Portrayal Of Female Characters In Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke and

Exit West
Introduction
Globalization and increasing awareness has changed the lives of Pakistani women and
they started to defy patriarchy and provoke re-standardization of the local
perceptions regarding gender and sexuality. In developing societies like Pakistan the
noose of sexual abuse and control tightened around women by patriarchy in the
name of morality appears to be fast loosening as a result of continuous increase in
the exposure of western culture to the non-western world (Altman,2004; Brownell &
wasserstrom,2002; sassen,1998). The feminist movements results in creating
awareness about women right, protection through legislations and getting higher
education and entering into different professions such as doctors, engineers, pilot,
and many more. The dominance of Western culture over Eastern one has disordered
the fixed patriarchal structure of the society. Migration, globalization and colonization
arte basically responsible for breaking the sense of belonging of the women to their
native land ultimately making them brave enough to stray from the local customs,
practices and mores.
Though, the inroads of the Western culture into the East are as yet, limited to just the
private lives of those who move geographically and have comparatively greater access
to the means that connect them with the rest of the word (Altman, 2004),
Traditionally, the society remain under the process of transformation despite severe
opposition from the local religious and traditional fundamentalist circles.

The local culture gradually dominated by the western culture .Their cultural practices
has set off a cultural paradigm shift in the third world nation state (Pakistan) to which
even the sustaining cultural and religion taboos have without exception. In my option
many of the indigenous religions culturally sacred institution e g. Wifehood and
motherhood are being compromised in the country; they are losing their identity as
well as replaced by more viable alternative with the aid of cultural interaction.
Women are free to move here and there and we can see them as prime-minister
which was prohibited job for them in the past and tabooed for them to enter it. On
the whole women are neither fully independent in Pakistan nor equal ranks to men in
their private life, foreign travel, writing on issues, earning through business to make
better future for their children and driving Vehicles.
The relationship between gender and sexuality that ”this theoretical shaft to
understanding gender and sexuality in terms of performativity associated with the
work of Butler (1990, 1996) has opened up new areas for analysis and debate”(p.458)

This research explore how women in the urban areas of developing countries like
Pakistan influence by their connection with the western culture through globalization
and geographical means of movement and redefining their gender and sexually. It
also throws light how such women in Pakistan eroding the religio. Culturally sacred
institution of wifehood and motherhood. The analyses are carried out through a close
reading and interpretation by the writer in the novel. This study attempts to initiate
the discourse on the areas of fluidity in sexuality and gander in the context of Pakistan
A huge transnational flow of capital and labor has disrupted traditional ways of living;
mass geographical movements by men and women have been undertaken to
participate in the new economic structure; even those men/women who do not have
physical movement at all may not stay unaffected by the new transnational
corporative and communicative structure that have disregarded boundaries and
overturned the traditional social and family patterns (McDowell, 1999). The home and
work place and old traditional gander roles have intruding the growing mix-up and
interrelation of the global and the local in the form of geographic movement such as
migration and non-geographic movement like penetration of media and multi-
national companies has influenced the transnational attenuation of local space, and
the braking of space into disconnected realties which alter our identity, different
group members and communities citizens of nation state p.30 emphasis in original,
Mc Do well,1999, Bhabha 1994
In Bhabha opinion cultures are constantly interacting affect
(Judith butter 1990, 1996)
It is very important to analyses the concept gender identity in the prospective of local
cultural setting of Pakistan (of in which religion plays a vital role as connection with
global cultures. This study analyses the changing standard of urban women of
Pakistan in to global cultures by globalization and deriving their own definition of
gender and sexuality with the help of text analysis of major female characters of the
Hamid`s novels. The study analyses how modern Pakistani women denies the religio-
culturally sacred institution of wifehood and motherhood, finding many obstacle in
their way. The study also analyses their resisting impact of the place (i. e; Pakistan) in
the shape of an anxiety on the behavior of these displaced women who are seen
crossing the boundary of their religion and enjoying sex without wedlock and points
out that masculinity is not specified only to male. All the major female characters
living in urban areas in both the novels are analyzed to consider deeply the uneven
transformation of their gender and sexuality.
This research also points out if the fictional characters with the increasing gender and
sexuality have any comparison to the real social and cultural setting of Pakistani
women

In postmodern literature feminism has become successful with new ideas. There are many
types of feminism radical feminism, cultural feminism and liberal feminism. Liberal feminism
raised the slogan of sexuality as freedom and liberation from moral and social values of
women`s freedom. Liberal feminists stress that independence is a real treasure and
leadership, culture, society or any other foam of institution cannot overcome it. They stress
on complete freedom of woman in sense of ”personal autonomy” as leading one`s life with
own choice. They create their own world in which they like to live. “personal autonomy”
means to live one`s life with once on classic and with on choice and equals rights as men
“Personal autonomy” means freedom to exert one`s own will and choices with equal
opportunities like men in all aspects of life. (Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy)
Feminists
Is nation of “freedom from traditionally constructed role of women inside the
”family”.
“Being free of the limits set by patriarchal moralistic laws”
Research Objectives
1. To explore the forces of western ideologies prevailing in Pakistan culture.
2. To analyze the problem generated by western feminist ideologies in Pakistan society.
Research Questions
1. How western feminist liberal ideologies are colliding with Pakistan social and moral
values?
2. What problems are generated by liberal feminist ideologies in Pakistan society?
Significance of Study

This study will enhance the role of Pakistani intellectuals in struggle to raise their voice
against the claim of universality in feminist domain. This study will clear out the ideal
implications of western liberal ideologies and their difference of grounds in comparison to
the Pakistani culture.
Abstract
In recent era women are straying of religious publication something prevents them to
express their feelings, with the rise of globalization. Hamid`s two novels under study, Moth Smoke
(2000) and Exit West 2017) highlight gradually the cultural transformation in Pakistan with reference
to female sexuality and gander in the wake of globalization. On the basis of feminist theorist Judith
Butler, this study tries to analyze transformation of Pakistani women who is victim of globalization
and is influence to redefine her sexuality and gander through textual analyses of the major female
characters of Hamid two novels referenced above. The study also analyzes the journey of self-
fulfilment of women neglecting the religio-culturally sacred institutions of wifehood and
motherhood. There is also resisting place (i.e. Pakistan). They change their position but not satisfied
with their present condition. This paper attempts to make a contribution in the areas of fluidity in
sexuality and gender in Pakistani context, with contributing to the contemporary discourse caused
by fast connection between spatial scale.