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Gangrene

Introduction

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat is a symbolic poem. Taufiq Rafat, as critics

frequently assert, was a poet who captured life in Pakistan in the
most realistic manner and detail. Particularly, life in rural Punjab of
Pakistan finds its apt depiction in Rafat’s poetry. Gangrene by Taufiq
Rafat presents another aspect of this life. A lack of education and
awareness coupled with limited resources and health facilities forms
the context of this poem. Gangrene, the poem, is a satire on two
aspects of rural life in Pakistan. Rafat satirizes the careless mindset
of the villagers and the government that fails to provide proper
health services in villages. He tells us how negligence on the part of
parents brings about the death of an innocent boy. This article offers
a summary and analysis of the poem, Gangrene, for the students
and instructors of Pakistani literature in English.

What is Gangrene, the disease?

Gangrene is a serious medical condition. It occurs when the tissues

of the body die because of either a lack or constant stoppage of
blood supply. Among the general causes of gangrene are infections
and injuries. It also occurs due to such medical conditions that
restrict the flow of blood in the body. In diabetes and peripheral
artery disease, the flow of blood in the body is affected. Therefore,
patients with these diseases have to be very careful about even the
slightest injuries. Its symptoms include a change in skin colour,
swelling, pain, and ill-smelling discharge. Gangrene needs prompt
attention and treatment. Its treatment includes the use of antibiotics
and surgery to remove the affected tissue. In severe cases, it may
also lead to the amputation of the infected limb of the body.

Text of the Poem Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat

Stanza 1

They brought a boy to me, twelve years old,

his arm wrapped up in dirty bandages,

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a quiet, well-mannered boy, who smiled

shyly when I tickled him under the chin.

He was from my ancestral village, the son

of a carpenter who was a cousin-by-marriage

of a tanner, I traded with. It was, therefore,

natural they should come to me for help.

Stanza 2

The story was simply this: The boy had fallen

from the roof while flying a kite. The damage

was negligible, just a shattered elbow.

From that height, he could have very well

broken his neck. It was a miracle considering

he fell on a brick-pile. I looked at the boy.

He seemed quite modest about his achievement.

Or, perhaps, he was still thinking of the lost kite.

Stanza 3

The only mender of bones in a village

is a local wrestler. They showed him the arm,

and without so much as a second glance,

he got busy with oil and lint. It is truly

a miracle, he said, the boy could have broken

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his neck. This is nothing but a fracture.

After pocketing the money, he patted the boy

on the head and sent them away happy.

Stanza 4

But the bone was stubborn, it refused to mend.

This is more serious than I thought, said the

wrestler. However, there is nothing to worry about.

In four or five days he will be running around

as good as new. So he set it again,

and scolded the boy for showing so much pain.

He pocketed the money. Satisfied, the relatives

went home. But the bone did not mend.

Stanza 5

This much they told me. I guessed the rest.

The days of growing anxiety; the wrestler’s refusal

to admit his mistake; the unlimited optimism

of parents. But when the limb blackened and

to stink, they got frightened. They could sense

the fear in the wrestler too, though he insisted

it would be all right. The boy is in the power

of a djinn, he said. But he could not hide his fear.

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Stanza 6

So here they were, too late as usual, come at last

to their only contact in the city. I could not stand

the animal appeal in their eyes. My proximity

to the mission hospital was surely a passport

to personal attention. I changed quickly

and went with them. The mission surgeon, a greedy,

tactless butcher, took one perfunctory look.

Gangrene, he said in English, the arm must come out

Stanza 7

In this case he was right, of course. I had

already guessed by the smell. Still, my heart

sank when I looked at the boy; he was watching

a flock of pigeons in the courtyard. How shall

I tell them? I thought, how shall I tell them?

In the end I did not have to. The tanner guessed

by my face. Tactfully, he took me aside.

I told him. He then went to the father.

Stanza 8

I have never seen anybody so indignant.

Instead of grief, there was only anger, or

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the anger was because of grief. Amputation,

he fumed, was out of question. What use

is a son with one arm only? I would rather

he died. Let us go, he said, we are wasting

our time. I am sure the wrestler can do it.

If we must stay, there is the other hospital

Stanza 9

I argued and pleaded; it was no use.

There is no time, I said, the gangrene

is growing like a storm. But they would not listen.

I saw them go with a helpless rage

burning inside me. As I left the hospital

it was a lovely spring day, fresh after the rain,

and I felt ashamed of being so healthy.

I heard the boy died on the operating table.

Summary of the Poem Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat

Introduction

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat is a thought-provoking poem. The poem is

the story of a twelve-year-old innocent young boy. This boy fell from
the roof while flying a kite. He received a severe injury on his elbow.
His parents got him treated by a local wrestler. The wrestler spoilt
the case and the boy developed gangrene and died at last. The poet

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has related this story in this poem with the minutest possible detail.
The description shows that the narrator of the poem is the poet
himself. It must have been one of the many events in his life which
form the background of his poems.

The Description of the Boy

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat begins with the poet telling us about the
boy. He was a shy, quiet, and well-mannered boy of twelve. There
were dirty bandages wrapped around his arm. The boy came from
the poet’s ancestral village. He was the son of a carpenter who was
a cousin-by-marriage of a tanner with whom the poet traded. It was
for this relationship that they had brought the boy to him. They
needed the poet’s help to get the boy’s wounded arm examined by
a doctor in the city.

The Story of the Boy’s Damaged Arm

The boy hurt himself when he fell from the roof while flying a kite.
He fell on a pile of bricks and might have broken his neck. However,
his folks considered it a miracle that it did not happen. He received,
as they considered it, only a minor injury in the form of a dislocated
elbow. His parents took him to a local wrestler who was famous as a
mender of bones. The wrestler casually examined the boy’s
shattered elbow, applied oil to it, and covered it with lint. He
charged his fee and declared that it was a slight fracture that would
heal soon. However, the wound continued to get infected till it
became gangrene. The wrestler, who had miscalculated the
damage, did not admit his fault. Instead, he attributed it to the
influence of some supernatural presence that hampered the
recovery of the bone.

The Decision to Consult a Doctor

The wrestler tried, again and again, to somehow treat the shattered
elbow of the boy. Anyhow, with no actual knowledge of bone
therapy, he failed miserably. When the boy began to develop
gangrene, his parents decided to get him examined by a doctor in
the city. The simple villagers thought it befitting to involve the poet
who belonged to their village but lived in the city. They believed that
he could get them to some specialist doctor. No sooner did the poet

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see the boy’s arm, he realized that the villagers had gone late. Still,
he took them to a surgeon.

The Diagnosis

The poet lived near a mission hospital. He took the boy to this
hospital where the doctor confirmed that it was gangrene. He added
that the amputation had become inevitable. If delayed, the boy
would die of it.

The Reaction of the Poet to the Diagnosis

The poet felt sorry for the little boy who was unaware of the severity
of his wound. He was busy watching pigeons. The poet could not
find words to break the news to the boy’s father. The tanner,
however, realized the seriousness of the matter and tactfully took
the poet aside. The poet disclosed the matter to the tanner who
informed the boy’s father.

The Reaction of the Boy’s Father

As soon as the boy’s father came to know of the situation, he flared

up in rage. The poet could not distinguish whether it was rage, grief,
or a combination of both. The boy’s father declared that a son with
only one arm was a shame. He could not stand amputation. He
insisted that the doctor knew nothing. Once again, he asserted his
faith in the village wrestler. Furthermore, he insisted on going to
some other hospital for the treatment of the boy. The poet did his
best to make the boy’s father understand the gravity of the
situation. But he did not listen to anyone. He walked out of the
hospital.

The Consequence

The stubbornness of the boy’s father brought about disastrous

results. In a few days, the poet came to know that the boy had
passed away on the operating table. The ignorance and adamancy
of the boy’s father took the boy’s life.

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Analysis of the Poem Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat

Introduction

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat is an issue-based poem. In this poem,

Rafat raises questions on many social aspects and issues. He picks
the story of a young boy who develops gangrene and dies of it. In
this story, Rafat highlights a lack of awareness, excessive
selfishness, gross mismanagement, and the baseless belief system
of society. The poem is also a comment on the weak implementation
of law and order in Pakistan.

A Lack of Awareness

Gangrene by Taugfiq Rafat presents a situation in which a boy fell

from the roof while flying a kite. He fell on a brick pile and hurt his
elbow. In a situation like this, the parents must have taken the boy
to a hospital. Instead, they took the matter lightly. They considered
the shattered elbow a slight injury and were satisfied that the boy
did not break his neck. They took the boy to a local wrestler whom
they considered an expert in mending bones. It is a clear sign of a
lack of awareness. In rural Punjab where the literacy rate is quite
low, such cases are common. Wrestlers and quacks take full
advantage of illiterate and unaware people. Also, it raises a question
about the health system in Pakistan where doctors have lost the
faith of the people.

Excessive Selfishness

Selfishness in Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat reflects in the behaviour of

the wrestler. His only concern is money. He is not a certified
orthopaedic. But he claims to cure a critical case. The boy’s elbow is
badly hurt. The wrestler should have advised his parents to take him
to the hospital. However, he uses his misguided technique and
spoils the case further. The most shocking aspect of the matter is
that he does not admit his mistake. He continues to pocket money
from the boy’s father. Rafat criticizes this unethical behaviour. The
wrestler’s selfishness was one of the factors that killed the boy.

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Gross Mismanagement

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat presents a deplorable condition of a

village where a basic health unit is not available. It is a criticism of
the policymakers of the country. Health services should be provided
to all at their doorsteps. But even today, there are many villages
and small towns where you will not find even a dispensary. If
something serious happens in such areas, people are at the mercy
of quacks and wrestlers. The newspapers keep publishing news
featuring the quacks and wrestlers who have killed so many people.
In the end, all such cases are attributed to the will of God.

Baseless Belief System

The boy’s father in Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat is a stereotypical

person with a mindset that follows baseless beliefs. He believes that
the wrestler can mend his son’s broken elbow. This baseless belief
aggravates the situation. It prolongs the agony of his son who
develops gangrene because of the mistaken treatment of the
wrestler. Again, when the doctor confirms the gangrene and
suggests amputation, the boy’s father flares up. He should have
shown interest in saving the life of his son. However, he considers it
a matter of shame to have a son with only one arm. This again is
reflective of an approach based on a baseless belief system.

Implementation of Law and Order

Kite-flying is a favourite sport in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

Every year, it claims the lives of many people. There have always
been rules and regulations about this sport. But no one follows them
in letter and spirit. Law enforcement agencies do little to ward
people off the hazards of this sport.

Conclusion

Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat strengthens the poet’s status as an

accomplished storyteller. Rafat possesses the ability to use social
events as the background of his poems. His poems are stories of
common men whom we may encounter somewhere in society. This
poem raises questions and inspires the readers and the public to look
for solutions to their problems. Negligence in issues of social level may

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lead to a gangrene sort of situation. We will have to react quickly and

positively before our social system begins to stink.

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