Female Oppression and Marginalization in Ice Candy Man by Sidhwa and the Holy Woman by Shahraz

Abstract

How women are marginalized during the partition and after the partition is the major theoretical concern of this research. The present research reveals how Sidhwa and Shahraz address the gender oppression in Ice Candy Man and The Holy Woman respectively. Different researchers also argues that both writers describe the subjection of women to rape, conversion, forced marriages and various sexual abuses during partition and in the days of peace. The social structure of our society regards women as the honor of family. In case of marginalization she suffers the sexual violence; she gets profaned, resulting in the honor killing of the family. Sidhwa and Shahraz represent this oppression, marginalization, and violence as the shameful event. Shahraz and Sidhwa’s writings shows how the gender oppression work through their bodies. The selected novels of both writers show how the women are oppressed, marginalized, controlled, and exploited by the men under the shade of cultural, social, and religious traditions. This research will expose both the violent and subtle ways in which patriarchy repress the female to control in Pakistani society. The main focus of this research is to show how the works of these two female writers are critically examined to understand their role in exploring the issues of women that they face in this patriarchal society through the literary medium.

Keywords: women, oppression, marginalization, patriarchy, religious, social, traditions