Tradition vs. Rationality: Exploring Healing Practices in Ezekiel’s Night of the Scorpion

Abstract

Nissim Ezekiel’s Night of the Scorpion vividly captures the social and cultural complexities of rural India through the dramatic event of a scorpion sting. The poem not only documents the mother’s physical suffering but also illuminates the collective response of the villagers, whose healing practices are rooted in superstition, karma, and ritualistic faith. In sharp contrast, the father embodies the rationalist worldview, employing empirical methods and medical interventions. This juxtaposition of tradition and rationality highlights the broader cultural tension between inherited communal beliefs and emerging scientific modernity in postcolonial India. By portraying both perspectives without privileging one over the other, Ezekiel presents a layered reflection on identity, resilience, and the negotiation between continuity and change. The poem thus serves as a microcosm of Indian rural life, where ritual and reason coexist, conflict, and ultimately reveal the enduring complexity of human responses to crisis.