My Aunt Gold Teeth by V.S Naipaul is a short story revolving around the Indian background or culture. The story is set is Chaguanas, the home ground of Naipaul. The major characters are devout Hindus with weighty knowledge of the Vedas, Sanskrit transcripts holy in the Hindu religion. Across the story, the author portrays the religion as a key cultural factor that influences people's behavior/decisions in the society. It is evident that various, credulous faith is an essential source of ritual and also a hindrance to trust efficient medical treatment.
The author of My Aunt Gold Teeth is devoted Hindu married to Ramprasad. Ramprasad falls sick and the aunt blames her ill-focused intention and desire to explore Christianity. She believes her intentions are a major cause of her husband illness. Even though the medical finding is diabetes and the medication is insulin, she does not believes in the results. She believes that for her to be safe, she has to consult Ganess Pundit, a man known as a faith-healer. After visiting him, he affirms to the aunt that her husband is plagued by seven spirits and confirms to her that he will “tie” up the family in spiritual links to disable the spirits from disturbing him. The faith-healer prescribes an itinerary of religious custom to her, that really relieves her.
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She was really relieved when the Pundit affirmed to her desire and attraction to Christianity did not contribute in any way to her husband illness. Pundit is a successful traditional doctor since he is capable to exploit his client using what is referred to as commodiousness of Hinduism accommodating all the norms and beliefs. Superstition and individual believes are often linked to individual illness, but this contradicts and clashes with contemporary medicine. Pundit house setting is quite tolerable with fresh air and sunshine, but the author views this as a poor condition that a sick person should not be exposed to.
In conclusion, throughout the story, the author professionally juxtaposes the efficacy and drawbacks of superstitious faith and believes. The author portrays how the cultural believes and norms can be a hindrance to accessing quality health care. This further shows the ethical dilemma that health practitioners experience as they interact with persons from the diverse cultural background.
