Does the protagonists suicide represent a personal failure or does it reflect a broader collapse of rigid gender roles within the society depicted in The Bull and the She Devil
The Bull and the She-Devil
Zaib Un Nissa Hamidullah is one of the most prominent literary figures on the canvas of short story writings in Pakistan. She is an acclaimed writer for producing short stories of great literary merit. She was not only a literary genius but also fully capable of articulating her ideas in English language. Being the daughter of an English mother, she used English language for the expression of her creative talent with the mastery of a native speaker. Her father served in the judicial services of India, a native of Bengal who was often linked to producing writings which sparked the idea of Bengali nationalism. Though, she grew up in Calcutta in 1920s but was very well acquainted with rustic life owing to her frequent visits to his father’s village in Bengal. Later in her life, she developed more contact with the rustic life because of her husband’s postings at various villages of Punjab. Her close contact with the countryside not only provided her literary impetus but also influenced her creative talent which often finds reflection in her poetry and fiction writings.
After the partition of India, she moved to Karachi and lived there for the rest of life. Hamidullah expressed her intellectual abilities and creative talent in various ways. Besides writing fiction and poetry, she holds the privilege of being the first female columnist of Pakistan and wrote columns for Pakistan’s leading English newspaper, Dawn. Afterwards, she published her own magazine which articulated her political perspective and published editorials critiquing the government’s practices and policies which was eventually banned.
Hamidullah challenged it in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and defeated the state machinery. She is the first Pakistani woman who approached this highest court of justice against the malpractices of the government and won her case. This great literary artist represented Pakistan at the United Nations as well. Though, she produced several poetry collections before and after partition including but not limited to ‘Lotus Leaves (1946)’ and ‘The Flute of Memory (1946)’ but it was her collection of short stories ‘The Young Wife (1958)’ that earned her worldwide recognition and critical acclaim. Hamidullah was indeed a brave soul which is clearly reflected through her accomplishments at odd times. Her short story collection ‘The Young Wife’ contains many short stories of great artistic appeal, however, it is ‘The Bull and the She Devil’ which is the most celebrated one. This finest of Hamidullah’s tales deals with the tabooed subject of sexuality, which is a unique instance of its own kind, especially during the times when it was crafted (Shamsie, 1998).
‘The Bull and the She Devil’ is the finest reflection of the patriarchal social order of a conservative society. The story reveals societal consciousness and perceptions of Pakistani society regarding stereotypical gender norms, attributes, values and behaviour. The story is deeply grounded within the societal consciousness of conservative Pakistani society which is established on gendered dichotomies, having significant social and cultural relevance to the Pakistani society and highlights the aspect of suppressed sexuality. The story is written in a very simple style but never fails to grip readers’ attention because of its captivating narrative style.
The story gives us an insight into deep psychological workings of Ghulam Qadir who is overwhelmed by a male supremacist ego but his subaltern wife has gripped his psyche and overpowered him. He uses the metaphor of ‘She Devil’ for her as she seems to have cast a spell on him as she has bewitched not only him but his family members as well as the bull. His masculine rage cannot withstand her sweet smile and soft whisper. To him, she seems like the very incarnation of a devil, a bad woman unworthy of love and respect, who must be controlled. He wants to assert his authority and establish that he is the master but in vain. In a fit of intense anger, he creates a terrible scene of violence and bloodshed to assert his authority but witnesses a state of sheer dismay. Troubled by his loathsome reflection in the clear water of the well, he jumps into it and drowns.
Ghulam Qadir, enthralled by his wife’s irresistible charm, is threatened by her revolt against the patriarchal order. Though, he exerts his lawful right on her body but wants to win her soul. He is consumed by the thoughts of possessing his wife which seems to be the primary purpose of his life and he is oblivious to the mere thought of her betrayal. Overpowered by his masculine desires, he wants her to surrender, not only her body but her soul in complete obedience.
Hamidullah, very artistically, unmasks societal perceptions of masculinity and its normative values. Ghulam Qadir is free to express his sensual desires whereas the wife is required to suppress her sexuality. The lexical choice of ‘body’ reveals his philosophy of treating his wife as a mere object and not as an individual in her own right and capabilities. Instead of being appreciative of her wife’s kind behaviour with his brother, nephew and the bull, Ghulam Qadir harbours feelings of envy and jealousy for her. He wants to be the centre of her attraction and does not want her to deal with anybody else with love and tender care. Lexical terms which are used to describe the actions of Ghulam Qadir portray him as an aggressive and assertive being but inside his heart, he longs for a truly unrivalled companionship. A detailed description of his wife’s appearance reveals the idea that women are treated as a mere object which has sensual appeal for male gaze.
Ghulam Qadir, at times, longs for true companionship. Under the influence of the societal schemata of a submissive wife, he commands complete obedience but is also troubled by a matrimonial relationship which is devoid of love and tender care. He is puzzled by her cold emotions and wonders whether she is happy with him. She treats every one with tender care and with a sweet smile on her face but when it comes to him she is as cold as ice. She can tame the bull easily as compared to Ghulam Qadir and he cannot reconcile this fact. This state of intense psychological suffering and piling up anger lead him to murder his nephew and brother. He cannot endure the bitter reality that he has committed a severe crime and in a fit of dismay, he commits suicide as he cannot withstand his loathsome reflection in the clear water of the river. Even during the last moments of his life, he is possessed by the image of his wife, the She Devil. Hamidullah’s story telling is matchless in its captivating narrative style, gripping plot development, intricate scenic description and skillful unmasking of inner psychological workings of her male protagonist. 2.2 Shadows
Tahira Naqvi was born and brought up in Pakistan, but later she moved to the United States after her marriage. She began her career as a translator of Pakistani Urdu fiction, ‘to form a connection with Pakistan… her extensive translations include in particular, the pioneering, fiercely feminist writings of Ismat Chaghtai… her stories provide insights into women’s lives and their suppressed emotions’ (Shamsie, 2017:494). Her bilingual background often reflects in her English fiction. Naqvi is credited with the publication of two collections of short stories ‘Attar of Roses and Other Stories (1997)’, followed by ‘Dying in Another Country (2001)’. Her stories address the issues which have social and cultural relevance to the Pakistani society. She often challenges gendered ideologies, stereotypes and normative values through her writings. The major issues addressed by her stories are related to the practice of veiling and critique of its effectiveness when men are not trained to ‘lower their gaze’, abusive matrimonial relationships, ideal feminine beauty image, superstitious beliefs of the society, broken families, desirability of a male child and matrimonial loyalty, etc.
The story ‘Shadows’ highlights the problems faced by girls in getting married, on the account of not coming up to the societal standards of ideal beauty image. Marium is in her early thirties, all of her younger cousins have got married, her mother hires a match maker for her but the struggle seems to be futile as she does not possess the essentials of an ideal beauty image. Realizing the futility of her mother’s efforts, Marium’s self- esteem shatters greatly. This situation affects her self-image negatively. Finally, she decides to apply cosmetics to conceal her dark complexion and enhance her features. When she enters the drawing room to serve tea and greet her prospective in-laws, the guests are startled and horrified by a mask-like face meant for the grotesque.
The story provides the finest critique of the unrealistic yet ideal feminine beauty image constructed by the society. The discourses produced by various societal institutions of socialization highlight the significance of this aspect of the female image. Beauty is perceived to be ‘value laden’ which enhances femininity. It has been perceived as a kind of ‘social capital’. Naqvi, very skillfully, highlights the idea that the ideal beauty image is inherently discriminatory in nature as it puts a significant proportion of the female population on a disadvantaged end. Though, the protagonist of Naqvi’s story is a competent teacher of mathematics who can solve complex mathematical problems in seconds. However, she is unable to solve the biggest problem of her existence. She undergoes moments of intense emotional and psychological suffering because of illogical societal expectations. Feminist scholars examine all such discourses which promote the ideal beauty image as an asset. Advertising discourses are frequently scrutinized to explore their role in stereotyping and promoting the ideal beauty image. Advertising discourses are powerful, potent and persuasive enough to inculcate the desirability of ideal beauty which negatively impacts the sense and sensibility of women, leading to psychological and emotional suffering. The stereotyping of the ideal beauty image is prevalent in almost all societies worldwide, albeit with some intercultural variations.
Naqvi also unmasks societal ideologies regarding gender norms, values, attributes and behaviour. The story also reveals that our society, at large, is obsessed with getting their daughters married as early as possible.
Though, the times are changing now and female education is often prioritized, however, the story is embedded in a cultural context where female education was not deemed necessary and was often compromised at the expense of getting daughters married. This is evident through Naqvi’s narrative; a younger cousin of Marium is not allowed to complete her education on the pretext of her marriage and she has no regrets. When Marium witnesses her happiness after her marriage, she thinks she is born to rule owing to her beauty.
There is no suitor for Marium and there is no hope for any. Perplexed by the situation, her mother seeks help of a matchmaker who is dismayed at the prospect of her getting married. The matchmaker advises her to apply some cosmetics to enhance her chances of getting married but it proves to be a futile effort. The entire situation impacts Marium adversely and she is consumed by the thoughts of being rejected every time. This dilemma of her life makes her life miserable and she experiences a state of intense emotional and psychological suffering. Naqvi, very skillfully, reveals the double standards of conservative Pakistani society and its obsession with the ideas of money and marriage. She critiques the collective societal consciousness for establishing false and unrealistic standards of ideal beauty image which is, inherently, discriminatory in nature. A highly qualified and skillful Mathematics teacher is bound to suffer because of illogical and irrational expectations of a society that associates more value to a female based on her body image than her intellect.