Sunday 7 August 2011

Theme of The Curse Novel

Love

1.1 Parental love
      > Salleh Abdullah and his wife love Madhuri dearly like their own biological daughter .
     
      > Azreen's inner conflict because she feels her father loves Madhuri more .

1.2 Forbidden Love
      > Mohd Asraf and Madhuri secretly love each other eventually led to Madhuri's death .

1.3 Unrequited Love
      > Azreen had a crush on Mohd Asraf during school days

Forgiveness
> Before the Old Lady dies , she advises Azreen to forgive others . When Azreen discovers that it was her      father who murdered Madhuri , she was suprised and run but she felt no anger towards him because he was passed away caused by heart attack

Belief in The Supernatural
> The villagers seem to believe in supernatural . For example , villagers call upon Awang , the villager shaman to avert disasters . Another example , Puan Normala tries to convince the villagers that the village is cursed because Madhuri's blood is white .

Violence Against Women
> The story potrays some men believe women to be the weaker sex and they are violent towards them . For example , the Old Lady's husband was abusive towards her and repetitively abused her . He hit and kicked the Old Lady .

Gossip And Rumors
> Puan Normala is the gossip of the village . Gossiping is a way of life for her . She is "that rotten durian neighbour" says Datin Sharifah . Puan Normala is responsible for spreading the rumors about Madhuri drawing white blood . It was also Puan Normala's gossip that resulted in the tragic death of the Old Lady of the forest .  

Synopsis By Chapter Of The Curse Novel

CHAPTER 1

Azreen hurriedly leaves her studies in England to return home after receiving news that her sister had died . Her course mate , Julian Ng tries to offer his symphaty and condolence but she was not in the mood to talk about the matter .

CHAPTER 2

On the flame home , Azreen experiences flashbacks of her early days with Madhuri and how Madhuri was well-liked by people . Madhuri was beautiful and soft-spoken compared to Azreen who was an obstinate child .

CHAPTER 3

Back home on a island South of Langkawi , Puan Kamsiah was talking with her daughter , Siti , about their neighbour , Puan Normala who is spreading rumors that Madhuri was murdered and she split a white blood . Datin Sharifah and her husband , Datuk Zulkifli were ready to fetch Azreen from the airport . They were trying their best for not to talk about Madhuri's death .

CHAPTER 4

Mourners gather at Azreen house to give the last respect to Madhuri burial . The women folk gossip among themselves that Madhuri was murdered and she had put a curse on everyone on the island . Azreen arrives late to pay her last respect to her late sister . Azreen brings her sickly mother to the burial ground to bid farewell to Madhuri . She meets Mohd Asraf and flashbacks of her schooling years .

CHAPTER 5 

 Azreen meets Asraf . She enquires about Madhuri's death but is only given vague details of the incident . Normala the rumour monger , spreads rumours about what had happened to Madhuri . Awang , the bomoh makes an appearance as he dreams that a disaster is about to hit the village soon . Awang recalls the incident when he stole a chicken at Ancik Mohan's farm causing a bull to escape . Asraf was blamed for the fiasco but Azreen bravely took the blame on his behalf . Back to the present , Azreen looks for the Old Lady in the jungle to catch up on old times . The Old Lady discloses that Madhuri was murdered . 

CHAPTER 6

The Old Lady relates to Azreen that she saw Madhuri's lifeless body and the wound on her . She suggests that Madhuri's murder was covered up as investigation into her death would reveal more secrets . Puan Fatihah , the village headman's wife recalls how her life changes forever when her husband , Haji Ghani became attracted to Madhuri . Azreen recaps how Madhuri tried to defend her from her father's wrath for stolen mangosteen and the good times she spent with Madhuri . In a flashbacks , Azreen admitted her folly for letting the bull go in order to save Asraf from Encik Mohan and his son wrath . The escaped bull knocked into the motorcycle that her parents were on and caused her mother to be paralysis . The Old Lady reveals her past life with her abusive husband who drove her to kill him in self-defence . She made herself a home in a deserted house in a jungle .

CHAPTER 7

Asraf is corcerned about his grandmother's sickness . At the same time , Haji Ghani mourns at Madhuri tombstone . While deep in thoughts , he almost saw someone , a woman in a flowing white dress , strolling past the trees . At homes , Azreen's father reprimanded her for not latching up the chicken chop . A chicken carcass , with its neck broken , lies on the bottom step of the coop . The next morning , Azreen reads Julian's letter about the examination week in college . Then , she reads Madhuri's letter of her marriage and relationship with Kak Fatihah ( Haji Ghani's first wife ) . The letter also hints that Madhuri has a secret to be revealed to Azreen when she returns home for her holiday .

CHAPTER 8 

Azreen's mother dies . Meanwhile , Mohd Asraf continues to worry over his sickly grandmother . Mohd Asraf goes to the market to look for medicinal plants for his grandmother but fails to find any . In desperation , he goes to the Old Lady's house to ask her help .The Old Lady hesitates at first but after much persuasion from Azreen and Mohd Asraf , she finally agrees to go over Mohd Asraf's house to help his grandmother .

CHAPTER 9

Siti keeps an eye on Mohd Asraf grandmother ( Nek ) while he goes out to get her medicine . Puan Kamsiah and Normala are curious at the Old Lady's presence at Mohs Asraf 's house . The Old Lady tries to cure Nek . Azreen was puzzled to discover a university prospectus that reveals Mohd Asraf intention to pursue his studies in Kuala Lumpur . When Azreen returns home , she sees to bomoh scampering behind the bushes . As she confronts the bomoh , he informs her about the mob incident at Mohd Asraf 's house . She immediately runs to Mohd Asraf 's house . Normala blames Azreen for bringing the Old Lady to Mohd Asraf 's house and causing heavy downpour to hit the village . An argument starts and Azreen's father interrupt to stop the commotion . Meanwhile , Nek is beginning to recover Mohd Asraf extremely relieved . They thanks to the Old Lady for bravely coming over to cure Nek and the rain finally stops .

CHAPTER 10

Azreen awakes to a flurry of knocks on her door . She finds out that Nek has passed away and Mohd Asraf is heading towards the Old Lady's house with a few men for revenge . Azreen tries to stop him and in a struggle , stabs him at the foot with a spade . The torch that he was holding fell onto the wall of the house and soon the house was on fire . Azreen finds the Old Lady , barely alive lying beside the store and she advises Azreen to learn to forgive before it is too late . Azreen's father saves her before the whole house crumbles . 
Mohd Asraf confesses to Azreen that he loves Madhuri and they were planning to abscond from the island when he was offered a teaching course in Kuala Lumpur . Madhuri wanted to confess to her husband , parents and Azreen about her affair  with Mohd Asraf . However , Madhuri was found dead at the rubber plantation . Azreen then meets Awang the bomoh who tells her that Madhuri was not her real sister . Awang also confesses that he was the one who left the gate open that led to the motorcycle accident that paralysed her mother . Awang also confirms that he had seen Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together several times in the rubber estate . The chapter ends with Haji Ghani the headman thinking about his young wife meeting her lover on that fateful day when she was killed .

CHAPTER 11

Azreen delves on the bomoh's words that Madhuri was not her real sister . She encounters a shadow of a woman from behind the wooden fence again that directs her to a woodpile a few feet away behind her house . Azreen and her father walk towards the woodpile and see a parang that Salleh used to chop wood . There is a white and sticky stain at the edge of the parang . Azreen immediately recalls Normala words "she had white blood" and she stares at her father in disbelief . Salleh recalls how fond was he with Madhuri and how he found her as a baby at the paddy field . He stumbles upon Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together at the rubber plantation . In his fury , he kills Madhuri and her body knocks over the latex filled container . Upon hearing this revelation , Azreen runs away from her father . Salleh suffers a heart attacks and dies . Meanwhile in the village , a rumor spread like a wildfire that a woman who looks suspiciously like Salleh dead daughter had been wondering about the time of her death .

CHAPTER 12 

Azreen visits her family's graves . She leaves a flower on each graves and leave quietly . She leaves a flower at the hillside where the Ola Lady was buried too . As Azreen leaves , she sees a smiling figure who resembles Madhuri's smiles .






Saturday 6 August 2011

Synopsis of The Curse Novel by Lee Su Ann

In 'The Curse' novel by Lee Su Ann , Azreen takes time off from her studies in London ,United Kingdom to return to her village in one of the legendary island of Langkawi . She return to mourn the lost of her older sister , Madhuri . However , she finds out via rumors and loud whisper that Madhuri was murdered . At her village , Azreen had to face with her cold-hearted father and at the same time an Alzheimer stricken mother . 

Azreen is subjected to negative comments and suspicion from her neighbours . She find consolation in the company of the Old Lady , an out cast of the village . Although the grand Old Lady is educated , the villagers shunned her because she murdered her abusive husband . 

Azreen has to solve the mystery that shrouds her sister's sudden death under suspicious tragedy . Her old schoolmate , Mohd Asraf refuses to reveal what he knows . A mysterious figure keeps on watching Azreen and strange things happen . Madhuri's room is destroyed in a fire . A carcass of a chicken with a broken neck was thrown in front of her house . Many villagers fall sick for no apparent reason . The Old Lady was killed in a fire accidentally caused by an angry Mohd Asraf . Bit by bit , the mysterious death of Madhuri is revelled by Azreen .