The Pakistani bride by Bapsi Sidhwa

Book: The bride

Author: Bapsi Sidhwa
Publisher: penguin book India
Written: 1981
Language: English
Published: 1983, 2007 (re-issued with new preface)
In this Novel Bapsi Sidhwa portrayed the male dominant society of Pakistan.
In this novel Sidhwa has powerfully and artistically portrayed the scenes of torture
and screams of pain through the life of an orphan protagonist namely Zaitoon.
SOME IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL:
 Zaitoon (protagonist)
 Qasim( Zaitoon step father)
 Carol (An American lady)
 Major Farukh Mushtaq (Carol husband)
 Sakhi (Zaitoon husband)

The story of the Novel Contains Three major Sections.

1:Mountaineous settings. 2:Plain Area of Lahore Qilla Gujjar khan.
3: Tribal area of kohistani tribes.
The novel has two stories in it.
1: Sakhi & Zaitoon
2: Carol & Major Farukh

Major Themes of the Novel:

Feminism:
Through this theme Bapsi Sidhwa tried to Portrayed the male dominant society of
Pakistan. And this theme represents the characters of Zaitoon & Carol. Bapsi
Sidhwa tried to make picture of contrast between these two and portrayed that
how, Pakistani women’s are facing their legal rights violations as daughter, as
mother, as wife, as sister. Just because of the Pakistani tribal societies & because of
their tribal costumes and so called honour of so called society favourism for
Men’s. And How, we believes on illegal things as a Muslims that men’s are
superior then a women. Words of shame honor having meanings only for women
On the other hand an international society is represented by the Carol which are
non Muslims believers but they are believing in equality.

Partition:
This theme of novel represents the different characters likely, Zaitoon, Qasim. And
the partition journey of Qasim to Lahore.This part of story takes place in the Qilla
of Gujjar khan in Lahore. And this portrayed the partition between two Asian
Countries india and Pakistan in 1947.When Qasim was traveling to Lahore due to
partition and where he See’s that, the partitioners killed the father of Zaitoon and
Zaitoon was adopted by the Qasim as step daughter and later he tooked her to his
home with him.
Point of Honour:
This theme of novel represents the character of Qasim. Who takes sacrifice of life
from his step daughter Zaitoon and How he, makes her life unconditional and very
unconscious just because he, promised to his brother that I will give you my
daughter for the marriage to your son. Whose Name Sakhi & he did the same. This
shows the tribal costumes of the people of tribes, that how they are blind believers
of male dominancy and so called honour for males in society.

Marriage:
Marriage represents the character of Zaitoon & Carol both. In this theme Bapsi
Sidhwa showed that How, Zaitoon gives Sacrifices of her life for the tribal
marriage and how, she faced problems and difficulties in her life likely, she was
from Lahore city area and she don’t know how to lives in tribes and she was very
un adjustable in this condition and still she didn’t accepted this marriage of
sacrifice. Finally, after too many hurdels, she got escaped from her house in very
bad circumstances and in the end she was founded by the army and rescued.
Other, one is Carol who was from the United States of America and she spending a
happy and perfect life in compare with Zaitoon and after seeing this she was very
scared from this condition.
Conflict between tribal and plains:
This theme represents the conflict between kohistani tribes and people of plain
areas from Lahore that, how they make conflicts for dominancy and in dominancy
of society for their costumes and legal rights.
Tribal believes that male should be dominant in society & this is their right to
remain dominant.
But, people of plain areas like Us America believes that there should be an equality
in society for both men’s and women’s.
(Muhammad Mazhar Rafique)