Assignment

Pakistan Literature

Submitted to Maam Bushra

Submitted by Asma Qayum
Roll number 219049
Class & Section MA-3B Morning
Submission date 11-06-2020

National University
of Modern Language Islamabad

ICE CANDY MAN

The narrative revolves around the character of Ice-candy- man who is a loving person. He is in love
with the ayah of Lenny. he is the man of varied interests. During winters when the sale of ice-candies
decreases, he becomes a bird man. He plays a number of roles to amuse people. He speaks a politics
of his days and imitates them. He is transformed into a metamorphoses character adopting the poetic
mould, confessing that he belongs to ‘kotha’_the royal misbegotten located in Hira mandi. After the
riots, Ice-candy-man saves the ayah and later she sent to Amritsar with her parents. the ice-candy-man
remains a lovelorn lover. Jagdev Singh shows that through the Ice-Candy-Man, Sidhwa shows the
changing patterns of communal discord:
The from the pattern of communal discord to that of reconciliation is, however, traced in the person or
the ice-candy-man. Through is role in the cataclysmic event of partition is painted in lurid colours, his
growing passion and love of Ayah is shown to redeem him from the morass of the senseless
communal hatred. From a rough and rustic man, always ready to nudge Ayah the Ice-Candy- Man
becomes a person of refined sensibility; he steeps himself in poetry.
So, the first part of the novel presents the Ice-Candy-Man as a jovial and life-loving person. He is
known from his warmth and good-nature. This is one side of his personality. One incident transforms
the peace-loving ice-candy-man into selfish man and a savage. He happens to be on the Lahore
railway station when the train arrives from Gurdaspur. It does not carry passengers but dead bodies of
Muslims. There are no women but bags full of chopped female breasts.
This barbaric scene shocks him and he loses his sanity. he runs in the streets of Lahore to avenge the
death of Muslims. During the riots, he takes active part in killing Hindus and Sikhs the worst part
comes later. He joins a mob of Muslims goods looking for Hindus. They stop in front of lenny’s
house and enquire about the Hindu ayah. the faithful servant Imam Din lies by saying that she has left
from Amritsar. But just then Ice-Candy-Man comes forward and ask Lenny about Ayah. Lenny out of
her innocence points towards the right direction. Ice-Candy-Man tricks works. They drag Ayah from
inside and is forcefully abducted. It is only after couple of weeks that Ice-Candy-Man marries her. But
the damage has been done. Ayah is raped by many persons for day and now she has to stay in the
locality of prostitutes of Hira Mandi.
Lenny realizes the consequence of telling a bare truth. She is filled with the deep sense of remorse and
repentance. even injures her tongue for telling the bitter truth. Now ice-candy-man become wandering
woe-begone lover looking for his beloved.

QOUTED FROM THE NOVEL (ICE-CAND-MAN) PAG-28

Repeating a couplet by Faiz as if it is a prayer, he murmurs:

‘There are other wounds besides the wounds of love_

Other nights besides passionate nights of love_’

Ayah, behaves as if he is invisible. And, his overgrown hair shading his eyes, he sometimes murmurs
a couplet by another romantic poet, Ghalib:

‘My passion has brought me to your street_

Where can I find the strength to take me back?’

Thus, the novel ice-candy-man shows how the ‘raw emotions in simple people can transform them
into extremists.