📑 Table of Contents

• About the Author
• Summary
• Character Sketches
• Themes
• Moral / Message
• Important Question-Answers
• Glossary
• Source / Reference

✍️ About the Author

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908–1994) was a celebrated Malayalam writer, known for his simple language, humor, and deep understanding of human nature. His works often reflected the lives of ordinary people with warmth and wit. The Snake and the Mirror is one such story translated from Malayalam by V. Abdulla.

📖 Detailed Summary

The Snake and the Mirror is a humorous yet suspenseful story narrated by a homeopath about an unforgettable encounter with a snake. The tale begins when the doctor recalls a summer night in his small rented room, which was home to several rats. Having just returned from dinner, he sat in front of a mirror placed on a table with a lamp and comb. Being young, unmarried, and vain about his looks, the doctor admired himself in the mirror and decided to shave daily, grow a thin moustache, and always keep an attractive smile. He also dreamed of marrying a wealthy, well-settled woman doctor—preferably a fat one—so she would not be able to chase him if he ever had to run away after a mistake.

While he was lost in these amusing thoughts, a snake fell on his shoulder and coiled around his arm, raising its hood just inches away from his face. The doctor froze in terror, feeling paralyzed and helpless. He believed his end was near, and his mind turned to God for help. Just then, something unexpected happened: the snake noticed the mirror. It slowly unwound itself from the doctor’s arm and crawled toward the mirror, seemingly fascinated by its own reflection. The doctor seized the opportunity, got up quietly, and ran out of the house to safety.

Later, when he returned to the room with his friends, he discovered that a thief had cleaned out most of his belongings—except for his dirty vest, which the thief considered too filthy to steal. The doctor humorously shared this final twist with his listeners, adding that the snake must have been too “taken with its own beauty” to harm him.

The story presents a blend of fear and humor, showing the contrast between the doctor’s vanity and his helplessness. It highlights human weakness, the unpredictability of life, and the irony of situations where one’s pride and ambition are humbled in the face of danger.

👤 Character Sketches

• The Doctor (Narrator) – A young, vain, and ambitious man. Though initially proud of his looks and dreams, he becomes terrified and helpless when faced with danger. His self-deprecating humor makes the story light-hearted.
• The Snake – Symbolic of sudden danger. Surprisingly calm, it becomes distracted by the mirror, which saves the doctor’s life.

🌟 Themes

• Human vanity and self-obsession
• Fear and helplessness in the face of danger
• Irony and humor in everyday life
• The unpredictability of life

🎯 Moral / Message

The story teaches us that vanity and pride often fade in the face of real danger. It also reminds us of life’s unpredictability, where humor and fear can coexist. Humility, presence of mind, and acceptance of life’s irony are important lessons to learn.

📌 Important Question-Answers

📚 Glossary

• Meagre: small in quantity
• Gable: upper part of a wall below a sloping roof
• Slithered: moved smoothly over a surface
• Lurked: hid and waited secretly, often with harmful intent
• Thud: a dull sound of something heavy falling
• Wriggled: twisted or moved with quick movements

🔗 Source / Reference

NCERT Beehive English Textbook, Class 9 – Chapter 5: The Snake and the Mirror by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (translated by V. Abdulla).