Dramatic Situation of the Poem Night of the Scorpion

 A scorpion bit the poet's mother in a heavily rainy night. The Indian Neighbors flock around her to treat her. Their treatments were rather weird and primitive. The poet's father tried more sophisticated methods but to no avail. The mother suffered for twenty hours till poison in her lost its siting. At the end the mother said: '' Thank God the scorpion pricked on me and spared my children.

The mood or tone carries throughout the poem is reflective. This poem has religious and superstitious background and the message of genuine motherhood. The conflict of the poem carries how scorpion stung a mother, how she protect from it and what kind of a love mother has towards children.

Dark and evil side of this poem is the image of poisonous tail. Also sun baked walls and the night are cruel images. The poem carries spatial setting of an Indian countryside. This poem carries situation in a night time and wet climate after rain. Poet remembered his past childhood memories. Scorpion is a symbol of evil. The irony runs throughout whole poem. Night symbolizes the dark side in human life. Scorpion emphasizes as a metaphor for much more patience towards fear.

Also scorpion is a metaphor for weak mentality and mental illnesses of people. Rather impulsive people and vicious personalities cause people into unwanted problems frequently hurting people even their own families. That is the moral message of this poem while emphasizing dramatic characteristics. Major characters of this poem are mother and children. And minor characters are villagers who have superstitions.

Top to bottom this poem carries the elegance of a drama. How innocent village farmers think about incidents. How a cruel animal like scorpion symbolizes the inner bad qualities of people. And what kind of incomparable affection a mother has. Innocent farmers of village don't have even a proper medication system. That shows how the actors in this drama are primitive. Also father wants to give a luxurious lifestyle for mother as in modern dramas. But his hopes vanished.

The role of each and every family members implies in this poem as main characters of a drama. And also how a small incident elaborate literally as a biggest situation with high powerful imagination. Basically, in dramas script writers reveal the nature of human being. It clearly shows in this poem as well. Explanations are like a drama also. The comparison between a harsh animal and mankind humorously bring out the characteristics of a drama.

How the cultural moments of a drama carries out throughout this poem while dealing with human emotions like anger, sympathy. So this is how the poet deals with dramatic situation of the poem.