The Snake and the Mirror

1.0About the Author

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1859-1927) was an Indian independence activist and writer of Malayalam literature. In the Malayalam Literary arena, the legend Vaikom Muhammad Basheer owns a remarkable position. With his profound and simple writing, a touch of satire, sarcasm and black humour. He is regarded as one of the prominent literary figures ever existed in India. He was a legend in Kerala.

2.0Central Idea

The humorous anecdote revolves around the theme of human vanity. Fears and how they affect people. The narrator is a homoeopathic doctor who is struggling with his poverty and sluggish practice nonetheless, he is vain about his looks with or without his moustache and beard and has the ambition of looking more and more handsome. Suddenly arrival of a snake on the scene turns him pale with fear, but somehow he manages to keep his calm. Meanwhile attracted by the mirror the snake decides to ignore him. The narrator takes this opportunity to make good his escape. The snake appears to be almost as vain as the doctor himself. An allied theme in the story is how cries make people them to God for help.

3.0Human Vanity

The Snake and the Mirror is a story about a doctor, who had only recently commenced his practice. He lived in a small rented room which was an out house. It had two windows and a tiled roof. The tiles were supported by gables which rested on the beam and there was no electricity. The room was infested with rats.

One hot summer night, he had his meals at the restaurant and returned home. He lighted the kerosene lamp, took off his coat and shirt and opened the two windows. He settled on the chair and took out a medical book to read. There was a large mirror on the table on which stood a lamp.

Since it was too hot to sleep, and he had nothing better to do, he sat down in front of the mirror So, as he began gazing at the mirror, he couldn't help admiring himself and wanted to look more presentable. As he picked up the comb and adjusted the parting of his hair in a neat section, he started thinking that he should work on his looks and always wear a smile on his face. Gradually, his chain of thoughts shifted from self-admiration to marrying a bulky woman doctor who would earn plenty of money and had a good medical practice. He wanted to marry a fat woman so that whenever he commits a blunder, she is unable to run after him and catch him.

4.0Encounter with a Snake

He was so engrossed in his day dreaming that he did not give much importance to the sudden silence. The rats had stopped scampering and there was a sound of something falling behind him. But he was slow to react. By the time he turned around to have a look, a snake had wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulders and coiled round his left arm above the elbow. It was a dangerous cobra and its hood spread out, hardly three inches from his face.

The doctor sat there like a stone statue, afraid to move lest the snake may strike back. He thought of various medicines he had and if any was good enough to save him if the snake did bite him. In this moment of fear of death, he realized the presence of God. God had punished him for being too proud and arrogant.

He realized that he was but a mere human, a poor man, and had nothing much to boast about. The moment he accepted his true worth, God appeared, pleased and the snake left him of its own free will and sat on the table in front of the mirror. The doctor got up silently and rushed out of the door. Next morning when he came back, all his belongings had been pilfered but for his dirty vest which was too dirty even for the thief.

The story clearly highlights the fact that one should not be proud of oneself because whatever he has, is a gift of God. Without his benign support you are nothing. The moment he realized this, the God recalled the snake, who left without hurting him.

5.0Recall

• This is a story about a homoeopathic doctor during his early career days. The narrator of this story is the doctor himself, where he narrates this story to some individuals.
• He tells the story of his encounter with a deadly snake.
• When he had just started his practice in those days when he was living in a rented room. There was no electricity in his room. He didn't have any savings in that little room, aside from the sixty rupees in his suitcase.
• Also, he didn't have much in that little room, other than some shirts, dhotis, books, a mirror, a kerosene lamp, and some other belongings. He also had a black coat among them, which he used to wear those days.
• One evening while looking into the mirror whilst admiring himself, a desire came in him to look more presentable. Gradually, there was a shifting of his thoughts from self-admiration to future marriage. The doctor thought of marrying a rich doctor, who was rich and fat.
• Suddenly there was a sound of something falling but the doctor was slow to react.
• By the time, he had a look, there was a snake wriggling on the back of the chair. Soon, the snake coiled on the left arm of the doctor. The snake was merely inches away from his face.
• Consequently, the doctor went into a deep shock and became like a statue.
• At this moment, the doctor felt the presence of God. It seems that this snake was like a punishment from God to the doctor due to his being too arrogant.
• At this realization of his true worth, the snake left the doctor and moved towards the mirror.
• And that is how the doctor silently escaped and his life was saved.

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