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THE EXISTENTIAL ALIENATION OF THE FEMININE SELF IN THIS HOUSE OF CLAY AND WATER BY FAIQA MANSAB
Corresponding Author(s) : Amna Saeed
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2021): January
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The present study aims to analyze the text This House of Clay and Water (2017) by Mansab, through the Existentialist Feminist lens in the light of Simone de Beauvoir’s theory as explained in her revolutionary work, The Second Sex (2009). The purpose of the study is not only to highlight women’s oppression/ othering in marriage due to patriarchy but also to mark the role of the ‘husband’ as crucial to the understanding of women’s emotional abandonment in marriage.
Methodology: The study is qualitative and uses a descriptive analysis of the selected text. The method of literary analysis used in the text is based on a close reading of the narrative description and events of alienation of the identity persona of the protagonist in the text.
Main Findings: The present study draws on Simone de Beauvoir’s ideas about how women are treated as others by the male subject in marriage resulting in a feeling of frustration, identity loss alienation, and existential crisis. Moreover, the role of the husband is crucial to avoid this crisis in women after marriage.
Application of the study: This study can have many applications in various fields. The study demonstrates the impacts of social and cultural stereotypes on women as well as the role of patriarchy and resulting alienation. This study can have many applications in gender and feminist studies. This study can also be helpful in the academic setting for research purposes especially in feminism, gender studies, and female existentialism.
The novelty of the study: The present study demonstrates how the protagonist feels entrapped and suffocated in her home, forced to live a life of false hope due to the impositions placed on her by her parents, her husband, her in-laws, and the patriarchal society which resultantly creates a feeling of alienation. The study concludes how dissuading a woman from her true self and forcing her to exist as an object results in a feeling of dissatisfaction, existential crisis, and alienation. The selected text has not been explored through the lens of Existential Feminism before.
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- Askham, J. (1976). Identity and Stability within the Marriage Relationship. Journal of Marriage and Family, 38(3), 535-547. https://doi.org/10.2307/350422 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/350422
- Alavi, H. (1991). Pakistani Women in Changing Society. In Economy and Culture in Pakistan, pp. 124-142, London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11401-6_6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11401-6_6
- Ali, T. Krantz, G. Gul, R. Asad, N. Johansson, E. & Mogren, I. (2011). Gender Roles and Their Influence on Life Prospects for Women in Urban Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study. Global health action. 4. 7448. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v4i0.7448 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v4i0.7448
- Beauvoir, S. ., Borde, C., & Malovany-Chevallier, S. (2009). The second sex. London: Jonathan Cape.
- Biehle, N. S. & Mickelson, K. (2012). Provision and Receipt of Emotional Spousal Support: The Impact of Visibility on Well-Being. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol. 1, No. 3, 244 –251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028480 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028480
- Brubaker, R., & Cooper, F. (2000). Beyond "Identity". Theory and Society, 29(1), 1-47. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007068714468 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007068714468
- Debnath, S. (2020). Concept of Alienation in Hegel’s Social Philosophy. Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 37(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00189-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00189-4
- Delphy, C. (1984). Close to Home: A materialist analysis of women’s oppression. Trans. Diana Leonard. Hutchinson: London.
- Downing, N. E., & Roush, K. L. (1985). From Passive Acceptance to Active Commitment: A Model of Feminist Identity Development for Women. The Counselling Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000085134013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000085134013
- Fikree F.F & Pasha, O. (2004). Role of gender in health disparity: in the South Asian Context. BMJ 2004, 328: 823-6. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7443.823 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7443.823
- Foord, J. and Gregson, N. (1986). Patriarchy: Towards a Reconceptualisation'. Antipode 18,2 186 211.13(4), 695–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.1986.tb00362.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.1986.tb00362.x
- Gibson, W. (1969). Persona: A Style Study for Readers and Writers. Random House, New York NY.
- Grether, J. K. (1974). Existentialism On the Oppression of Women What Can We Learn? Insurgent Sociologist, 5(1), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/089692057400500102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/089692057400500102
- Habiba, U., Ali, R., & Ashfaq, A. (2016). From Patriarchy to Neopatriarchy: Experiences of Women from Pakistan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Vol.6. No. 3. 212-221.
- Hakeem, A. & Aziz, A. (1998). Socio-cultural, religious & political aspects of the status of women in Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review. 37:4 Part-II, 727-746. https://doi.org/10.30541/v37i4IIpp.727-746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30541/v37i4IIpp.727-746
- Hartmann, H. (1981). The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: towards a more progressive union. Women and Revolution, (ed). Lydia Sargent, London: Pluto Press., p.95 -119.
- Howe, A. E. (2009). Close Reading: an Introduction to Literature. Prentice- Hall.
- Hussain, M., Naz, A., Khan, W., Daraz, U., & Khan, Q. (2015). Gender Stereotyping in Family: An Institutionalized and Normative Mechanism in Pakhtun Society of Pakistan. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015595258 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015595258
- Isran, S., & Isran, A.M. (2012). Patriarchy and Women in Pakistan: A Critical Analysis. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business. Vol., no. 6. pp 835-859.
- Jaeggi, R. (2014). Alienation, Neuhouser, Frederick (ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/columbia/9780231151986.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7312/columbia/9780231151986.001.0001
- Jalal-ud-Din, M., & Khan, M. (2008).Socio-economic and Cultural Constraints of Women in Pakistan with Special Reference to Mardan District, NWFP Province.Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.24, No.3. pp.485-493.
- Khalid, R. (2011). Changes in Perception of Gender Roles: Returned Migrants. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9, 16-20.
- Kusch, C. (2016). Literary Analysis: the Basics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688374
- Leopold, D. (2018). Alienation. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2018 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
- Lewis, Jane (2001) The end of marriage? Individualism and intimate relations. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.
- Lorber, J., & Farrell, S. A. (1991). The Social Construction of Gender. Park, Calif: Sage Publications.
- Mansab, F. (2017). This House of Clay and Water. Penguin Random House.
- Moi, T. (1986). Existentialism and Feminism: The Rhetoric of Biology in the Second Sex. Oxford Literary Review, 8(1/2), 88-95. https://doi.org/10.3366/olr.1986.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/olr.1986.011
- Mosier-Dubinsky, J. (2014). Other: Beauvoir’s Existential Feminism. JCCC Honors Journal: Vol. 5: Iss. 2. Article 4.
- Mumtaz, Z., Shahid, U. & Levay, A. (2013). Understanding the Impact of Gendered Roles on the Experiences of Infertility amongst Men and Women in Punjab. Reproductive Health 10, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-10-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-10-3
- Nordquist, R. (2020, August 28). What Does "Persona" Mean? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/persona-definition-1691613
- Ochs, E. (1993) Constructing Social Identity: A Language Socialization Perspective. Research on Language and Social Interaction. 26 (3), 287-306. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi2603_3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi2603_3
- Pinchevski, A. (2018). Emmanuel Levinas: The Other. Encyclopedia of Communication Ethics: Goods in Contention (Eds. Ronald C. Arnett, Annette M. Holba and Susan Mancino).
- Qadir, A. S & Riaz, F. (2015). Gendered Political Identity Construction in Pakistani Television Talk shows. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 9(2), pp. 20-28.
- Qamar, A. H. (2012). Gendered Aspects of Informal Education in Childhood: Research Reflections from Rural Punjab, Pakistan. Academic Research International. 2(1), 383-397.
- Quinan, L, C. (2016). Existential Feminism. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss665 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss665
- Raday, F. (2003). Culture, Religion ,and Gender. Oxford University Press and New York University School of Law. Vol 1. No. 4. 663-715. https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/1.4.663 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/1.4.663
- Saeed, A. & Zainab, N. (2017). Gender Role Stereotyping of Women as Housewives in Conventional Pakistani Society. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies. Vol.15.1-16. https://doi.org/10.46568/pjgs.v15i1.125 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46568/pjgs.v15i1.125
- Sarfaraz, H. (1997). Alienation: A Theoretical Overview. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 12(3), 45–60.
- Sartre, J. P, (2007). Existentialism is a Humanism (C. Macomber, Trans.). New Haven: Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15vwkgx DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15vwkgx
- Seeman, M. (1959). On The Meaning of Alienation. American Sociological Review, 24(6), 783-791. https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565
- Singh, A. V. (2016). The Influence of Patriarchy on Gender Roles. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies, 27-29.
- Soman, U. (2009). Patriarchy: Theoretical Postulates and Empirical Findings. Sociological Bulletin, 58(2), 253-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920090206 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920090206
- Soulsby, L. K., & Bennett, K. M. (2017). When Two Become One: Exploring Identity in Marriage and Cohabitation. Journal of Family Issues, 38(3), 358–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15598547 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15598547
- Toerien, M., & Williams, A. (2003). III. In Knots: Dilemmas of a Feminist Couple Contemplating Marriage. Feminism & Psychology, 13(4), 432–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535030134005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535030134005
- Türkkan, S. (2010). Other/Alterity. The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444337839.wbelctv1o001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444337839.wbelctv1o001
- Tyson, L. (1998). Critical Theory Today: Taylor & Francis.
- Walby, S. (1989). Theorizing Patriarchy. Sociology. Vol. 23, No. 2. pp. 213-234. Sage Publications, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038589023002004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038589023002004
- Waring, M. (1998). If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics. Harper San Fransico.
- Wood, H.J. (2019). Gender inequality: The problem of harmful, patriarchal, traditional, and cultural gender practices in the church. HTS Theological Studies, 75(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5177 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5177
References
Askham, J. (1976). Identity and Stability within the Marriage Relationship. Journal of Marriage and Family, 38(3), 535-547. https://doi.org/10.2307/350422 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/350422
Alavi, H. (1991). Pakistani Women in Changing Society. In Economy and Culture in Pakistan, pp. 124-142, London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11401-6_6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11401-6_6
Ali, T. Krantz, G. Gul, R. Asad, N. Johansson, E. & Mogren, I. (2011). Gender Roles and Their Influence on Life Prospects for Women in Urban Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study. Global health action. 4. 7448. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v4i0.7448 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v4i0.7448
Beauvoir, S. ., Borde, C., & Malovany-Chevallier, S. (2009). The second sex. London: Jonathan Cape.
Biehle, N. S. & Mickelson, K. (2012). Provision and Receipt of Emotional Spousal Support: The Impact of Visibility on Well-Being. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol. 1, No. 3, 244 –251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028480 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028480
Brubaker, R., & Cooper, F. (2000). Beyond "Identity". Theory and Society, 29(1), 1-47. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007068714468 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007068714468
Debnath, S. (2020). Concept of Alienation in Hegel’s Social Philosophy. Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 37(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00189-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00189-4
Delphy, C. (1984). Close to Home: A materialist analysis of women’s oppression. Trans. Diana Leonard. Hutchinson: London.
Downing, N. E., & Roush, K. L. (1985). From Passive Acceptance to Active Commitment: A Model of Feminist Identity Development for Women. The Counselling Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000085134013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000085134013
Fikree F.F & Pasha, O. (2004). Role of gender in health disparity: in the South Asian Context. BMJ 2004, 328: 823-6. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7443.823 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7443.823
Foord, J. and Gregson, N. (1986). Patriarchy: Towards a Reconceptualisation'. Antipode 18,2 186 211.13(4), 695–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.1986.tb00362.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.1986.tb00362.x
Gibson, W. (1969). Persona: A Style Study for Readers and Writers. Random House, New York NY.
Grether, J. K. (1974). Existentialism On the Oppression of Women What Can We Learn? Insurgent Sociologist, 5(1), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/089692057400500102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/089692057400500102
Habiba, U., Ali, R., & Ashfaq, A. (2016). From Patriarchy to Neopatriarchy: Experiences of Women from Pakistan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Vol.6. No. 3. 212-221.
Hakeem, A. & Aziz, A. (1998). Socio-cultural, religious & political aspects of the status of women in Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review. 37:4 Part-II, 727-746. https://doi.org/10.30541/v37i4IIpp.727-746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30541/v37i4IIpp.727-746
Hartmann, H. (1981). The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: towards a more progressive union. Women and Revolution, (ed). Lydia Sargent, London: Pluto Press., p.95 -119.
Howe, A. E. (2009). Close Reading: an Introduction to Literature. Prentice- Hall.
Hussain, M., Naz, A., Khan, W., Daraz, U., & Khan, Q. (2015). Gender Stereotyping in Family: An Institutionalized and Normative Mechanism in Pakhtun Society of Pakistan. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015595258 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015595258
Isran, S., & Isran, A.M. (2012). Patriarchy and Women in Pakistan: A Critical Analysis. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business. Vol., no. 6. pp 835-859.
Jaeggi, R. (2014). Alienation, Neuhouser, Frederick (ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/columbia/9780231151986.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7312/columbia/9780231151986.001.0001
Jalal-ud-Din, M., & Khan, M. (2008).Socio-economic and Cultural Constraints of Women in Pakistan with Special Reference to Mardan District, NWFP Province.Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.24, No.3. pp.485-493.
Khalid, R. (2011). Changes in Perception of Gender Roles: Returned Migrants. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9, 16-20.
Kusch, C. (2016). Literary Analysis: the Basics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688374
Leopold, D. (2018). Alienation. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2018 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
Lewis, Jane (2001) The end of marriage? Individualism and intimate relations. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.
Lorber, J., & Farrell, S. A. (1991). The Social Construction of Gender. Park, Calif: Sage Publications.
Mansab, F. (2017). This House of Clay and Water. Penguin Random House.
Moi, T. (1986). Existentialism and Feminism: The Rhetoric of Biology in the Second Sex. Oxford Literary Review, 8(1/2), 88-95. https://doi.org/10.3366/olr.1986.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/olr.1986.011
Mosier-Dubinsky, J. (2014). Other: Beauvoir’s Existential Feminism. JCCC Honors Journal: Vol. 5: Iss. 2. Article 4.
Mumtaz, Z., Shahid, U. & Levay, A. (2013). Understanding the Impact of Gendered Roles on the Experiences of Infertility amongst Men and Women in Punjab. Reproductive Health 10, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-10-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-10-3
Nordquist, R. (2020, August 28). What Does "Persona" Mean? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/persona-definition-1691613
Ochs, E. (1993) Constructing Social Identity: A Language Socialization Perspective. Research on Language and Social Interaction. 26 (3), 287-306. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi2603_3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi2603_3
Pinchevski, A. (2018). Emmanuel Levinas: The Other. Encyclopedia of Communication Ethics: Goods in Contention (Eds. Ronald C. Arnett, Annette M. Holba and Susan Mancino).
Qadir, A. S & Riaz, F. (2015). Gendered Political Identity Construction in Pakistani Television Talk shows. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 9(2), pp. 20-28.
Qamar, A. H. (2012). Gendered Aspects of Informal Education in Childhood: Research Reflections from Rural Punjab, Pakistan. Academic Research International. 2(1), 383-397.
Quinan, L, C. (2016). Existential Feminism. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss665 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss665
Raday, F. (2003). Culture, Religion ,and Gender. Oxford University Press and New York University School of Law. Vol 1. No. 4. 663-715. https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/1.4.663 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/1.4.663
Saeed, A. & Zainab, N. (2017). Gender Role Stereotyping of Women as Housewives in Conventional Pakistani Society. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies. Vol.15.1-16. https://doi.org/10.46568/pjgs.v15i1.125 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46568/pjgs.v15i1.125
Sarfaraz, H. (1997). Alienation: A Theoretical Overview. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 12(3), 45–60.
Sartre, J. P, (2007). Existentialism is a Humanism (C. Macomber, Trans.). New Haven: Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15vwkgx DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15vwkgx
Seeman, M. (1959). On The Meaning of Alienation. American Sociological Review, 24(6), 783-791. https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565
Singh, A. V. (2016). The Influence of Patriarchy on Gender Roles. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies, 27-29.
Soman, U. (2009). Patriarchy: Theoretical Postulates and Empirical Findings. Sociological Bulletin, 58(2), 253-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920090206 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920090206
Soulsby, L. K., & Bennett, K. M. (2017). When Two Become One: Exploring Identity in Marriage and Cohabitation. Journal of Family Issues, 38(3), 358–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15598547 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15598547
Toerien, M., & Williams, A. (2003). III. In Knots: Dilemmas of a Feminist Couple Contemplating Marriage. Feminism & Psychology, 13(4), 432–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535030134005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535030134005
Türkkan, S. (2010). Other/Alterity. The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444337839.wbelctv1o001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444337839.wbelctv1o001
Tyson, L. (1998). Critical Theory Today: Taylor & Francis.
Walby, S. (1989). Theorizing Patriarchy. Sociology. Vol. 23, No. 2. pp. 213-234. Sage Publications, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038589023002004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038589023002004
Waring, M. (1998). If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics. Harper San Fransico.
Wood, H.J. (2019). Gender inequality: The problem of harmful, patriarchal, traditional, and cultural gender practices in the church. HTS Theological Studies, 75(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5177 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5177