A thousand Splendid Suns:Rasheed has lust and sensational needs which he tries to fulfillby marrying a girl much younger than him and before he decides to have sex withhim.
He takes her for dinner and shopping, which the little girl, hence hiswife considers it to be his gesture of love. However, it is only a bribe andshe is forced to make love at a point when she herself doesn’t know the meaningof sex. She stays bewildered until Rasheed justifies his action being halal inIslam. HatakHATAKEven in Urdu literature women have been objectified. Manto wroteseveral stories dealing with the lives of prostitutes, in which females bodyend up representing exploitation and social stratification.
Hatak (the insult),is one of those pieces of his literature. Manto doesn’t let usknow the reason of Saughandi opted to sell off her. He kept it vague.
What weknow as readers is that Saughandi considered sexual intimacy abusrd, every partof her body yearned to be worked over, until fatigue and exhaustion, hassettled her into a delightful state of sleep1. According to him knowingthe reason is not important. Yet he doesn’t let go of any possibility oftempting the reader by giving descriptions of her body. Manto had portrayed Saughnadi as a good-hearted prostitute whohas been exploited by men both emotionally, physically and materially. She is aprostitute who needs men’s approval of being good and also craved love. ‘Wohjanti thi k who buri nahee achi hai, par who chahti thi k koi uski taeyedkaray..koi.
.koi..uske kandhon par haath rakh kar kej de k Soghandi tu buri haijo tjhay bura kahay who aap bura’2And consequently she herself also spends money on her husbandMadho, who taking benfits from her, gives husbandly speeches on how he willfinancially assist her and wants her to give up her trade.
Here, like Rameen in ChupRaho we see how women is expected and is portayed as a faithful and loyal wife,despite of however her husband is treating her. And also shows women asattention seekers and needful of men’s approval over everything even herbeauty.Soghandiattempts on finding peace, and wants a home for herself to belong to.
“Aur na kabhi kisi ne us ko yeh mehsoos honey dia tha key us ka aik ghar hai. Jis maingharelupan asakta hai”3. This outlookof her toards her routine, made her sexually commercial, an object like herroom, chaotic, messy incared for, and in serach of ownership. she is potrayedas a weak women looking for support.
Women throughthis novel are portrayed as emotional fools, just carving for men’s love. Andhow a few lovable words from a man can eaily melt her. “Soghandi dimmag sezayada rehti thi laikin jaisi hi koi maram nazuk baat…koi komal boli..issekehta to jhat pighal kar apnay jism k dusray hisson mai phel jati.
” 4Though she knew that the men were lying she woul melt like wax and believe it.”prem…kitna sundhar bol hai, isko pigla akr saray ango par mal k iski maalishkarluey, take ye saraka sara pighal k iske masamon mai rakh jaye.” It states that no matter how clever a womanis, a man thorugh his words only, can eaily woo her.
The storyunfold mainly around the incident when apimp insults her. The insult that she feels from thisrejection breaks her down. Showing the oppressive need of women for men’sapproval. Insaaf Ka tarazuFilm over years have been a mirror of society’sview of the female body.
Even when deling with sensitive topics as rape, womenare being sexualized.In the openijg sequence of the film Insaaf KaTarazu we see a graphic scene of Zeenat Aman being raped by Raj Baber. Thescene ended up sexualizing her more, and less of a criminal act. From the preparatorytearing of her clothes, with the dramatic background music, to vast amount ofher skin being showed, the camera focuses on her. The rapist just throws therapist looks.51 Hatak – Manto2 Htak – Manto3 Ha?ak, Manto4 Hatak Manto5 Insaaf ka tarazu (00 00 00:00 01 12)
