Chapter 5: The Snake and the Mirror

Humorous Narrative

Written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, this story is a humorous account of a homeopathic doctor who encounters a cobra in his small, rented room on a hot summer night.

Vanity vs. Reality

The doctor, single and vain, admires himself in the mirror, making "earth-shaking" decisions to look more handsome. His dreams of marrying a rich, fat woman doctor (so she couldn't run after him) are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a snake.

The Protagonist

A poor homeopath with "meagre" earnings (only sixty rupees), living in a non-electrified room shared with rats. His black coat and white shirt are his only prize possessions.

The Mirror's Spell

The snake coils around the doctor's arm, bringing him face-to-face with death. However, when the snake sees its own reflection in the mirror, it becomes "taken with its own beauty" and slithers toward the mirror, allowing the doctor to escape.

Poem: A Legend of the Northland

Away, away in the Northland, Where the hours of the day are few, And the nights are so long in winter That they cannot sleep them through; Where they harness the swift reindeer To the sledges, when it snows; And the children look like bear’s cubs In their funny, furry clothes...

By Phoebe Cary

Theme: The consequences of greed & the legend of the Woodpecker.

Vocabulary

Meagre: Small in quantity

Gable: Upper part of a wall

Reeded: Wind instrument type

Legend: Old traditional story

Key Learnings

Vanity can be a distraction from reality (The Doctor).
Greed leads to divine punishment (Saint Peter's legend).
Ballads are effective tools for moral storytelling across cultures.