1. Prepare the character sketch of the homeopath in the story'The snake and the mirror'.

Homeopath : The dreamer

Homeopath is the central character of the short story written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.  In this story,  Basheer portrays the homeopath as an admirer of beauty. He is very proud of himself for being a young handsome bachelor and a doctor by profession. He had just started his medical practice and his earnings were meagre. He lives in a rented room that was not electrified. In order to look more handsome , he decides to shave daily, keep an attractive smile always on his face and grow a thin moustache.  He would also wish to marry a woman doctor who has plenty of money and a good medical practice. She should be fat so that even if he made any mistakes, she wouldn’t be able to run after him. But, the phrase " Man proposes, God disposes " is very much apt for the doctor's life. On the contrary to his plan, God willed something different! His wife is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.! 

Homeopath is a satirical character who often delivers some silly jokes himself. He mentions comically that he and the rats share the rented room. His conceptions about his fiancée also reveals his sense of humor. At the end of the story the doctor feels shame himself as the thief left his dirty vest. He presents the matter comically by saying that "The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness . . .! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water." When the cobra coiled around his arm, he admits that he was a stupid doctor because he had forgot to keep any medicines with him. In short, the doctor is a simple but a humorous character.