The Cactus by Hasan Manzar

By King Meera -
the story
Brief overview
Read the conclusion

Cactus a metaphor of parents' undying love for their children, even when burdensome and outgrown

Reading between the lines, we see how the younger couple is always on the same page - thinking the same thoughts or at least guessing the other's, arriving at the same judgments, both observing the same things, chattering among themselves and communicating through eye gestures - they are very in sync with the other, like a team. However with the older couple, the husband is upstairs if the old lady is on the ground floor and vice versa. They are either more comfortable with this distance and with the dignity and reservedness of people of olden times, are accustomed to such interaction, or are trying to fill the space in their empty home.

Although the house is supposedly on sale, the old couple show no inclination of wanting to vacate - they tend to the house with love and care, maintain their children's and grandchildren's rooms in spite of them being in Kuwait, Canada and the United States.

  • compare couples - generation divide 
  • what does cactus symbolize - self reliance of old couple or being burdensome and a thorn in the face like the children that abandoned them and the old couple still loving them and waiting on them
  • setting - clean, dusted, no dripping paint - expect the kids to return
  • no names - could be anyone's story
  • loneliness and emptiness throughout
and:
  • external appearance vs reality
  • plants replace children - therefore the house is a garden
  • house for sale - because they want company
  • cleaning/maintenance is a coping mechanism - keeps her busy

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