Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL Vol.1 No.

1 2018

THE ROAD by HINA FAISAL IMAM

IQRA FAZEELAT, SARA SALEEMI
Abstract:
The Road is a symbolic poem, which symbolizes the Feminist theory. Hina Faisal Imam writes
about the women of Pakistani society. She writes that the condition of married women in our
society is very pitiable. They are not even treated as humans. No one is there to wipe out the
tears from their eyes. No one is there who can see the golden shiny dreams in their beautiful
eyes. Men just take their works from them and leave them sorrowful. Women are just taken as a
tool to find the way for men. But no one cares what they are feeling from inside of their hearts.
And what they want to say.
Introduction

The poem “The Road” was written by Hina Faisal Imam. Syeda Hina Faisal Imam is an English
language poet from Pakistan. She is best known for her popular collection of verse, Midnight
Dialogue (1990). The Road is a very pathetic poem about the miseries and sorrows experienced
by the married women, who are confined to their houses. Though they are provided with all the
material needs yet no one is there to fulfill the demands of their souls. They silently are
registering a complaint to the sane men of this world. No one comes to wipe them and muster up
their courage. They live a life of physical bondage.

Discussion:

The Road by Hina Faisal Imam is a poem which highlights the sorrows and miseries of married
women in Pakistani society. Hina Faisal writes that in our society the condition of women is very
pitiable. The married women of our society has to suffer a lot. In this poem Hina Faisal Imam
describes the same story of her experience with married women of Pakistani society especially of
rural areas. Pakistani is still far behind the fastest progress of this world similarly Pakistani
society, people, their thinking and their behaviour with their wives is of third class. Men of our
society don’t even take their wives as humans.

Hina Faisal Imam writes that on her journey to Multan by road she saw many married women of
rural areas of Pakistan who have such a beautiful smile and bright shine in their eyes. But inside
of their heart was no one to see what’s going on. Those married women were beautiful dressed
although their all the materialistic desires and needs have been fulfilled by their men but no one
is there to look into their souls. No one is there to know what these women actually want from
their lives, what their wishes are and what they have to say. They are just treated like animals.
Men are just taking their own desires from their women. Married women are just a way to men's
help in our society. Women are kept confined to their houses just to do the household works of
men. Hina Faisal Imam writes although the women are dressed beautifully. They are fully loaded
with the gold and costly jewels, their all the materialistic needs are fulfilled yet they are
considered as prisoners. The only reason behind this is that women in our society have no control

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over their souls and feelings. After marriage all this is controlled by their men who use women
just for their own desires needs and works. They have no concern with the fact either their
women is happy or not, she needs something to nourish her soul, or she has to say something of
her own choice. All the choices are controlled by men. Women have a life of physical bondage.
The ill treatment towards women in our society is basically arises from the male dominance. In
rural areas women are much likely treated as their own property like a cow, a land or a tube well
etc.

Hina also uses many symbolic characteristics in the poem the title of the poem has been taken
from a road. The Road through which Hina was travelling to Multan that day when she observes
all those married women. Now here the word road has been symbolizes by the way or path of
independence from which everyone is moving. Hina highlights the importance of freedom for all
the people of the society. The emotional freedom, the spiritual freedom that women wants and
they should have in our society.

Furthermore the four pillars of stone around the women symbolizes that the women is emotional
and mentally caged between four of them and her soul, emotions, feelings and aims are also
bounded by that four pillars. And she is not allowed to do anything according to her own will.

Hina Faisal Imam deeply highlights the strong feelings that a woman of rural area has. She says
that there are many men who are using women for their own purposes, for keeping up on their
houses, for child bearer or home maker etc. But there is no one who can see the sad soul of that
married women. There is no one who can see the tears in their eyes. The beautiful but gloomy
smile on their lips. Their face is full of loneliness. They have no spiritual support.

Hina has strictly written against this. And she is prevailing a feminist theory through her this
song again. In short the poetess is fully trying to highlight the problems and miseries of a married
women in Pakistani society. Our society needs to change a lot mentally. The people of rural areas
should have the sense that women are human beings too, they have their own life, their own
desires, thoughts and needs.

Instead of giving her all the materialistic things, golds and costly clothes men should take care of
their soul, their internal happiness. They should know all about the feelings, emotions and
desires of their wives. Women should be educated strongly. They should be treated like humans
not like animals without emotions, language and soul. The system of our society actually needs
to be strong and better regarding the behaviour of men towards women.

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Findings:

The way the women are treated in Pakistani society should be made better.

Men should always treat their wives humanly.

The moral of this poem is all about the change that we need in this Pakistani culture when it
comes to treat women in homes, offices, at work places and anywhere else. Hina Faisal Imam
has put all her literary force to write the cheap and bad behaviour of men towards women. We
should know that women are humans too. They also need some spiritual relaxation and physical
assistance in their all works of the day. We should know what their wishes are, what they truly
want from their lives. What is their inside their hearts. What should let every woman educate
freely, work freely and live a life of their own choice free of bondages

Literary review:

Feminism as a movement has played a very vital role in projecting the suppressed status of
women in the patriarchal society. In the domain of patriarchal culture, woman is a social
construct, a site on which masculine meanings get spoken and masculine desires enacted. The
road by Hina Faisal Imam sings a song of pinching pain about feminism over the miseries and
sorrows experienced by married women. The condition of women in our country, especially in
rural areas, is very pathetic, or morally and ethically incorrect. This fact has been highlighted on
numerous occasions by the ill treatment of women.

Conclusion:

Women are kept confined by feudal lords within the four walls of their mansions. They are just
there to appease their demands. Though they are loaded with gold and dressed in costly costume,
yet considered as prisoners, they have to shed unceasing tears. No one comes to wipe them and
muster up their courage. They live a life of physical bondage. It is common knowledge that in
rural Pakistan, women are very much treated like property, similar to land, or a cow, or a tube
well. A big transformation is required at the social level, which will acknowledge women as
human beings with souls, desires, feelings, ambitions and potentials. Peace should be
established in the life of women. They should be given their due rights. The Road is
metaphorically “The road of human life”. It is undertaken by a human pair: man and woman.
Women and men should be treated equally.

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