In this story, some soldiers go out drinking together and
get drunk. One of the men, Fleete, does not know very much about India. On the way home
he desecrates an Indian god, Hanuman the Monkey God, by stubbing out his cigar on the
statue. A weird priest, who has the disease leprosy, grabs him and bites him on the
chest, leaving a large and ugly mark. As the men laugh and leave the temple, another
priest warns them that Hanuman will get his revenge.
Soon
after, Fleete begins to act crazy. He is possessed. The monkey god has put a spell on
him. His friend, Strickland, is familiar with the mark of the beast from the Bible (the
number 666) and believes that if his friend does not get better, they will have to take
drastic measures. Finally,
"Watch!" said Strickland. "If this happens six
times I shall take the law into my own hands. I order you to help
me."
Fleete's two friends
kidnap the leper priest and force him to remove the spell on Fleete. Fleete recovers and
has no memory of being possessed.
In the Bible, in the book
of Revelation, the number 666 is called "the mark of the beast." It is the number of the
Antichrist. Anyone that does not get this number stamped on his hand will not be able to
survive. It symbolizes that one belongs to Satan, not God. When Fleete is bitten by the
leper priest, he becomes a beast himself. He belongs to the
beast.
Now -- what do you think the story means? I will
give you a hint: it is an allegory of British colonialism in India. Think about this as
you figure out the theme of the story.
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