Essay Questions

Shani Mootoo's Cereus Blooms at Night is essentially a story that spans crime and mental dysfunction. Show how these themes are brought out in the novel.

The story follows the life of Mala. As the story begins, the reader is brought to the understanding that Mala is the suspect in the murder of an individual; we later come to learn that is her father. As a result of her mental instability, Mala is pronounced as unfit to stand trial and is thus sent over to an asylum. Mala's mental dysfunction can be regarded as her response to the sexual torture and trauma that she experiences following the rape and sexual abuse by her father, Chandin, who is a sexual deviant, finding pleasure in the assault of her children. The novel is thus the author's exploration of crime and mental instability as epitomized by the character of Mala.

Show how the issue of marriage and family dysfunction is brought out in Shani Mootoo's Cereus Blooms at Night.

Mootoo explores the concept of family dysfunction explicitly in this work. For instance, despite being married, Sarah, Chandin's wife, is brought out as being in a relationship and an extramarital affair with Lavinia, who is also the reverend's daughter and the protagonist's femme fatale. Additionally, Chandin, Mala's father, is also a sexual deviant. After finding out about the relationship between Ambrose (Otoh's father) and her daughter Mala, Chandin sexually abuses her for being with Ambrose. Chandin is also brought out as a father who sexually abused his daughters. In this way, the family can be regarded as dysfunctional and as such an epitome of the same in the novel.

Mala’s life is an epitome of ‘existential’ suffering. Is this assertion correct?

Mala’s life is defined by extreme suffering. As a result of this extremity, the life that Mala has can be argued as being ‘existential.’ In this line, her suffering becomes an emblem of the worst fate that any human can endure, she is not only raped but she is also abused by her father. The writer’s description of this suffering is a creative retort to life and the ways humans suffer. This assertion can thus be argued as being true.