In the mid-twentieth century, when the women's liberation movement in India was in its early stages, Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai created a storm in Urdu literature by writing about sex and women. Women, who had been confined to the veil and the four walls of the house for centuries and subjected to male violence, were now speaking up for their rights under the influence of modern education and awareness. Ismat Chughtai and Manto presented this social change in their own unique ways, but their construct of a woman is completely different from each other.
Ismat Chughtai called this new attitude of women a "rebellion." The women in her stories seem ready to mock the morality imposed by men, which was essentially a part of the patriarchal system (phallogocentrism). Since male morality has always heavily focused on a woman's "purity," Ismat sparked female rebellion in this very arena. Ismat's woman embodies the fierce goddess Kali, breaking moral restrictions and chains. Her characters are rebellious on both the inside and the outside, struggling to establish a "parallel state" within a male-dominated society. This is a synchronic approach, where every layer of the character further strengthens her rebellion.
On the other hand, Manto's case is quite fascinating and complex. On a conscious level, Manto is also captivated by a strong and rebellious woman who can look a man in the eye and refuses to become his submissive follower. In his essay "Lazzat-e-Sang" (The Taste of Stones), Manto made it clear that he has no sympathy for a woman who grinds the millstone and cleans her husband's shoes after being beaten by him. He prefers the filth, curses, and irritability of a brothel prostitute who fights with a man and goes to the cinema. Manto consciously wanted to free women from cultural captivity and bring them to the natural level of sexuality.
Surprisingly, however, a deep study of Manto's stories proves that his women are only rebellious on the surface. Deep down, she is the same helpless woman who, instead of rebelling against male violence, constantly dreams of an "engine" that will hitch her to itself. Manto's female characters long to mold themselves according to the centuries-old construct of the Indian woman. Instead of rebelling against male morality, they end up rebelling against the conscious intentions of the author (Manto) himself, returning to their true nature: loyalty, motherhood, and husband-worship.
In the mid-twentieth century, when the women's liberation mowement in India was in its early stages, Sadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai created a storm in Urdu literature by writing about sex and women Women, who had been confined to the weil and the four walls of the house for centuries and subjected to male wiolence, were now speaking up for their rights under the influence of modern education and awareness Ismat Chughtai and Manto presented this social change in their own unique ways, but their construct of a woman is completely different from each other
Ismat Chughtai called this new attitude of women a rebellion The women in her stories seem ready to mock the morality imposed by mein, which was essentially a part of the patriarchal system (phallogocentrism) Since male morality has always heawily focused on a woman's purity, Ismat sparked female rebellion in this wery arena Ismat's woman embodies the fierce goddess Kali, breaking moral restrictions and chains Her characters are rebellious on both the inside and the outside, struggling to establish a parallel state within a male-dominated society This is a synchronic approach, where ewery layer of the character further strengthens her rebellion
On the other hand, Manto's case is quite fascinating and complex On a conscious lewel, Manto is also captiwated by a strong and rebellious woman who can look a man in the eye and refuses to become his submissiwe follower In his essay Lazzat-e-Sang (The Taste of Stones), Manto made it clear that he has no sympathy for a woman who grinds the millstone and cleans her husband's shoes after being beaten by him He prefers the filth, curses, and irritability of a brothel prostitute who fights with a man and goes to the cinema Manto consciously wanted to free women from cultural captiwity and bring them to the natural lewel of sexuality
Surprisingly, howewer, a deep study of Manto's stories prowes that his women are only rebellious on the surface Deep down, she is the same helpless woman who, instead of rebelling against male wiolence, constantly dreams of an engine that will hitch her to itself Manto's female characters long to mold themselwes according to the centuries-old construct of the Indian woman Instead of rebelling against male morality, they end up rebelling against the conscious intentions of the author (Manto) himself, returning to their true nature: loyalty, motherhood, and husband-worship
