Khushbakhat Nasir

Faiza Anum

Literary Criticism II

17 JANUARY 2019.

Formalist analysis of “A beheading”

Formalism is an approach and a style of inquiry in which formalists focus on language and form.

A critic’s shows that how the various parts of a work are connected or stick together to make an

organic whole. Formalists examine the form of the text as a whole. Formalist critics examine the

individual part of text, characters, use of language, point of views, tone, structure and other

elements which join together to make a single text. After analyzing a text; critics explicates that

how they interpret it through resources and how they work together to give the meaning to text.

They give meaning to a text by interpreting the text through plot, summary, characters, symbols

and themes. Analyzing a text is a sign of creative writing and a sign of producing the good/fine

text.

Formalist critics analysis a literary text through judgment which also reflects the critic’s

assumptions, values an experience. By interpreting or analyzing a text through the form of style

one can identify a literary form in literature itself. . The formalists introduced the notion of art for

art’s sake, as opposed to art as a political, social, or cultural tool with specifically articulated

goals. So one must respect the author’s work and intentions as presented in text.

The story of “A beheading” written by Mohsin Hamid. This story is about an unnamed man

who has been kidnaped. This story is also about the bloodshed, violence and about terrorism. A

family who was at their house and that house became sacred when they hear noise and shouts
downstairs and heavy footsteps. Then he locked his room from inside and when he heard that

heavy footsteps are coming close to them he said “I’m here”. He was whispering like child. Then

he was walking up on floor. Two men had captured him and dragging him out of house. When he

was dragging out of the house he sees in the light that the gatekeeper was dead who was a old

man. Those two men throw him in trunk and then he only thinks about his family. They took him

into a building which was dark because there was no light and which was without window, they

shut his mouth with tape. Men spoke a different language which was difficult for him to

understand. He thought that either it was Pashto or any other language but he could not

understand it. Then he try to explain and conform them that he did nothing or he wrote on

religion or on any other thing that can be harmful for them but they did not listen him and set up

a camera and light in that room. One man than put him on his stomach and pull his head by hairs

and sliced/cut the head off.