Class 9 English - KERALA
Prose: The Snake and the Mirror
The Snake and the Mirror is a humorous and engaging short story by the famous Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, translated by V. Abdulla. It narrates an incident from the narrator's early days as a newly married homoeopathic doctor. The story revolves around a thrilling encounter with a deadly cobra that coils around the doctor's arm while he is admiring himself in a mirror. This chapter is very important for Kerala SCERT Class 9 board exams as it tests reading comprehension, vocabulary, appreciation of humour, and the ability to analyze character traits and ironic situations.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
First-Person Narrative
The story is told by the doctor himself, which makes the narration personal, lively, and full of self-deprecating humour.
Theme of Vanity
The doctor is proud of his profession, his appearance, and his mustache, but his vanity is instantly humbled when the snake appears.
Irony
The title and various situations highlight irony, especially when a doctor who plans to look handsome in the mirror suddenly freezes in terror.
Humour and Wit
Basheer uses simple everyday language, gentle exaggeration, and funny descriptions to create a light-hearted atmosphere despite the dangerous situation.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Kerala (SCERT) Class 9 English examinations, this chapter typically carries around 6 to 10 marks. Common question types include reading comprehension passages, paragraph questions about the doctor's reaction to the snake, character sketches, questions on the use of humour and irony, and vocabulary exercises based on the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the doctor look into the mirror so often?
The doctor was a young, unmarried homoeopath who had recently set up his medical practice. He was full of vanity and liked to admire his handsome face, his smile, and his newly grown mustache.
What did the doctor think when the snake coiled around his arm?
The doctor sat motionless like a stone statue. He thought of God and considered the snake as a guest or a potential messenger of death, realizing he had no medicines in the room to cure a snake bite.
Did the snake actually admire its reflection in the mirror?
Yes, once the snake uncoiled from the doctor's arm and slithered towards the table, it crept onto the table and looked into the mirror, as if it too wanted to admire its beauty or check its reflection.
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