BY MOHSIN HAMID

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

• -Aurangzeb
• Darashikoh Shezad
• Murad Badisha
• Mumtaz
▪ Aurangzeb is the representative of an ultra rich social class of
society.
▪ An American MBA degree holder.
▪ All his education could do to him was to make him an expert in
money laundering
▪ An expert money launderer , Son of a money launderer.
• He is the representative of the middle class of society .
• Friend of Aurangzeb and Murad. working in bank ,later kicked out
of bank for mistreating an important client.
• Having lost his job in the beginning of the novel and stayed
unemployed till the end.
• After losing his job , when run short of money indulge in criminal
activities like drugs dealing , robberies and become an addict too.
• He also has an affair with his best friend wife Mumtaz.
▪ Murad is the representative of lower class of society .
▪ Who is apparently a rickshaw driver , but actually involved in drugs
business .
▪ He is the crime partner of Daru .
▪ Murad’s tendency to have more and more money by hook or by
crock shows his lust for power and wealth
▪ Wife of Aurangzeb .
▪ An open minded women.
▪ Who got exhausted from her married just after the birth of her first
child.
▪ At the beginning of the story we find her busy in smoking ,drinking
and attending high class parties with her husband.
▪ We discovered later that she is working seceretly as a journalist with
a name “Zulfiqar Munto”
▪ Moth smoke portrays contemporary Pakistan vividly . Moth smoke is
not only close to reality but a perfect portrayal of one’s desires ,
desires about more and more that ends up consuming the soul. The
book is based on the Mughal Emperor , Shah Jahan’s sons –
Aurangzeb and Darashikon.A rivalry between them led to Aurangzeb
defeating his brother, delivering his head to their father and ending
up sitting on the throne.
▪ “Aurangzeb was crowned Emperor, and obtained from the
theologians a fatwa against his defeated brother ,charging Dara
Shikoh with apostasy and sentenced him to death. “
▪ “Imprisoned in his fort at Agra ,staring at the Taj he had built ,an
aged Shah Jahan received as a gift from his youngest son the head of
his eldest .Perhaps , he doubted then the memory that his boys had
once played together , far from his supervision and years ago , in
Lahore.”
▪ “When the uncertain future becomes the past ,the past in turn
becomes uncertain.”Moth smoke is about passion , rivalry adultery
,desperation , materialism and social class differences. The emotions
and conflicts that are bolted up inside the youth of our country. Like
Mumtaz’s passion about her separate independent identity , Daru
passionate love for Mumtaz , Ozi passion for power.
▪ Then rivalry between Daru and Ozi who used to be good friends ,
over Mumtaz and social class differences. Then their materialistic
approach towards life. Everyone is indulged in money making ,
everyone is in search of more and more.
▪ The whole story revolves around three main characters and all the
three are representatives of different classes of society. Ozi the
representative of an ultra rich social class, Daru a middle class
banker ,and Murad a lower class rickshaw driver.Ozi an ultra rich ,
involved in money laundering to fulfill his urge to have more money
more power. Who crush away everything comes in his way . Like the
Pajero jeep of Ozi is a symbol of his power which moves “ like a bull
,powerful and single minded .Ozi derives by pointing it in one
direction and stepping on the gas , trusting that everyone will get out
of our way.”Ozi does not show any sign of disliking for the corruption
of his father but willingly chose his track to follow. And in defense he
says what the hell bankers are doing in banks aren’t they managing
the accounts of corrupt people, aren’t they sucking the blood of poor
people by giving debts on high interests .
▪ And Daru on the other hand who is blaming Ozi for being a
money launderer and for being brutal killing an innocent
boy in an accident ,himself more or less wanted to have
same sort of luxurious life. And he himself selling death in
the form of drugs just to fulfill his financial needs.Murad too
busy in the urge of earning more and more money . Being a
rickshaw driver is not enough for him. Whatever is, is less
than enough . Want to earn more money what matters even
if on the cost of others life. For Mumtaz having a loving
husband and a child is not enough. She is too in search of a
new identity not satisfied with what she has. Commit
adultery .In search of more lost what she has.So could say
that everyone of them are just moth circling around the
candle of desires and willingly turning themselves into ash.
▪ SARA JAVED 867-BSEE/FET/F20
▪ AQSA ASHFAQ 861-BSEE/FET/F20
▪ SAVAIRA NADEEM 862-BSEE/FET/F20