Prompt #14: Motifs/Themes
The Poison of the Blue Rose
Yasmin Marri
An individual’s pursuit towards their desires can be an offroading path one with challenges and obstacles. At times the society that one resides in can present pressures that heavily influence the course of their life. In addition, the expectations that are imposed by society can affect the standards that families choose to hold their children against. Furthermore, in order to appease their parents and make their families proud, an individual may commit to bypassing their desires. However, one may not realize that these selfless actions may have long-lasting effects on themselves and the continuation of their life. East Asian society is a world of convoluted beauty. Similar to all aspects of life there are positives, and there are negatives. Morals are strongly upheld throughout the course of an individual’s life growing up in an East Asian household; varying from familial bonds to religious values. Furthermore, there is a strong emphasis on the respect that the parents deserve and their point of view towards any matter. At times the standard of excellence that parents hold their children accountable to achieve is determined by society’s measure of how success is defined. In short, both families and society may deem success in similar ways and hold immense prestige in an individual’s life, who has been raised with this culture surrounding them. In Yasmin Marri’s short story, “The Poison of the Blue Rose,” she highlights the impact on an individual’s life when one is forced to deviate from the path that leads to their desires due to external pressures and expectations. Although, their ideals resurface when they are exposed to the experiences of others similar to those they have undergone. However, they soon realize that they have committed to their present life and their attempts to change it are futile. Thus their resolve is to move forward and continue knowing full-well that this is a tribulation for many.
Provided below are analyses of quotes from other works that marry similar ideas, conflicts, or themes as Yasmin Marri’s short story, “The Poison of the Blue Rose.”
Come, vial.
What if this mixture do not work at all?
Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?…
What if it be a poison, which the friar
Subtly hath ministered to have me dead,
Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored
Because he married me before to Romeo?
I fear it is.
Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 3
William Shakespeare
Say:
- The following is an excerpt from the play, “Romeo and Juliet,” written by William Shakespeare this play follows a pair of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, who are in love with each other; although, their families the Montegue and the Capulets have been feuding for centuries proving to be a formidable opposition to their love.
- This segment of the play follows Juliet’s attempt to dupe her family and deviate from one of the most preferred suitors of the Capulets, Paris. In order to avoid this arranged marriage, the Friar assists her by fooling her family by faking her own death by consuming a harmless potion that will put her into a deep slumber. Through this monologue, the readers understand her concern regarding her safety and if this potion is potentially poison given by the Friar to kill her as revenge for bringing him dishonor; as a result of wedding her off to Romeo with the potential of another marriage.
Mean:
- Through the duration of this excerpt, there is the use of poison which is also seen as a motif that is explored throughout “The Poison of the Blue Rose.” In the short story, poison serves as a symbol for the love that one is unable to express for their beloved as a result of external pressures and expectations.
- Both the Narrator and Gulab Bibi in the short story were unable to lead a life with their lovers due to their familial obligations, and the respect that they had for the wishes of their parents.
- The sacrifices that Gulab Bibi and the Narrator made for their families are dissimilar to Juliet’s ambition. She was adamant that the only man she would love would-be Romeo, and in order to pursue this path, she was willing to fake and later take her own life. In addition, she was motivated by her love for Romeo and her desire to not marry Paris. Thus she takes the necessary steps to ensure that she solely belongs to Romeo which heavily contrasts with the Narrator and Gulab Bibi’s submissive nature.
- Pakistani culture is interwoven throughout the short story, and this culture demonstrates grave importance to the opinions of the society. Thus one can infer that this could have been a potential element that served as a catalyst for the decisions they made of marrying those who they were betrothed to as imposed by their families rather than pursuing their personal desire.
- To a certain extent, the element of society does serve as a stressor for Romeo and Juliet as well, since their families the Montague and the Capulet have been feuding for years: they pursue their relationship in secrecy from others. Unlike the Narrator and Gulab Bibi; Juliet executes this ploy in order to avoid the expectations and obligations that are imposed on her by her family because she is not willing to compromise her love and happiness for the sake of responsibility.
Matter:
- The contrast between the play, “Romeo and Juliet,” written by William Shakespeare and Yasmin Marri’s short story, “The Poison of the Blue Rose,” reveals the differing courses of action an individual can pursue in regards to the notion held by others. If an individual’s ambition encompasses pursuing the path that leads to their own happiness they may neglect their responsibilities through whatever means necessary. However, if culture and society pose a stronger influence on an individual’s ability to make decisions for themselves they may compromise the pursuit of their desires and lead a life that pleases others not themselves. All in all, these are the responses an individual may have regarding imposed expectations.
They had been disgraced by her birth, and this was their chance to erase once and for all, the last trace of their husband’s scandalous mistake.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Chapter 7 page 48
Khaled Hosseini
Say:
- The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns follows a young girl named, Mariam Jo. Her mother was a servant for a wealthy family, and the owner, Jalil, committed adultery with the servant through which Mariam was born. Mariam’s existence is on the lowest rung of the social ladder and the course of her life is paved due to the decisions or lack thereof made by her parents.
- In addition, Mariam grew up in a shabby shack on the outskirts of town, and her father would visit occasionally filling her to the brim with facades and false promises. Mariam being nothing but a child believed in what her father told her like it was the air she needed to breathe, and that one day all of this would become her utopia.
- After the death of Mariam’s mother, she was forced to reside with her father although due to the scandal that was her existence her stay at her own father’s home was temporary. For she was to be wed.
Mean:
- Although A Thousand Splendid Suns does not take place in Pakistan like “The Poison of the Blue Rose” the structure and social normalities are more or less the same.
- Mariam had no say in who she was marrying and the life that follows similar to Gulab Bibi and the Narrator. In “The Poison of the Blue Rose” it is stated that the motivation behind Gulab Bibi abandoning her true love was due to her family betrothing her to another man. The response that the Narrator has is one of familiarity and grief that another individual must undergo the same torment as [herself]. Thus it is implied that she too was unable to avoid the pressures and predetermined decisions made by her family.
- In addition, Jalil was able to have more wives and children even after Mariam’s birth; the catch, however, was that Mariam and her mother must be shunned from mingling within society. This idea strengthens the double standards of the community as a woman must be isolated after committing adultery; however, the man in the situation can leave relatively unscathed. Thus if Gulab Bibi and the Narrator pursued their loved ones before marriage the likelihood of them marrying any man is scarce due to the hypocrisy that plagues the community.
- In both stories, the primary method of appeasing one’s parents and reducing the burden on one’s family is by removing the ‘choice’ of who is marrying who. Arranging two people in order to remove the prospect of making an incorrect decision that does not fill the expectations that society demands and the sacrifice of listening demonstrates the submissive nature that all three of these women possess.
Matter:
- The themes presented in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, are closely connected to the overarching concept included in Yasmin Marri’s short story, “The Poison of the Blue Rose.” Both stories follow brave and submissive women who are willing to sacrifice it all to appease their families. Throughout the course of these stories the authors explore the idea of the ways in which an individual is able to please others by sacrificing their freedoms and their decision of who they are able to love. Naturally, an individual may regret their actions of compromising their happiness; however, the second they comprehend their regret they also realize that they have committed to their present life and cannot turn back.
As a second-generation Pakistani in Canada, I have seen that there is generally more communication among parents and their children when making the decision of marriage. Yes, consulting the parents to a certain extent will always be an important element that must be included regardless of how the marriage is pursued; arranged, or a love-match. Now I am in no way, shape, or form well versed in the complexities of romance, although I do understand the complex nature of societal expectations. The standards set by society are and always be a formidable opponent to our lives and many make the decisions to leave themselves in the dust in order to please everyone asides from themselves. Yasmin Marri’s short story, “The Poison of the Blue Rose,” highlights all of these detrimental topics through the spoken and unspoken turmoil that the Narrator and later Gulab Bibi express. Marri includes various motifs in order to marry these ideas of Pakistani society with the conflict that the characters are experiencing. One of the primary recurring symbols included in the story and title is “poison”: at any moment in the story where any character expresses their grief of abandoning their loved one for the sake of pleasing others the “poison” seeps into their face. There is truth behind the “poison” displayed in the face specifically, humans express emotions through the movement of facial features during times of grief and love thus Marri is playing with the idea that the sacrifices an individual makes will ultimately be reflected in our face. Another motif that Marri uses regularly throughout the story is “silence.” The silence is a representation of how the characters cope with sacrificing their desire; for example, Gulab Bibi is sobbing loudly when she is forced to marry the man her family has chosen in contrast to the Narrator who has overtime become numb and silent in regards to the pain. In short, these are the major motifs that develop the theme of sacrifice due to pressures throughout the course of the short story.
I felt deeply rooted in this short story not only due to my heritage but also because Marri voiced the pain of those who are unable to speak. As a result, I was deeply moved by the story. Thus I decided to incorporate the motifs that Marri used as well as my understanding of the text in order to craft a poem inspired by the emotions waging war within the desensitized narrator. In the poem initially, the speaker of the poem is very calm and she is attempting to come to terms with the fact that she is unable to be with her true love; however, she now has a child and a husband thus she can not afford to waver as it will harm her life. Thus she must learn to move on. Similar to Gulab Bibi seeking the Narrator to share her problems; the speaker of the poem also lends an ear to others who are undergoing the same problem as her. This represents how experiences serve as a link between individuals who are facing similar trials and tribulations. Moreover, these fragile emotions if shared with certain individuals may do more harm than good for instance: by providing no sense of sympathy or informing others of an individual’s problem which is also a common issue among members of any society. Then there is a brief illusion that the speaker visualizes thus neglecting her present life and drifting into a utopia. A world full of ideals and love with the one she intended to marry with all of the years passing by through smiles and laughter, however, she soon came crashing back down to reality. The speaker then flashes back to the mental toll that the process of her marriage took on her and just like many others in these circumstances she was left to fend for herself. She returns from her flashback and is face to face with her former lover who was also forced to move on, and both of them have streams of “poison” running through their faces. In conclusion, it is evident that this “poison” is common to many individuals, but in the speaker’s perspective after seeing it in the face of her former lover her understanding is affirmed that these feelings are like a strange pandemic that anyone at any point in their life can succumb to.
Melancholic Mitigation
There is silence in my heart and soul.
Time continues to tick and tock changing my life’s goal,
Child on one arm, and husband on the other to make my life whole.
In succession filling my heart drip by drip like an empty well after a drought accumulating in hopes of one day reaching its maximum capacity,
But to no avail my heart is filled with too many holes.
In her heart and soul there is noise.
Ideals, crystal balls, and palm lines that deviate from the platform of life destroys.
Wedding bands, vails, and intimacy with one that invites sweet honey-like bliss into her life was stepped on beneath the heel of a foot and crushed.
Her heart expressed through her eyes, and geysers of poison gushed.
No consolement came from others asides from myself, she, and her feelings were simply brushed.
A heavy stone plummeted deep into the well of my heart and serene silence ended.
My hands covered my ears;
Child and husband’s voices were lost yet the sound of his voice penetrated and bended.
Eyes closed and concealed yet I saw my beloved.
Laughter in my ears, a smile on my lips, fleks of grey appearing through the days and nights,
All blurred and blended.
Do not fret my child the pain of the poison will subside, and it will only hurt for a short while.
No one will deduce from one or the other if upon my lips is the sweetest smile.
No matter how much inside my heart was spitting up bile.
Families, friends, and foes-alike will not remain silent and understand this notion;
That there was only one that deserved my devotion.
The train departed from that platform of life and began its continuous motion.
Banquets and noise bring us all together like the red strings of fate;
On my hip and on his arm was a mate.
Shortly after we were no longer a facade of a blank slate.
The poison drifted, and seeped into every nook, and cranny of the blue veins over our faces,
Every push and pull carrying gravity and weight.
Silence steadily restored to the dark well in my heart,
It settled.
However, deep at the bottom will forever reside the plummeted stone.
As the merciless poison took its course none were left unscathed,
The symptoms became known yet the cause was unknown.
Pressures and expectations continued to protect faces through restrain;
All the souls in the world succumbed to the poison’s pain.
Kshef .K.
Bibliography:
Painting of poison:
https://www.theflorentine.net/2008/09/04/the-art-of-poison/
Painting of a knot:
https://www.pngitem.com/middle/ixTiohR_rope-knot-painting-drawing-of-rope-knotted-hd/
Image of a dripping moon:
https://weheartit.com/entry/306206869
Painting of being trapped in a cage:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/650840583629178985
