A CHARACTER THAT INFLUENCES OTHERS IN A NEGATIVE WAY

The novel that I have chosen is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. In this novel there are a few strong
characters. Among these characters, the character that I think has strongly influenced the others in a negative
way is Puan Normala.
Puan Normala, one of the villagers, is described by Siti as a slimy cobra with a three-forked
tongue. Nobody likes the gossips that she spreads. Branded as a rumour-monger, I find that she easily
influences the narrow minded people of her village. As a news broadcaster of the village, everything that
happens there does not escape her eyes and ears. Immediately, it becomes a topic for her to talk about. Her idle
talks are capable of ruining the reputations of the person concern. Most of the villagers, who fail to think
rationally, are easily influenced by her tales which causes a negative impact on the village.
After Madhuris body is recovered, she talks about Madhuris death so frequently that her daughter
carries the gossips to school too. She tells her classmates that Madhuri is murdered. In another incident, she
also talks about Madhuris marriage to Haji Ghani, the village headman and how their young, handsome teacher
is affected by it. This is a strong negative influence that Noor has acquired from Puan Normala as it is bad for
Noor to talk about matters that are not related to her.
The next incident is when Puan Normala admits that she has seen Madhuris dead body and that her
body was bleeding white blood. Being superstitious, she spreads the rumour that the village is cursed with
Madhuris death. She states that since the village is cursed, many bad things will happen and the village will
soon experience disaster. She waves the villagers hearts and spoils the harmony of the village. This is a clear
evident that shows how influent she can be in a negative way.
In another incident where we can witness her negative influence on the villagers is when she blames
the old ladys visit to Asrafs house as the reason for the continuous rain. Furthermore, she is also a mean and
malicious person. For example, her influence on the villagers caused them to provoke Mohd Asraf to confront
the old lady by accusing the old lady as the reason why Asrafs grandmothers dies. Because of that instigation,
Asrafs anger is the main cause for the fire that causes the old lady to die.
Apart from the above evident, there are many other incidents where she tries to influence the others
such as her own daughter and also Siti, her neighbours daughter. Noor, her daughter is exactly like her and can
be branded Like mother like daughter. In her class, she plays the role that she inherited from her mother. This
is a very clear evident that shows Puan Normalas negative influence on her daughter.
In conclusion, based on the above reasons and evident, I find that Puan Normala is the one and only
character that can influence the others in the negative way. We should not be like Puan Normala as what we
may say, may harm others. Therefore it is necessary for us to stay wise to create a more peaceful world.