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Symbolism In The Day Of The Scorpion

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In The Day of the Scorpion, Ronald Merrick sees opportunity in World War II to put the case behind him and try to reinvent him by joining the army. Despite of setbacks, his Merrick’s ruthless ambition to rise above humble origins has not eased. He still sees in colonial India the opportunity for someone like himself to enjoy certain superiority and the potential to rise even further in social rank. Merrick takes the opportunity meeting Teddie, and through him the Layton family. The members of the Raj’s like Sarah, Susan, Mohammed Ali Kasim, Captain Teddie, Colonel Layton, Ronald Merrick and Sarah Layton are all caught up in their circles of fire. As a symbol of creation (i.e. love) as well as of destruction (i.e. death) the archetypal image of fire is used by the author. The title of the novel comes from a memory from the sister’s childhood, being shown a scorpion placed within a ring of fire. The scorpion appeared to sting itself to death. They saw this event differently; perhaps its fate was something else. As the scorpion encircled by a ring of fire stings itself to death, so does the British raj hasten its own destruction when threatened by …show more content…

In The Day of the Scorpion, to put the case behind him Merrick sees an opportunity in the Second World War. To enjoy a certain superiority and potential to rise even further in social rank Merrick seeks an opportunity through Teddie meeting Layton family. Scott takes the title The Day of the Scorpion from the haunting childhood memory of Sarah Layton, the novel’s main character. Sarah recalls the day a scorpion surrounded with a circle of fire. While the Layton sisters watched the scorpion arched its back and appeared to sting itself with its deadly tail before the flames could spread. The image of the scorpion’s suicide becomes a metaphor for the English within India’s circle of

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