Table of content

❖ Introduction of Daniyal Mueenudin (Maria Aftab)

❖ Theme of patriarchy and sexual objectification in “Saleema” (Bisma

Maryam)

❖ Theme of patriarchy and sexual objectification in “Provide Provide”

(Rukhsana Bibi)

❖ Theme of patriarchy and sexual objectification in “Lily” (Zonia Tanveer)

❖ Stylistic analysis of “Saleema” (Areej Tariq)

❖ Stylistic analysis of “Provide Provide” (Aimen Munim)

❖ Conclusion
 Others Rooms, Other Wonders

(Daniyal Mueenudin)

Daniyal Mueenuddin is a Pakistani-American Author who writes in English. He was born in

California, United States. He spent his childhood in Lahore, Pakistan. At the age of thirteen he

moved back to the US, where he received higher education. He worked as a journalist, a director,

a lawyer, a businessman, before finally devoting his efforts to writing. Currently, he works as a

writer.

Mueenuddin first collection of short stories “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders” was published in

February 2009. This collection contains eight short stories. His short stories collection has been

translated into sixteen languages and won The Story Prize, The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and

other critical acclaim. His writing is influenced by Anton Chekhov, that’s why the theme of

Marxism is dominant in his writings. Major themes of his writing are Marxism, feminism, gender

roles, social issues and pessimism. These themes are present in his short stories collection “In

Other Rooms, Other Wonders”.

The theme of patriarchy and sexual objectification are the most prominent themes in his short

stories like “Saleem”, “Provide provide” and “Lilly”. The story “Saleema” highlights the

powerlessness of women in rural areas of Punjab. He portrayed women using whatever mean

available to them to achieve their purpose holding sex as their strongest card. Women are the

victims who are trying to empower themselves in misguided ways especially using sex as a tool

but fail miserably everytime. He presents patriarchal norms and values and portray his female

characterization as mare objects who can only attain their status in patriarchal society if they can

be ruled upon. The main focus in this story is women. Women is regarded as property. They have
very little in their control and are utterly powerless in most of the cases. They are depicted trying

to empower themselves by using their bodies which is the only asset they have to persuade men to

their direction. To accomplish their goals, they are being tortured both physically and spiritually

but they have to continue this process because they have no other choice left for themselves. When

the affection of men is withdrawn, women lose everything and become powerless. The protagonist

of the story Saleema is vulnerable and powerless in male dominated structures. She attempts to

find ways to survive and persue her existence by coming close to powerful men bit ends up

miserably. It is the story of the rejection of a servant girl who runs away with a man for good

fortune. She follows the footsteps of her mother who slept around for money and favors. She

becomes a maid-servant at the mansion of land-lord KK Harouni. There she establishes sexual

relationship with cook Hasan to ear favors from him. After that, she turns towards Rafiqu for

sexual favors and becomes pregnant with his child. Rafiqu abundants Saleema and after the death

of KK Harouni, Saleema dies and his son is left to roam in the streets. Patriarchy is prominent

when it is shown that Saleema is financially weak and oppressed while all the male characters are

storng and powerful. Hassan brutalizes Saleema by saying that, “I need to fatten you up, I like

them plump” (Mueenudin, 25)

Male servants demoralize Saleema by whistling at her, “Give us some of that black mango. It is

new variety! No, it’s smooth like ice-cream, I swear to God my tongue is melting” “you can wipe

your dipstick after checking the oil” (Mueenudin, 26)

In another story, “Provide provide “ presents the wrath of the husband who considers himself to

be stronger than females. Females are highly objectified and they are stated as “The things or

possession for which men can fight or even kill”. They are not given any freedom. They are “Weak,

very weak in the head” (Mueenudin, 97). In the story, Jaglani is an important helper of KK
Harouni. Jaglani states his first wife as “ slow mind and preoccupation with household”

(Mueenudin, 61). This representation of women being weka and irrational creates a patriarchal

society where they are objectified. The protagonist of this story Zainab is being forced by Jaglani

to get married with him. She seduces Jaglani with a view of saving herself from sexual exploitation

and to gain a high social status but this does not results in any power. She is able to marry Jaglani

but this is actually a trap. Zainab has a very weak standing. Her wedding is not legally valid and

she is still vulnerable to exploitation. Men move the women like players move chess pieces. It is

clear that women are only pawns. Zainab’s move from one husband who tried to “Starve her out

and force her back to his home” (Mueenudin, 57) to the one who wants to own her seems to be a

play trick of men. Though, Zainab says that she “Was never for sale” (Mueenudin, 61) presents

her independent nature bit the fact is that she was a transaction between two men. Her brother

made the transection with Jaglani and Jaglani demands divorce for Zainab by summoning her

husband, “You can’t seem to control your wife…you better divorce her” (Mueenudin 67). This

shows that Zainab is not independent or powerful although, she is using her sexual agency but she

is doing whatever Jaglani wants her to do. She is just trying to fit herself in patriarchal structures

that has been constructed by male dominated society. She knows men lust after her and decides to

use this to her advantage. But this results in the manipulation of his own personality. Also, because

of unofficial marriage, Jaglani can leave her at any point and she will be not just a scorned woman

but also an adulteress who lived with a man outside marriage. The tag of mistress is always more

damaging to the woman while the ‘master’ and his partnership in the sin is never talked about. In

this way, women is being manipulated by patriarchal society who is using her sexual agency to

benefit herself.
“Lily” is a kind of patriarchal story which is telling about men dominancy and superiority.

Patriarchy is actually a system that structures gender inequality between men and women. In

patriarchal society men hold the power and they have got privilege over females. The same type

of men dominancy is shown in this story . The two main characters Lily and Murad are married to

each other. Apparently they are living happy life but actually Lily after few months of marriage,

starts becoming bored because Murad like a typical man starts asking Lily that they should start a

family. Murad wanted her to become a mother even at the cost of losing fashion and

appearance.Lily doesn’t want this ,so, it causes complications in their relation. This is how

patriarchy is shown that if the woman is denying to accept man’s order, she has to bear the

consequences. Even Lily herself is accepting all the patriarchal standards that are set for females

such as she says , “I’m going to be like an old-fashioned Punjabi wife, weighing out the flour and

sugar every morning and counting the eggs. And everything locked up, a huge ring of keys on a

chain around my waist” (Mueenudin 155).From these words we can see that how patriarchy

structures have embedded these concerts in our mind. Again at another place Lily after a fight with

Murad says to herself , “Where could she go except to him”(Mueenudin 171). This is telling that

even if she wants to leave but to whom she will go. So, she is shown totally dependent on Murad

here. Even at the end ,she compromises with her life. Even men are shown objectifying women in

this story ,for instance ,while passing through the bazar, theystuck in traffic,there a man is staring

at Lily like she is on display until she covered herself with a head scarf. Then ,man dominancy is

shown in these lines, when Lily argues with Murad she says, “I’m not the type to be dutiful. I’m

messy and willful, you know it before you married me, that’s the way I lived my life”. Murad gives

reply with these words, “ How dare you ! Either get over it or tell me you can’t”. (Mueenudin
169).Men’s control over women is very much evident from these lens.So, this is how patriarchy is

very much visible through out the story.

Simone De Beauvoir states that, women are considered contingent being (dependent being

controlled by circumstances). They have meaning only in relations to men. They are less than a

men. They are kind of alien in men’s world. They are not fully developed human beings they way

men are. So, Mueenudin’s short stories portray female characters trying hard to meet the needs of

men in order to gain a prominent position in a society. In this way, Mueenudin could not succeeded

in his attempt to present women empowerment and ended up portraying them as victims. In all the

three stories, Saleem, Zainab mad Lilly are the victims of harassment and extra-merital affairs. All

the women have suffered being victims of men in different ways while they were making an

attempt to empower themselves. They couldn’t earn a respectful status in society. They are helpless

and not even in a position to ask for Their rights. Hence, we can build a narrative that Mueenudin

has presented his female characters as mare sexual objects.

Like all the post-colonial writers, Danial Mueenudin has also appropriated English in his stories.

His writing style is descriptive and is able to give readers a feel of place and events. It’s too easy

to imagine what is going on through the description of images and the people. The author is deeply

aware of Pakistani society. The physical landscape and rural life compose the backdrop for the

stories. He had described a Pakistani patriarchal society to gain the interest of west readers. It gives

you a peek of Pakistan.The language used in his short stories is directly highlighting female

oppression. Besides that, feudal system of Pakistan is also presented in his stories as feudal system

is still dominant part of Pakistani rural culture. All the characters in the stories are working for KK

Harouni. Their main concern is to serve and please their master because if they serve their master

properly, their jobs will be secured. His all the interlinked stories are just like watching a game of
blackjack, the shrewd players calculating their way beyond their dealt cards in an attempt to beat

the dealer. Some bust, others surrender. But in Mueenuddin’s world, no one wins. He inserts

luminous glimmers of longing, loss and most movingly and unfettered love. The author describes

the mulberry tress, eucalyptus tress, mango tress, vegetable, gardens and other things with loving

description and detail. Mueenudin has also used some Urdu words like Chaptti, halwa, shalwar,

duppata and hukka. Moreover,Mueenuddin depicts Pakistani culture in the story “ Provide

Provide” through the use of Pakistani local phrases and the manifestation of our social practices.

He draws his work from his background to explore Pakistani culture.

He uses Pakistani local terms like “coal white Verandah of Gulfishan”. By the Word “Verandah”,

he represents the local way of constructing houses, as it is an open area for ventilation. It also

shows the weather conditions of Pakistan. He also gives a sketch of sugarcane, which is a national

crop. Besides these, He talks about the “Dera”i.e admisniattive center where many visitors, buyers,

and sellers came and were fed and housed. It shows how local people uses to sit together and it

flourishes the relationship among people. Besides these, he uses the local term “Pindi”. As this

term is only used by local people for the city name “Rawalpindi”. He also creates scenery of

“peasants bringing buffalos back from watering at the canal stood aside and salutes the heavy bells

hanging from the animal's neck”. It portrays Pakistan as an agricultural country. He also represents

superstitious beliefs. He creates a scene through the "old shoes tied around the necks, as amulets

against the evil eyes”. It is a belief in our culture that wearing this takes evil eyes off.

Furthermore, a village picture is being portrayed. Shortage of electricity is shown in the story that

only Jaglani's house has electricity. He also depicts the dusty roads of the village through these

lines, “ drove along the dusty road”. He portrays a picture of the village's muddy wall.
This also gives olfactory imagery of the smell of the village’s dung dust and smoke in this story.

However, he also shows how a single bare bulb is hung in the houses of pour people in villages.

The main Pakistani foodstuff used for breakfast is “paratha in clarified butter”. Moreover, a picture

is created that “she covers her head, turning her face away”. It shows how our females used to hide

from male strangers' gaze. There is also a use of common names like “Sahib” and “Bibi”. In

addition to this, all the typical Pakistani local use terms like “kurta” “charpoy”, “hookah”,” steel

tray “,” wood furniture”, and “and woven red basked covered with a napkin “being used to depict

our common use objects.

Moreover, he also manifests our local social practices. One of it the control of power through the

land. The ownership of land is portrayed as an instrument of power and the main instrument of

exercising control over local people. Land ownership in these stories defines the life destiny of

other characters. The ones without land are ‘others’ and the ones with land decide what to do with

‘others’i.e peasants and lower-class masses. For instance, In ‘Provide Provide’ sells his master’s

land for cheap prices to become rich himself. In addition to this, the women accept their

objectification implies that it gives them some degree of power over men. Zainab, in “Provide,

Provide” expresses her fears: “If you dropped me they would call me a whore out loud as I walked

down the street” (Mueenuddin, 2009, p. 18). It shows how women are being manipulated in some

areas by society. They aren’t accepted by their society even when they are doing all for the same

purpose.

To conclude, Daniyal Mueenudin has shown that how patriarchal structures are practicing in our

societies .These patriarchal structures have made our mindsets that men are supposed to do this

and women we supposed to do this. Everyone is actually accepting these standards also even
women are accepting them to some extent. Daniyal Mueenudin has beautifully portrayed this in

these stories.

References:

https://gatheringbooks.org/2010/08/28/daniyal-mueenuddins-in-other-rooms-other-wondersby-

libby-cohen/

https://www.studocu.com/row/document/international-islamic-university-

islamabad/researchmethoda/sexual-objectification-and-exploitation-of-women-in-daniyal-

mumueenud-dins-shortstories-saleema-and-in-other-rooms-other-wonders/16010290

https://blueflowerarts.com/artist/daniyal-mueenuddin/