THE CURSE -CHARACTERS

AZREEN

Main character of the novel. Studies in England. Happy to be away from her village. Did not have good relationship with her parents especially her father due to her defiant behaviour and tomboyish outlook. An outspoken and independent girl. Envious of her adopted sister, Madhuri. A helpful friend especially when she claimed responsibility for letting the bull run loose in order to save Mohd. Asraf's skin. Caring for her sick mother and Old Lady. Intelligent as she managed to further her studies in the United Kingdom.

 

MADHURI

A beautiful and polite lady. A submissive wife and daughter. Religious and good at reciting Quranic verses. Conservative compared to her sister, Azreen. Protective of her sister when they were young. A polite and caring daughter. Concerned about her sick mother.

 

MOHD. ASRAF

A dedicated and popular teacher in a local school on the island. Independent since young. Good friends with Azreen while they were in school together. A caring grandson who is concerned about his grandmother's well-being. Loves Madhuri and wanted to take her with him to Kuala Lumpur.

 

SALEH ABDULLAH

Madhuri and Azreen's father. Active and strong for his age. A stern father to Azreen since when she was young. Not on good terms with Azreen since the motorcycle accident which paralysed Azreen's mother. A manipulative father who let Madhuri become Haji Ghani's second wife in order to protect his interests. An egoistic person who could not accept Madhuri's love affair with Mohd. Asraf and in the end killed Madhuri in a fit of anger at the rubber plantation.

 

HAJI GHANI

The village headman who fell for Madhuri and took her as his second wife. Neglects his first wife, Fathihah in the process. An influential man on the island. Hides the cause of his wife's death in order to protect his reputation. Knows of Madhuri's affair with Mohd. Asraf. A religious man.

 

SITI

An obedient daughter of Pn. Kamsiah. She helps Mohd. Asraf to look after his grandmother while he looks for the medicinal plants. She is also a responsible girl as she warns Azreen about the mob that is lead by Mohd. Asraf to the Old Lady's house. She is gullible as she likes to ponder over the gossips and rumours told by Normala, the village gossip.

 

PUAN NORMALA

The rumour monger of the village and her topic of interest is on Madhuri and how she died. She is sneaky and malicious when she coaxed Mohd. Asraf to confront the Old Lady, accusing her as the reason why his grandmother's health deteriorates and she finally dies. She is also superstitious when she blamed the Old Lady's visit to Mohd. Asraf's house as the reason for the continuous rain.

 

THE OLD LADY

An educated woman as she has knowledge of herbal medicine to treat illnesses. Her house is always neat and situated by the hillside. She is a caring and concerned woman as she takes Azreen in and gives her food and shelter whenever she has fights and problems. She is also a resourceful person and she is a good cook and her recipes and secret ingredients are very much sought after.

 

DATIN SHARIFAH AND DATUK ZULKIFLI

Azreen's rich foster parents whom she stayed with for two months foster programme. Datuk and Datin helped her financially in her studies in the UK. Even though she only stayed with them for a short period of time, she still maintains a good relationship with them. Even though they are foster parents, they treat Azreen as their own child. Azreen calls her Mak Cik which signifies their close relationship.

 

BOMOH

The Bomoh is the person whom the villagers seek for traditional cure. It is through the Bomoh that the mysterious happenings that took place in the village are uncovered. The truth behind the death of Madhuri and the status of Azreen are also finally revealed by him.

FATIHAH

She is Haji Ghani's first wife and appears to adore Madhuri. However, she secretly hold grudges against her husband's young wife. She feels that her husband favours the young wife more than herself. She tries her best to win her husband's heart after the death of Madhuri

 

 

THE CURSE-CHAPTER 12

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

THE CURSE -CHAPTER 4

Azreen reaches home but is unable to see her sister,Madhuri's body as it has already been taken away for burial. Meanwhile, there is an air of mystery over Madhuri's death. Village gossip, Normala keeps insisting that she saw Madhuri's blood being white in colour. Azreen takes her mother to the burial ground.There she sees her father, Saleh Abdullah and Madhuri's husband, Haji Ghani. Her father gets angry at her for bringing her mother there. Walking back from the cemetery, she meets her old friend and classmate, Mohd. Asraf. They exchange greetings and Azreen is upset whenever she sees him as she knows he likes Madhuri more than her.Back in her living room, Fatihah, haji Ghani's first wife tears up the curtains Madhuri had put up in their house with keris. She is angry with Madhuri for dominating her home and ruining her peaceful married life with her husband.

The Curse- Chapter 3

Azreen is greeted by her uncle, Datuk Zulkifli and his wife, Datin Sharifah at the airport. They are her adopted parents. They try not to talk about Madhuri's death. They take her home.
Back home, Azreen listens to rumours about Madhuri's death, spread by the village gossip, Normala. She spreads the news that Madhuri was murdered. She keeps on saying that she saw Madhuri's body before it was taken away. She saw that the blood was white in colour, which is a bad omen. She believes that they have all been 'cursed'.

The Curse -Chapter 2

When Azreen is on the plane, she recalls her childhood days with her sister, Madhuri. Madhuri was well-liked, prettier than Azreen. She was four years older than her and had been a filial daughter to her parents. On the contrary, Azreen is short, bespectacled, fiery-minded and always speaks her mind. She does not like to be compared to her sister, and rather envious of her sister's popularity. As blood is thicker than water, she also remembers the happier moments spent with Madhuri when they cycled past the paddy field and picked rambutans and fallen durians from the fruit plantations.

The Curse, Chapter 1

Azreen Saleh who is studying in London receives the news that her sister, Madhuri has died. She leaves quietly, without telling her friends. On the way to the subway station, she meets her classmate, Julian Ng. She tells him the reason of her return to Malaysia. She is reluctant to elaborate further. He tells her that he might visit her when he goes back to Malaysia.

New Novel -The Curse (Form 5)

Salam and hello everyone. It has been quite a while since I last dropped a few words in my blog. Due to this very short break, I would like to use this opportunity to disseminate some useful notes to help you understand the novel you are studying this year.

It took me a while to read the novel, and I could foresee certain drawbacks as the author uses a lot of flashbacks in the chapters. To help you understand the story better, you really have to use your imagination. Just imagine that you're watching a movie or drama on the television where they have flashbacks in black in white.

Alright, enough with my ramblings, let's start talking about the novel. I shall divide it according to chapters to avoid confusion.