MOLESTING WOMEN TO HUMILIATE OPPONENTS: A FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF BAPSI SIDHWA’S SELECTED SHORT STORIES

Abstract

This study is primarily related to the issues of women and social conditions prevailing in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent. By analyzing a short stories’ collection titled "Their Language of Love," authored by Bapsi Sidhwa, the research highlights suffering and adversity experienced by women. These narratives raise awareness about women’s issues and identify their problems through fictional experiences. Through a feminist lens, this study illuminates the multifaceted oppression faced by women, spanning sexual, emotional, and political realms. It elucidates how societal structures perpetuate discrimination and exploitation, exerting control over women’sbody. This study is focused on the sense of female honour. A sense of honour is attached with the female body in the sub-continent. In the partition riots, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims abused women to humiliate one another. Dishonouring women means dishonouring that community. Furthermore, the present research emphasizes literature's role in shedding light on women's issues, offering a nuanced picture through fictional narratives. Despite potential misrepresentations of feminism, literature serves as a powerful medium to challenge societal misconceptions and biases, fostering dialogue and awareness. Sidhwa's stories serve as poignant reflections of the complexities surrounding women's struggles, dissecting the interplay of social structures and cultural institutions that ensnare women in a web of oppression. By undertaking a feminist analysis of her work, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on women's rights and empowerment, aligning with broader efforts to dismantle systemic barriers and advocate for gender equality.