There are mainly two themes in the poem Night of the Scorpion.

• Superstition

The poem reveals the superstitions that prevail in the Indian Society. A large number of people gather at poet’s house after coming to know that his mother is bitten by a scorpion.

However, rather than taking her to hospital or curing her, they begin giving their own assumptions. Some of them say that her sins will be forgiven. Some other say that she will not suffer in after rebirth. Some other begin praying for her well-being after her death.

• Motherhood

The poem also highlights the motherly love of poet’s mother. She is bitten by the scorpion and spends 24 hours in quite unbearable pain. However after recovering, she does not blame the scorpion and rather says thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.

Read summary of Night of the Scorpion here.

See less