RABIA TALATRABIA TALATM.A. ENGLISH (2012-14)M.A. ENGLISH (2012-14)

FJWU, RWPFJWU, RWP

DEPICTION OF GENDER AND DEPICTION OF GENDER AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC

PROBLEMS IN THE SELECTED PROBLEMS IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF HOSSEINIWORKS OF HOSSEINI

1. Introduction1. Introduction

• To examine Hosseini’s perspectives regarding women

empowerment

• To examine the issue of women’s empowerment in his

novels.

• To identify socio-economic factors and their

relationship with women empowerment in his novels.

• To investigate the reasons of socio-economic challenges

against women empowerment as projected by Hosseini

in his works.

1.1 Research Objectives

1.2 Research Questions 1.2 Research Questions What are the perspectives of Hosseini’s regarding

women empowerment? How does Hosseini portray the issue of women

empowerment in his novels? What is the relationship of socio-economic factors

and women empowerment in Hosseini’s novels? What are the reasons of socio-economic

challenges against women empowerment as projected by Hosseini in his selected works?

1.3 Significance of the Study1.3 Significance of the Study Women characters in Hosseni’s novels

are the representation of the women across the world who are facing the problems of exploitation.

This research will be useful in understanding how social and economical upheavels create problems and what kind of impact they have on women.

This study will also be helpful in understanding the various problems of women in Afghanistan.

It will study about the violation of the rights of women in Afghanistan through female characters.

2. Literature Review2. Literature Review

2. LITERATURE REVIEW2. LITERATURE REVIEW2.1Gender:2.1Gender: Psychologist Stroller (1968) started using words sex to

find out biological traits whereas Gender to find out the amount of femininity and masculinity that a person has. Eckert uses the quote of Simon de Beauvoir, ‘women are not born, they are made’. (Beauvoir, 1958)

Delamont explains sex includes these terms like ‘physiology, anatomy, genetics, hormones’, all the biological aspect and biological functioning are included in this. These type of working of the body places them into two categories of male and female whose functioning’s are different.(1990)

Sunderland (2006) claims that individuals can be solidified into ‘a particular type of personality’ into which they grow. Once a particular type of personality of a person is formed then it cannot be changed. Individuals try to ‘wobble’ but do not want to change what type of personality they have acquired. She calls it basis of this socialization theory. (pg.197)

Gender works under the society about male and female on the basis of their physical difference.( Delamont, 1990). It is the state of being men amd women.

The words "feminism" and "feminist" first appeared in France and Netherland in 1872, in Great Britain in the 1890s, and in the United States in 1910. Margaret Sanger says ‘feminism’ is, the most far-reaching social development of modern times is the revolt of women against sexual servitude’(Keetley & Pettegrew, 2005,pp 247)

Exploitation of people especially women is a result of capitalism . Capitalistic class owns land or money or property and working class is under their oppression and exploitation. They deny working class from their rights because they are from the dominant class having all luxury and freedom.

2.2 FEMINISM2.2 FEMINISM

2.3 Marxism2.3 Marxism: : It deals with the patriarchal system of society which gives free authority to men to have control over women in whatever form like husband, father, brother and son. Women must obey their orders. Women are considered quite shy, sentimental

2.4Marxist Feminism: 2.4Marxist Feminism: It is a feminist theory about the liberation and self-emancipation of women that can be possible by putting an end to capitalism. According to it, property leads to inequality between men and women which is responsible for women oppression, so it should be destroyed. (Engels, 1848).

According to Marx, these systems are formed by the ruling class who is in power and having money according to their needs to create class conflict for keeping power in their hands. Class conflict is created because of class difference of upper class and lower class, who are less privileged.

3. Research Methodology3. Research Methodology

3.1 Type of Research: Qualitative study 3.2 Sample: The Kite Runner A Thousand Splendid Sons The Mountain Echoed 3.3 Tools of Data Analysis:Thematic analysis 3.4 Delimitations: • Three novels have been selected• Only socio-economic problems have been

selected• Only female characters have been selected in

relation to males character

4.Analysis of the Selected Novels4.Analysis of the Selected Novels

A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)The Kite Runner (2003)And The Mountains Echoed(2013)

4.1Analysis of THE KITE RUNNER 4.1Analysis of THE KITE RUNNER

Major characters 1.Amir 2.Baba3.Hassan4.Ali5.Sanaubar6.Soraya7.Sohrab

4.1 The Kite Runner SummaryThis novel is about the patriarchal family set-up. Discrimination of men and women is very prevalent in

the novel. Women are exploited by men in any form.Baba was’ a force of nature, a towering Pashtun

specimen with a thick beard…curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself… a black glare that would "drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy," he was ‘six-foot-five’…attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun.’ ( chap 3, pg.7)

authoritative personality. He is the one to make things difficult for his children

I watched with horror as one of the chapandaz fell off his saddle and was trampled under a score of hooves… I began to cry… all the way back home. He drove with disgusted look on his face and hands clenched and unclenched on steering wheel’ (Chap 3, pg.11)

Amir’s father does not like his effeminate attributes because a real man never cries and do not weep. It shows the stereotypical ideals against men in a patriarchal setup of power.

‘Their sons go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a goddamn thing. Oh, they're just men having fun! I make one mistake and suddenly everyone is talking nang and namoos, and I have to have my face rubbed in it for the rest of my life." (Chap 13, pg.98)

Soraya is talking about the double-standards of Afghani culture about men and women, how they give more importance to men than women.

Amir says to Soraya: ‘I had relieved her of the greatest fear of every Afghan mother…that her daughter would age alone, husbandless, childless. Every women needed a husband.’ (Chap 13, pg.97)

It shows they are burden and depression for parents.

When Amir went to Afghanistan, Farid and Javaid told him that ‘only Taliban can afford lambs and meat’. When Amir spent a night at the house of Farid’s brother, then he came to know about their poverty. (Chap 20, pg.133)

It shows gender inequality and class distinction in which those have power and dominant position are able to suppress others.

4.2 Analysis of A THOUSAND 4.2 Analysis of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNSSPLENDID SUNS

MAJOR CHARACTERS1.RASHEED2.MIRRIAM3.LAILA4.JALIL5.TARIQ6.NANA

4.2 Analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns

SummaryNana said to Mirriam:"Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass

needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a

woman. Always. You must remember that, Mariam." (Chap 1,

pg.7).Here Nana is trying to teach Mirriam to be careful in her future life. She is warning her not to rely on men because men are responsible for women oppression.Sexual exploitation of women.

When Mariam tells him about the possibility of girl he replies that ‘if it’s a girl, and it isn’t, but if it is a girl, then you can choose whatever name you want’’. (Chap 13, pg.63). It shows his deep interest for baby boy and his lack of interest for daughters.

It is the general rule of society and it is accepted

that the children of women are not their’s but they

belong to their father. After marriage Rasheed forced Mirriam to wear burqa because he thinks that ‘a woman’s face is her husband’s business only.’(Chap 10, pg.63). It shows men control on their wives.

The young Talib said to Mirriam

"God has made us differently, you women and us men. Our brains are different. You are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven this. This is why we require only one male witness but two female ones." (Chap 47, pg.324)

This shows discrimination that is existed against women in society that women are considered as fool and sentimental. It shows the superiority of men over women.

Through the mouthful of grit and pebbles. Mariam mumbled a plea. Tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes.’ (Chap 15, pg.94)

Rasheed forced her to chew the pebbles which broke her two teeth. These are the tortures, miseries and agonies which women are going through.

Rasheed said to Laila:‘You… would be a Benz. A brand new, first class, shiny Benz…One must take certain cares with a Benz. As a matter of respect for its beauty and craftsmanship, you see… I am merely making a point.’ (Chap 31, pg.199)He is considering Laila as car or as an object, which has greater charms for him. Because she is a young girl, who can fulfill his demand.‘Mariam never heard him call his daughter by the name the girl had given her. Aziza, the cherished one. It was always, the baby, or, when he was really exasperated, that thing. He never calls her Aziza, but calls her baby’’. (Chap 33, pg.212).

It’s a patriarchal need for him because the male child will carry the name of his father not the daughter or female gender, who are considered as a lowly creature or others.

4.3 Third Novel And The 4.3 Third Novel And The Mountains EchoedMountains Echoed

MAJOR CHARACTERSMAJOR CHARACTERS1.PARI2.ABDULLAH3.SABOOR4.DR.MARKOS5.SULEIMAN

WAHDATI6.NILA WAHDATI7.NABI

‘A finger must be cut to save the hand’(Chap 1, pg.13). It has become a statement of all those parents in the world who are selling their children due to harrowing and frightening poverty.It is a very arduous and formidable decisions for parents to choose one of their children to sell. The novel involves a patriarchal society of male dominant system, in which women’s are their property. •A patriarchal society is discussed in the novel in which Saboor sells Pari instead of Abdullah because females are on the verge of such inequality because of patriarchal society. •It shows that sons are more precious and valuable than daughters who are considered useless because only men can carry their name.

Nila is a young Afghan lady. She wants freedom of speech, environment and

freedom for everything but her father and patriarchal society demand that she should be obedient, submissive and polite.

She had fights with her father over small matters. She left her husband alone and went to France with Pari.

She defies against the patriarchal Afghan beliefs. Julien was a man who lived near Nila’s apartment

and he had love affairs with both Nila and Pari. He was actually the lover of Nila but had illicit relations with both.

It shows that nature of men remain the same regardless of the place.

‘Pari pulled on his sleeve and asked him to make her fly on the swing. May be tomorrow, Pari just for a while, Baba please get up.Baba said; Not now. Another time. She would give up in the end, release his sleeves and walk away resigned.’ (Chap 2, pg.28)

Lack of interest towards daughterNot only women are suffering with their pains and miseries men are equally suffering from such pains. They are not totally happy with their lot but they try to hide their sadness because men are considered as strong as iron because it is the setup of the society. But men are human and they have hearts. They are considered as oppressor who inflict pains on women but all men are not the same.

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

5.CONCLUSION5.CONCLUSION So analysis of novels shows the condition of both men

and women in the world. Different factors are responsible for the sufferings of

both men and women. These characters are universal they give the true

depiction of people suffering in the world due to empower.

Those who have power, have rights to inflict pains on others. Due to factors like war, poverty and other reasons women and men are suffering.

Due to the war men are suffered more than women because they are the bread earners and owners of the houses, they have to go outside to earn in this scenario of war.

They experience such atrocities because their lives are at risk in such conditions. Because those men who are powerful like Taliban, they inflict pains on those men who are helpless, who do not have power.

This is like a vicious circle powerful makes helpless as their victim.

Such men in turn inflict pains on the women at their homes because they want to keep their authority at least in their homes because of the society that has made women inferior, sentimental, vulnerable, they are like the property of men and men who are dominant, have authority to make any decision.

It shows that both men and women are deprived of their rights and specially women fail to get their position in any society that are equal to those men who have all rights than those men who are poor and helpless.

So above discussion shows that not only women are victim of exploitation men who are helpless are also the victim of exploitation.

Both men and women are suffering in one or another way. By changing the present setup of society their lot and

empowerment can be improved because socio-economic problems hamper the empowerment of women.

Hosseini has shown women as passive characters and men as strong characters which shows that women want to change their status, they want to raise their voices against such oppression but they are scared of this patriarchal setup.