Domestic Violence against Women in Atiq Rahimi’s The Patience Stone (original) (raw)
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Engendered Violence Against Afghan Women in Atiq Rahimi's A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear
Journal Article , 2020
The universal concern of domestic violence against women in its various manifestations came to the center of scholarly attention due to its harmful effects and consequences on the lives of thousands of women worldwide. This umbrella term that refers to any form of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse against women is the result of gender-based power imbalance and sexist inequalities in societies where patriarchal norms hold sway. However, the enormity and severity of the problem is more profound in third-world countries where governing policies are determined by traditional and religious doctrines. Afghanistan is one such third-world country where woman's oppression and abuse originate from the reigning religious principles that dominate its culture, society and politics. Nevertheless, there is a recent trend among literary figures of the Afghan Diaspora in highlighting the plight of Afghan women in Afghanistan through the medium of fiction. This paper therefore intends to investigate the manifestations of domestic violence against women in the Afghan context through a reading of Atiq Rahim's novella, A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear (2007). Rahimi's novella narrates the story of a male protagonist named Farhad and simultaneously highlights the miserable living conditions of the Afghan people, particularly the lives of Afghan women during the turbulent period of the Soviet Invasion as well as the many internal political upheavals that followed soon after. Using feminist literary criticism, the present paper shall discuss the depictions of three prominent forms of domestic violence against women as experienced by the female characters in the novella, namely physical, sexual and psychological violence that have shaped them into oppressed, silenced and traumatized individuals.
Representation of Afghan Women in Atiq Rahimi's The Patience Stone: A (Standpoint) Feminist Critique
TextRoad Oublication, 2017
After 9/11, Afghan women gained much visibility across the globe. The popular images in fiction represent them as passive victims of war, patriarchy, and oppression. The purpose of this paper was to analyze Atiq Rahimi's The Patience Stone for the representation of Afghan women and to find out what representational strategies have been employed and what politics is involved in them. Feminist standpoint theory was applied to the analysis of the text which pointed out that Rahimi has employed imagining, political efficacy, and privileged location as strategies for his representation of Afghan women which are not devoid of their representational politics and the resulting stereotypical images have been used for political purposes (e.g. a justification for the US invasion). He has taken advantage of his privileged location and has reinforced the popular images of Afghan women. Moreover, he has under-represented Afghan women by ignoring the less problematic strategies of representation (e.g. confessional tales) and as such has contributed to the orientalist discourse.
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Addressing various complexities; the social and cultural mandates imposed by a patriarchal and religiously blinded society act like hot iron jabs on bare skin for women is the unequivocal and expected focal point of any feministic author. However fatally dominant the atrocities against women all over the world are, it cannot be denied that the deadly and unbearable conditions in which women survive with difficult access to the bare minimum have become the foregrounded element in South Asian Literature. This research attempts to put a spotlight on the certitude of the revolutionary Afghan-American writers; Nadia Hashimi and Khaled Hosseini, on how the strangled voices of struggling and suffering Afghan women need to be heard and paid attention to. As the victim of extreme marginalization and the internalized sexism of Afghan society, these women undergo harrowing experiences of oppression in a Nation where religious and cultural dominance forcefully drills in the concept of ‘othering...
IJELS, 2023
Afghanistan, an Islamic country, has always been counted as the most barbaric abode for women. As per the news that has been taking round, the life of these women is filled with battles, restrictions and social discriminations. They are compelled to accept everything in the name of religion and are even denied from receiving the fundamental rights. The Afghan society is overpowered by men who call themselves religious and yet refuse to follow the guidelines mentioned in the holy text. Religion is a way of life which chalks down certain norms and demarcations for men as well as women, to abide by those, in order to have a tangle free peaceful society for every individual to thrive in. The holy Quran clearly mentions equality for women. The Lord says: "I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female-you are equal to one another." (Qur'an, 3: 195). The Government of the state has imposed certain laws which brutally restrict its women from enjoying certain liberties. Demolition of their fundamental rights has not only made them weak, marginalized and subjugated but also left them bereft of their basic right to live like a human being. Under decades of war, the Taliban regime has been yielding the most oppressive lives for Afghan women. The very common Purdah custom, escorting of men, forced polygamy and gender segregation has become the staunch and hardcore rules for these women. The present study brings to the fore the many times pictured tumultuous predicament of women in Afghan society and puts it to examine how despite the age old ragged customs and rigid norms that has wreaked havoc on their status; these iron willed women have put up a brave face to fight against the injustices and restrictions piled on them by the radicalized men and striven to rise out of the debris. Nadiya Hashimi's 'The Pearl That Broke Its Shell' not only defines a woman's place in the face of violence but also highlights the resolution of this subjugated sect to liberate them from the tightened fist.
International Journal of Languages and Culture Publisher's Home Page: https://www.svedbergopen.com/, 2022
This paper aims to highlight the conditions of Afghan women in Khaled Hosseini's two novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed in which women are seen inferior in a male dominated society. The socio-religious and socio-political conditions of Afghan women led them totally illiterate, poor, inferior, marginalized, and oppressed in post-Soviet era. It also aims to depict the status of Afghan women and their struggles towards the gender discrimination and violence through Hosseini's two selected novels. Previous studies and author's novels were read for data collection and thematic analysis technique was applied in this study to achieve the goals. As a result, in the former novel, Mariam, Laila, and Nana under the male-dominated system suffered some tragic events such as abusive behavior of husband; patriarchy; and loss of freedom. Similarly, in the later novel, Parwana, Pari, and Nila both physically and mentally suffered, viz., women's earlier marriage; selling women for dowry; and women's poor economy.
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL), 2024
Since the dawn of civilization, a perpetual struggle for equality and freedom has raged on among societies worldwide. One noteworthy aspect of this enduring battle is the commendable efforts made by numerous countries across Europe and Asia to enshrine principles of liberty and equality within their constitutions, particularly in regard to the rights of women. Over time, these nations have adapted and refined their laws and societal norms to better reflect the evolving needs and aspirations of their female citizens. However, amidst the progress and evolution seen in various parts of the world, Afghanistan stands as a poignant reminder of a nation where the journey towards gender equality and empowerment is still fraught with challenges. Attaining equal rights between the sexes-man and woman, has become a global phenomenon. Women across the world are chained under the patriarchal society and are still treated as the "weaker sex". They struggle to accomplish their target of achieving women's rights, respect, and proper recognition. This is because women's identity has been exploited and abused, which made them initiate and involved in a movement calling for women's liberation. The lives of women around the world are incredibly diverse, with significant variations in right and opportunities from one country to another. While all women inhabit the same planet, they face vastly different challenges and experiences. The concern of the study is to compare the lives of Afghan women to those in other Muslim majority countries and highlights their dire circumstances in the era of globalization, where there is no hope for betterment. The life of women in Afghanistan is filled with
Parvana's Trilogy: A Study of Violence toward Afghanistan Women and Girls
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Afghan women and girls became the portray of the victim of violence since several years ago. The news about the tragedy spread through the newspaper, printed and online, and also in the literature world. The exposure of their sufferings as the impact of war and conflict among the etnics on Taliban rezim reflected in the Parvana's Trilogy named The Breadwinner (2000), Parvana's Journey (2002), and Mud City (2003). These trilogy were written by Deborah Ellis. This research is intended to show how the women and girls became the worst victim which received violence caused by all of the triggers. This paper uses theory of violence and framing analysis to analyze those violences. The result of discussion shows that many efforts done by women and girls to overcome their difficult lives, such as pretending being boys, human trafficking, and living as refugees are the ways to survive.
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Western media reporting on the post-9/11 Taliban regime in Afghanistan propagated the image of Afghani women as being helpless, voiceless victims in desperate need of external intervention to rescue them from oppression—i.e. the faceless woman dressed in the all-encompassing blue burqa. Contrary to such symbolizing, and drawing on Hayward and Schuilenburg's (2014) criteria for resistance, this article examines the longevity and endurance of Pashtun poetry as a vehicle of resistance for women and girls in their fight against state-sanctioned patriarchal oppression. Not only does this undermine the broader narrative of helplessness propagated by the West, but it illuminates the agency, resilience, and bravery of women who challenge the status quo and achieve greater participation in public and political life.
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Afghanistan is a land where most women are battered at every step of their life physically, psychologically and emotionally. In familial, social or political aspects, men consider themselves as superior and impose highly unreasonable rules and regulations within and outside the family on women and try their best to disempower them in the patriarchal society of Afghanistan. A few women break these shackles and try to empower themselves and also include many women in their journey. The present paper explores the multifarious ways in which the harsh societal rules limit and demoralize women from leading a life of their choice and also the diverse strategies used by women to combat them in Afghanistan with reference to 'We are Afghan Women-Voices of Hope' and Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. The study proposes to explore the desperate efforts of women to ensure their voices are heard and prove their predominant role in the process of reconstruction of the devastated country.