The Cactus is a short story by
Hasan Manzar set in Hyderabad, Pakistan. In it the author speaks on the
after-effects of the youth’s departure to other countries to work and
eventually live. Such migration often leaves the parents feeling incredibly
lonely and alienated.
The
story comprises of a man (the narrator) and his wife visiting a house that is
for sale as prospective buyers. At the house, the couple is greeted by an
elderly man and his wife, the owners of the house. They show the buyers around
but the latter decide that it is too large, both for their needs and their
budget. The elderly couple then sit down for coffee with the narrator and his
wife during which the house owners begin to talk about their children. They
have 3 daughters and 2 sons, all of which are abroad, in Kuwait, Dubai or
America.
The
story is not all that hard to interpret, the primary theme being, as mentioned
earlier, the ramifications of migration.
A sense of loneliness and emptiness pervades the piece, primarily manifested through
the fact that the parents seem almost abandoned by their children and thrown
aside. This sense is amplified by the seemingly commonplace nature of the
story; many children, especially those from upper middle class families, leave
the country for a better education and job. The fact that the rooms of the
children remain neat and well maintained long after they have left generates
pity for the parents in the contrast in the mindsets of the elderly and the
young. While one has carelessly abandoned the other, one still cherishes the
other.
If you
look closely at the piece, you may notice that no character’s name has been
mentioned. This is not an unintentional doing, rather it is literary device
frequently employed by writers. The fact that no names are mentioned increases
the chances of the reader empathizing more with the characters. In addition to
this, the withholding of names can also be indicative of just how widespread
the problem of migration is; it is not limited to one or two families but many.
At the
end of the story, the author associates the story with a nest. This is owing to
the fact that when birds grow old enough to fly, they tend to leave the nest
and their parents and set out on their own life.
Finally
the image of the cactus seen by the buyers when they first enter the house
bears a lot of significance. The cactus had grown so tall that it encountered
the wooden shelf above. But rather than pruning the cactus, the family cut a
hole in the overhanging shelf, allowing the cactus to grow freely. The cactus
can be seen as a manifestation of the undying love that the parents hold for
their children; they refuse to cut it even when it becomes a burden to do so.
The properties of a cactus also come into play here, allowing us to link the
title to even more. While cactuses are visually appealing with their bright
green colours, they are enveloped in sharp vicious thorns that sting, embedding
themselves in the flesh of the victim if touched. This could be compared to the
love held by the parents for their children; painful to hold on to, yet too
beautiful to let go of.
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