptracci to rule the kingdom.
Pyramids
s leaving the kingdom; furthermore, the ideas of Pharaoh
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beginning of the novel. Teppicymon XXVII is expected to boast of the pyramids they have because all of his ancestors had been proud of them very much. One of the satirical devices that Pratchett commonly uses is to surprise his readers with unexpected honesty,
n on pyramids. The pharaoh wasn't. Pyramids had bankrupted the country, drained it drier than ever the river did. The only curse they could afford to put on a tomb these days was 'Bugger Off'" (20). It should be made clear from the outset that Pratchett uses a pharaoh intentionally because a pharaoh is both a religious leader and the ruler of a country; he rules the kingdom using the power of religion. This particular Pharaoh believes that his ancestors had spent all the money of the kingdom for the construction of expensive pyramids, and as a result of those unnecessary expenses, the kingdom has started to suffer from monetary problems. The Pharaoh reveals the current situation of Djelibeybi. Pratchett begins his criticism with the unnecessary expenses of a country and shows their negative effects on a country's future. However, he employs humour by using the expression "bugger off". Humorous side of satire differentiates it from direct criticism. A pharaoh is a mighty being that we come across only in history books. The narrator makes such a mighty being say those words, thereby creating a defamiliarisation effect. He humanizes the Pharaoh by diminishing his divine side. The Pharaoh chooses to remain human and save his country, instead of becoming a godlike power over the people he rules.
Pratchett approaches religion from two different perspectives: The faith and the rituals. In this sense, his approach reminds one of Emile Durkheim's views on religion:
"Religious phenomena fall into two basic categories: beliefs and rites. The first are states of opinion and consist of representations; the second are particular modes of action" (34). Throughout the novel, Pratchett gives examples of these two issues and
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satirizes them. For example, when Pteppic is about to leave Djelibeybi to attend the Assassin's Guild in Ankh-Morpork, a chicken is sacrificed at the statue of Khuft, who is the first founder of the kingdom, so that Pteppic's ancestors will help him in Ankh-Morpork. However, Pratchett distorts this religious atmosphere when it is stated: "It was only a small chicken, though, and when Khuft had finished with it the King had it for lunch" (23). Using this sentence Pratchett creates a comparison between the religious belief and the reality of life. The chicken seems to be sacrificed for religious beliefs, but the king eats it in the end. Further, Bleakly underlines people's changing point of view to animals and articulates that: "We have moved, in other words, from an affective relationship with animals to an economic or utilitarian relationship a marriage of convenience and a shift in values" (12). Similarly, Pratchett can be implying the same issue, generally the sacrifice of an animal is foregrounded, but the reality that people eat it is not mentioned. Thus, it can be claimed that Pratchett reminds the utilitarian aspect of animal sacrifice. He shows the discrepancy between appearances and reality, specifically in the case of political rulers. The narrator does not focus on religion itself but on its hypocritical use in politics. The chicken is treated as a holy sacrifice, but then again, it is just food. Similarly, the Pharaoh is treated as a holy, almost divine figure, but he is just a man who eats chicken.
Upon Pteppic's arrival at the Assassin's Guild, the city of Ankh-Morpork and the kingdom of Djelibeybi are juxtaposed; Ankh-Morpork, the rich and most developed city of the Disc, and Djelibeybi, a bankrupt country. Chidder, another student at the Assassin's Guild, introduces the school and dormitories to Pteppic and shows the plumbing system at last. It is understood that Pteppic has no idea about plumbing
s the pyramids,' he said.
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out the insides, that is really expensive. We're still avoiding paying for grandfather's,
'I mean even our debts are in debt. That's why I'm here, really. Someone in our house
wrong decisions related to the budget of their countries. It is understood that the kings wanted to keep up appearances, and as a result of it serious problems occurred for the future of their country. The problems usually stem from the order of priorities of the Djelibeybi Kingdom. For example, showing off to the other kingdoms is prioritized over installing a plumbing system. The religious traditions have turned into, or maybe they always were, a simple means of keeping up appearances, showing off, and ostentation. In the novel, the Pharaohs of Djelibeybi spend all their country's budget in order to build pyramids for their ancestors, and as a result of it, their grandson Pteppic is sent to Ankh-Morpork to get a job and earn money. Examples of such luxury and unnecessary expenses can be seen in many countries in the real world. The narrator implies that the devastating effects of such spending may not always appear quickly, but the future of a country is plunged into darkness in the long run. Pratchett criticizes the system as a whole which depends on ostentation revealing how everything in his fantasy world consists of the show and ostentation, and he also draws parallels with the real world. In the novel, the money spent on the pyramids and their ornaments may remind us of the other unnecessary and luxurious expenses in the real world. In the novel, the elements of fantasy create the humour, but the narrator also directs his criticism at the
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real world within this humour. The humour shows Pratchett's blend of satire and fantasy.
Pratchett also uses Pteppic's dormitory events to satirize people's blind faith in religion and rituals because many different children, who believe in different religions, come together in the dormitory. A young boy named Arthur brings a goat with him and starts a ritual before he sacrifices it. Pratchett portrays the situation as such: "He tethered the animal to the end of his bed, upended the sack on the blankets, and took out several black candles, a sprig of herbs, a rope of skulls, and a piece of chalk" (37).
When Arthur approaches the goat with a knife in his hand, another boy named Cheesewright throws a pillow at him and yells: "'Garn! Pious little bastard!'" (37).
Pratchett describes a mystic atmosphere before Arthur sacrifices the goat which can be seen as a part of the sacrifice ritual, but Cheesewright's action spoils this atmosphere.
Arthur wants to sacrifice the goat for his fear of the god he believes in because when his ritual is disrupted he explains to Teppic that: "'It's all too late now! And that means the t my eyes, my mother said!'" (38). In this case, Arthur attempts to sacrifice a goat so that the god of the religion he believes does not kill him. The sacrificing of the animal is a complicated ritual and it is open to various interpretations. It is also seen in many different religions. Pratchett may be revealing people's fear and irrationality in this example. There is an analogy between the chicken sacrifice of the Pharaoh and this scene. As it happened with the Pharaoh when he ate the chicken, Cheesewright's reaction disrupts the so-called holy ritual and brings the reader back to the reality of everyday life. How holy can one get in a boys' dormitory after all? No matter how hard one tries to keep those appearances up, ordinary human life always intervenes. Pratchett creates a distance between the reader and this very sensitive issue of religion by means
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of fantasy and by using such a fantastic setting. Thus the main function of fantasy, that is to provide the reader with a different and more objective perspective from a distance, is fulfilled.
Further, when Chidder starts fighting with Cheesewright for what he has done to
know I don't say mine as often as I should-'" (38). In this sentence, Pratchett mentions a debatable topic in the religions. People tend to judge and criticize the others for not fulfilling their religious duties. Here Chidder gets angry with Cheesewright just because he ignores his religious responsibilities, but unexpectedly confesses that Chidder himself ignores his, too. Pratchett draws attention to this issue by revealing the contrast between Chidder's words and actions. In this novel, Pratchett usually underlines the discrepancy between religion, ruling, and human relations. The discrepancy emerges between the words and actions, and between the actions and real feelings, intentions, and thoughts of the characters. This situation can sometimes be regarded as hypocrisy or blind faith. At this point, it would be wise to remind once more that Pratchett does not criticize religion itself. He criticizes people's use of religion for their interest and blind faith.
says his god can hear him anywhere, but Teppic says "'Well, mine has difficulty if you're on the other side of the room'" (39). Frye remarks that: "All humour demands agreement that certain things, such as picture of a wife beating her husband in a comic strip, are conventionally funny" (225). Similarly, a god who is unable to hear his believers seems funny for the majority of the readers. In the Discworld universe some gods have more superior power than the others as is seen in the difference between Arthur's god Great Om and Teppic's god, namely, his father. In Djelibeybi Teppic's
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father is believed to be both the god and the king of the country. Also, the other boys' religious rituals in the school are given in detail in the novel. Mentioning all these different religions, Pratchett underlines the plurality in religions. It could be argued that, in this way, Pratchett shows that he does not target any specific religion in his novel and his implied message is that it is the politics of a certain region or country that defines the religion, thereby creating this plurality in the whole world. This is the aspect of religion that Pratchett wants his readers to question. He wants his readers not to blindly believe but make sure there is no such politics involved. The heart of this section lies in Teppic's following words: "The priests do the actual running of the country. He [his father] just makes sure that the river floods every year" (39). In the novel, the political satire starts with the intervention of the priests to the politics. Pratchett emphasizes the power of the priests in Djelibeybi. Similarly, Teppic's ideas about one of his teachers is given as such: "Mericet's gaze bored into him. He's just like Dios the high priest, Teppic thought. Even father's frightened of Dios" (45). Pratchett uses exaggeration to express the important role of the high priest Dios in the control of the country. Teppic's father is both a god and the king of Djelibeybi, so he is expected to have absolute power over everybody living in his kingdom. However, Teppic's words and ideas about Dios imply that Dios has more power in the kingdom than expected. In fact, Pratchett's portrayal of Dios shows the close relations between religion-based issues and politics, and reveals the reason behind his satirical view. As already stated, Pyramids consists of four parts and a majority of the first part includes Pratchett's critical ideas regarding religion, and towards the end of the first part, Pratchett starts to talk about politics by introducing the high priest Dios. Throughout the novel, Dios stands for the ruler behind the scene. As Dios is described as 'high priest', he is expected to be committed to the religion.
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However, Pratchett creates a defamiliarization and turns it upside down to create humour while criticizing the priest's hypocrisy and explains that:
Dios, First Minister and high priest among high priests, wasn't a naturally religious man. It wasn't a desirable quality in a high priest, it affected your judgment, made you unsound. Start believing in things and the whole business became a farce. Not that he had anything against belief. People needed to believe in gods, if only because it was so hard to believe in people. The gods were necessary. He just required that they stayed out of the way and let him get on with things (74).
This description of Dios' characteristics is noteworthy in that the narrator shares his ideas about the relationship between religion and politics very clearly and explains why religion should be separated from politics. Pratchett surprises his readers because a high priest is not required to be a religious man, according to the explanation. In the above quotation, Pratchett reveals the priest's hypocrisy and how he exploits his powerful position. Frye explains satire on clergymen as follows:
If a satirist presents, say, a clergyman as a fool or hypocrite, he is, qua satirist,
his church, and such a man is a gigantic monster: monstrous because not what he should be, gigantic because protected by his position and by the prestige of good clergymen (228).
ruler;
however, Dios does the actual ruling even though the appearance is something else.