Lee Su Ann's Novel The Curse
The novel that I have chosen is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. In this novel there are a few strong characters. Among these characters, the character that I think has strongly influenced the others in a negative way is Puan Normala. Puan Normala, one of the villagers, is described by Siti as a “slimy cobra with a three-forked tongue.” Nobody likes the gossips that she spreads. Branded as a rumour-monger, I find that she easily influences the narrow minded people of her village.
As a “news broadcaster” of the village, everything that happens there does not escape her eyes and ears. Immediately, it becomes a topic for her to talk about. Her idle talks are capable of ruining the reputations of the person concern. Most of the villagers, who fail to think rationally, are easily influenced by her tales which causes a negative impact on the village. After Madhuri’s body is recovered, she talks about Madhuri’s death so frequently that her daughter carries the gossips to school too.
Being superstitious, she spreads the rumour that the village is cursed with Madhuri’s death. She states that since the village is cursed, many bad things will happen and the village will soon experience disaster. She waves the villagers’ hearts and spoils the harmony of the village. This is a clear evident that shows how influent she can be in a negative way. In another incident where we can witness her negative influence on the villagers is when she blames the old lady’s visit to Asraf’s house as the reason for the continuous rain.
Furthermore, she is also a mean and malicious person. For example, her influence on the villagers caused them to provoke Mohd Asraf to confront the old lady by accusing the old lady as the reason why Asraf’s grandmother’s dies. Because of that instigation, Asraf’s anger is the main cause for the fire that causes the old lady to die. Apart from the above evident, there are many other incidents where she tries to influence the others such as her own daughter and also Siti, her neighbour’s daughter. Noor, her daughter is exactly like her and can be branded “Like mother like daughter. In her class, she plays the role that she inherited from her mother. This is a very clear evident that shows Puan Normala’s negative influence on her daughter. In conclusion, based on the above reasons and evident, I find that Puan Normala is the one and only character that can influence the others in the negative way. We should not be like Puan Normala as what we may say, may harm others. Therefore it is necessary for us to stay wise to create a more peaceful world.
