English Translation by M.Asaduddin
In this short story, the author dwells upon the social depicts
drawn on the independence of women in the pre-partitioned subcontinent. It
emphasizes on the earlier Muslim society when women were deprived of their
degree of freedom. In the era where women had no right to express their opinion
or to have an opinion of their own, in the era where a woman's will was nothing
but a question mark. Here the question
of negligence is raised of women in her marriage life. The story triggers
toward women identity; influencing the conscious of the society as it reveals
the dimensions of life behind the veil of a woman of those times.
Here the author narrates the story of Begum Jaan who is married to a much older Nawab. Nawab and Begum Jaan are two persons totally opposite
from each other including in their classes. Their marriage was merely a
profitable business deal as Nawab
was very rich belonging to a feudal family and Begum Jaan was not quite well-off belonging to a lower-class
family. They both were poles apart in their differences, however married to
each other proposed by their families. In spite of their odd age difference, Begum Jaan was married by her family as
an approving profitable option. This social norm was and even today is
practiced in continuity in the society to a large extent.
The lack of independence given to women in marriage plays
an important role in the story. Begum
Jaan was not allowed to leave the house and was ordered to live a life of
segregation and in complete isolation. She was not allowed to meet anyone. Begum Jaan’s presence was primarily as
decorative furniture in the house. Whereas, the Nawab was free to indulge in his desires and mysterious hobbies.
This also throws light on the issue of gender discrimination and the author
also shows the dilemma of women under male domination that focuses onto women
oppression. The author creates a patriarchal background in which the woman is
suppressed by her husband which is still an unquestionable norm in the
society.
It is completely besieging how such inequality can lead a
woman to utter isolation and depression. It is a sympathetic condition for the
reader. Nawab was completely void to Begum Jaan’s presence as she had not
existed to him. Begum Jaan was
completely heartbroken and her pain and loneliness had known no human bounds.
Her sexual desires were kept hidden in herself and there was no one to fulfill
them. Even the romantic novels and sentimental poetry made her remind of her
dejection by the Nawab.
In their marriage, Nawab
completely imprisoned Begum Jaan which
was a society norm she had to comply with. Her existence was obscene to Nawab and she couldn't express any
gratitude towards their marriage. Her marriage was profound to be a helpless
ritual which she had to be in.
Nawab was
completely oblivious to his new bride‟s desires or rather he chose to ignore
them. He lacks the imagination to realize the fact that his new bride Begum Jaan has confined to their
marriage with certain hopes and desires. He failed to acknowledge the sexual
expectation of his new bride.
The rejection by her husband and the
feeling of segregation and isolation in
Begum Jaan
developed an intimate attraction between her and Rabbu. To her, Rabbu wasn‟t
her slave; it was a more intimate relationship than the typical master-slave
relationship. Her homosexual desires were boundless to such extents that she
would not hesitate to molest a child while her „slave‟ was on leave. Begum Jaan’s lesbian relationship with Rabbu was due to the rejection of her
sexual desires by Nawab. Had her
sexual desires been satisfied with Nawab,
the lesbian encounter was not to been occurred. This is how the author wants us
to understand the idea on deviant sexuality.
Lihaf needs to be
evaluated under the intertwined themes of marriage, suppression of women and
neglect of female sexuality and desires. The author emphasizes on feminist
perspective raising important questions on marriage and its importance being
limited to an economic and social venture.
To me the story is not only about lesbianism. Chugtai wrote
this short story in a very bold manner and is very critical about the condition
of women in society. She examines the plight of women as they are denied their
civil rights, autonomy, and self determination and hence become the victims of socio-cultural
injustice. To conclude, this story is merely related to the expression of
female psychological desires. The emotional breakdown and neurotic behavior of Begum Jan shows the desperation of women
who are deprived of their sexual desires.
An unsatisfied married woman is vulnerable to her sexual
desires and the author wants the reader to understand the female psyche that‟s
unique in nature. Women have extreme sexual desires and the author wants to
create an idea on the issue of homoerotic desire between women that is wholly
unspoken in the society. The author remises as she sympathizes with the sexual
repression of women in a middle-class deceitful society. The story ends up horrifically reinforcing on negative
stereotypes about lesbianism. The story is ultimately a sad one about loneliness and sexual repression about a woman‟s
quest exploring and understanding the sufferings of married life.
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