University of Cebu - Banilad Campus

Banilad, Cebu City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Literature 4 (Afro-Asian)

A Critical Analysis on “Khol Do” (Open It): A Short Story by Saadat Hasan Manto of India

Submitted by:
Sharmaine Desiree Nillas

Submitted to:
Sir Jovencio Guevarra

May 17, 2018

 I. Synopsis

Sirajuddin, his wife, and their daughter, Sakina, were on their way to Mughalpura Lahore
from Amritsar when rioters attacked the train they were in.

The story starts with Sirajuddin waking up dazed and confused in a refugee camp in
Mughalpura Lahore. He struggled to remember what took place but he eventually recalled how
he saw his wife die. He also remembered that he and Sakina were able to run when Sakina’s
dupatta fell. Sirajuddin stopped to pick up the dupatta but Sakina told him to leave it be. This
was his last memory of the events that took place on their way to Mughalpura. Although
Sirajuddin has the dupatta, Sakina is missing.

Few days later, Sirajuddin came to know about a group of armed men who brought back
women and children who were left in Amritsar. He gave them a description of Sakina and in
turn, these men promised Sirajuddin that they will find her. Despite risking their lives by going
back to Amritsar, the men failed to retrieve Sakina. On their next trip, the men found a girl in the
roadside who seemed to fit the description of Sakina. They treated her well by giving her milk to
drink; they even gave her a jacket to cover herself since she seemed ill-at-ease without her
dupatta. She did confess that she was Sakina.

Days have passed but Sirajuddin still had no word from the men about Sakina. They
only reassured him again that they will find her. That same night, Sirajuddin followed a group of
men who were bringing in an unconscious girl in the hospital. He went in one of the rooms in the
hospital where a girl was on the stretcher. The doctor switched on the light and Sirajuddin
immediately recognized his daughter and introduced himself to the doctor as the father of the
girl. The doctor asked him to open the window but upon hearing this, Sakina, with all energy that
was left within her, slowly unfastened her salwar which was tired around her waist, pulled the
garment down, and opened her legs.

The story ends with Sirajuddin rejoicing over the fact that his daughter was alive.

II. Milieu of the Writer

Saadat Hasan Manto was born in 1912 in British India. His family was composed of
Muslim barristers with his father being a judge at a local court. He lived his life in Bombay but
eventually, his family were among the millions who decided to leave present-day India for
Pakistan. That said, Manto, who was in his 30s at that time, witnessed the violence and chaos
that took place in 1947 during the partition of British India into two independent jurisdictions,
India and Pakistan.

When Manto finally settled in Lahore he was greatly acquainted and associated with
prominent intellectuals in the community. His activities with these individuals included
discussions, debates, and arguments regarding controversial issues, including politics. These
individuals exchanged their knowledge and ideas without fear even during the dictatorship
regime.

His stories and other literary pieces were heavily influenced by the important events that
took place in his life, such as the partition. His literary works reveal how he was in touch with
socio-political issues both locally and internationally. With this, he became well-known for writing
about taboo topics in their society. Some of his works even sparked charges of obscenity. He
had mentioned in one of his writings that although some may find his work dirty, his works only
strive to reveal the truth of whatever was happening in the society.

III. Critical Analyses

To have a better and deeper understanding of the selection, a critical analysis of the
different elements of the short story is needed. The elements of the short story include
characters, setting, point of view, style, theme, plot, and conflict,

The element of character may refer to the person in the work or selection or the
characteristics of that person. The second element looks into the time and place where the
events of the story or the story, itself, happened. The plot talks about the sequence of events
that took place in the selection. The next element is the conflict which refers to the struggle that
the main character faces in the story. The next element is the point of view which refers to the
angle of vision of as to how the story is being told. Finally, the last element is the theme which
shows the reader the main idea or central insight of the story.

1. CHARACTER ANALYSIS

In order to understand the actions and reactions of the characters of the story, it is
necessary to get to know who they are as a person, where they come from, and what they do.
Here, the reader gets to know the roles they play in the story.

For this story, the characters include Sirajuddin, Sakina, Sakina’s mother, the group of
men who rescued women and children, the men who brought in Sakina to the hospital, and the
doctor.
A. Sirajuddin

Sirajuddin is the main character of the story. He is the father of Sakina. All throughout
the story, he is described and referred to as an old man as seen in this line “The old man again
prayed for them. It made him feel better.”

Sirajuddin and his family were originally from Amritsar but they were part of the many
who were traveling to the other side of India. His wife died when the rioters attacked the train
that they boarded going to the other side, Lahore. His daughter, Sakina, is missing and he is
desperate to find her. He had asked a group of rescuers to find his daughter.
 He is a very caring and thoughtful husband and father. His love for his daughter is
shown in the line “The two of them had begun to run. Sakina’s dupatta had slipped to the
ground and he had stopped to pick it up and she had said, “Father, leave it”.” Here, it is shown
that despite the chaos taking place, Sirajuddin still went out of his way to pick up the dupatta of
his daughter. Furthermore, this line “All his time was spent running from camp to camp looking
for her. At night, he would pray for the success of the young men who were looking for his
daughter.” reveals that he refused to give up on his daughter even when many days went by
without any news about her. He searched for her even by himself and he asked God to help the
men in finding her as well.

The ending of the story also reveals how the fatherly love of Sirajuddin for Sakina
overpowered the prevailing fear of dishonor in their society during that time. Even when she
seemed to be almost dying and when she pulled down her undergarment and opened her legs,
the father did not take notice of these and instead, the happiness he felt knowing that his
daughter was above anything else.

Sirajuddin is the protagonist in this story as he gathers the empathy of the readers. His
character is static in nature as there is no development or transformation in his personality all
throughout the story. He remains as the loving father from beginning until the end of the
selection.

B. Sakina

Sakina is the daughter of Sirajuddin. Her mother died during their travel to Lahore when
the rioters took over the train they were in. Sakina and her father were able to run but they
eventually got separated from each other. Her father was able to go to the refugee camp in
Lahore while Sakina was left in Amritsar.

She is described by her father as “...fair, very pretty. No, she doesn’t look like me, but
her mother. About seventeen. Big eyes, black hair, a mole on the left cheek.”.

Sakina was found by the group of male rescuers on the roadside without her dupatta
and she seemed to not feel at ease with the group as provided for in the line “It was obvious that
she was ill-at-ease without her dupatta, trying nervously to cover her breasts with her arms.”

Sakina was found left for dead in the railway tracks; she was brought to the hospital
where she laid on a stretcher half-dead. Here, a figurative revelation of the character of Sakina
took place as can be visualized in these striking lines from the story:

“The doctor, who had switched on the light, stared at Sirajuddin.

“I am her father,” he stammered. The doctor looked at the prostrate body and felt for the
pulse. Then he said to the old man, “Open the window.”
 The young woman on the stretcher moved slightly. Her hands groped for the cord which
kept her salwar tied around her waist. With painful slowness, she unfastened it, pulled the
garment down and opened her thighs.”

It appears that Sakina had been raped by the group of male rescuers. However, not
much is really known about the personality of Sakina before and after the trauma that she has
gone through.

Sakina is a minor character of the story. Thus, her character is flat in nature as there is
not much opportunity to really look into the depth of her personality as a character.

C. Sakina’s mother

Sakina’s mother or Sirajuddin’s wife died during the chaos caused by the rioters in the
train as they were traveling to Lahore. She is rarely mentioned in the story. She is only looked
into during the flashback Sirajuddin had in the beginning of the story.

The mother is a stock character or a special kind of flat character whose role the readers
will instantly recognize. In a sense, the personality of this type of character is instantly filled in by
the stereotypes available or applicable to said character. In this case, the mother plays the role
of a typical caring and loving mother who puts her child before her; this can be seen in the line
“... He (Sirajuddin) could hear her (Wife) voice. “Leave me where I am. Take the girl away”.”

It can be concluded that the character of Sakina’s mother takes on the typical role of a
mother who prioritizes her child before anything else.

D. Group of men who rescued women and children from Amritsar

The group of rescuers is composed of 8 men who are voluntarily rescuing women and
children left in Amritsar. They boarded a truck to accomplish their mission and they are
described to be armed.

Initial information about these men reveal that they are good in nature. This idea is
supported by the following story lines:

“The young men had said to Sirajuddin, “If you daughter is alive, we will find her”.

“The young men were very kind to her (Sakina). They had fed her, given her milk to drink
and put her in their truck. One of them gave her his jacket so that she could cover herself.”

As the story progresses, it is, however, revealed that these characters motives are
questionable. In the story, many days have went by since the men found Sakina but they failed
to inform Sirajuddin about this. They intentionally withheld the information as can be seen in this
part of the story which took place days after they found and verified Sakina.
 “The one day he saw them in the camp. They were about to drive away. “Son,” he
shouted after one of them, “have you found Sakina, my daughter?” “We will, we will”, they
replied.”

These men are antagonistic in nature as they provide problem to the protagonist by not
telling him the truth. These male characters are dynamic in nature since they appeared good-
hearted in the beginning but upon the end of the story, they are revealed, through critical
analysis of circumstantial proof, to have violated Sakina.

E. Group of men who transported Sakina to the hospital

The group of men who transported Sakina to the hospital are very minor characters in
the story. Nothing more is known about who these men are.

F. Doctor

The doctor, who was with Sakina in one of the hospital rooms, plays a stock character.
He is easily recognized by readers through his profession. He is understood to treat patients
such as Sakina.

2. SETTING ANALYSIS

To know the setting is to understand the essence of the story. This element of a short
story will guide readers in understanding the context of the story. Understanding the background
of the story will put the readers in a place where they are able to visualize and experience the
underlying reasons behind the events that took place in the selection.

The story happened during the partition of India into Pakistan and present-day India as
proven by very first line in the story, “The special train left Amritsar at two in the afternoon,
arriving at Mughalpura, Lahore, and eight hours later. Many had been killed on the way, a lot
more injured and countless lost.”

The events in the story took place within the refugee camp area in Lahore, the opposite
side of Amritsar in India as can be concluded from the following lines extracted from the
selection:

“He rose abruptly and began searching through the milling crowd in the refugee camp.”

“Many days had gone by and Sirajuddin had still not had any news of his daughter. All
his time was spent running from camp to camp looking for her.”

“The one day he saw them in the camp. They were about to drive away.”
 In 1947, an estimate of 14 million abandoned their homes in India when the British
began destroying the empire in Southern Asia. At this time, India was partitioned into two
independent dominions, Pakistan and India. Houses were burned down and looted. Many were
killed, including children, and many women were raped. There were trains carrying refugees
between the two nations and many passengers were killed by rioters and mobs en route. These
trains were even termed as “Blood trains” for they carried so many dead people. During this
time, the soil of India was soaked in blood.

The story evidently takes on this background and context as the events told by the
narrator perfectly fit the struggles of India during that era. Similarities are striking when it comes
to the trains, rioters, killings, and the rape.

3. THEMATIC ANALYSIS

The theme of the story is heavily related to the writer’s milieu. Oftentimes, the
experiences of the writer in his or her life may just bring out the themes in the story. The theme
is the central idea of the story.

A reading of the story reveals the themes of societal issues between India and Pakistan,
during the era of their partition, most especially regarding the issues on women getting raped.

The last few lines of the story reads as:

“...The doctor looked at the prostrate body and felt for the pulse. Then he said to the old
man, “Open the window.”

The young woman on the stretcher moved slightly. Her hands groped for the cord which
kept her salwar tied around her waist. With painful slowness, she unfastened it, pulled the
garment down and opened her thighs.

“She is alive. My daughter is alive,” Sirajuddin shouted with joy. The doctor broke into a
cold sweat.”

Here, the doctor merely asked the father to open “it”, referring to the window of the room.
Instead, Sakina did something that would reveal what she has been going through for the last
days since she was rescued by the group of men.

Sakina’s opening of her salwar or the cloth wrapped around her waist to protect her
womanhood sends a chilling suggestion the readers. Hearing the doctor say “Open it”, she
immediately proceeded to open her salwar; her reaction was that of human reflex which
suggests that she probably was put through the agony of getting raped many times. The
number of times Sakina was raped made her action of opening her salwar automatic. For an
action to become automatic, this must be been done many times. The same happened to
Sakina.
 During the partition in India, many women were raped by men who came from the
opposite side. However, in this selection, the author did not address that issue as evidenced by
the fact that the rapists came from the same place where Sakina was also from. These men
raped their own woman. Furthermore, the story also sheds light to the agony people
experienced when they became separated from their family members.

The theme of the story, therefore, revolves around the difficulty faced by people, such as
Sirajuddin, whose family members have been killed or went missing. Moreover, the story also
touches the societal issue of women raped during the partition era in India.

4. POINT OF VIEW ANALYSIS

The point of view allows the readers to get to know the characters more especially if not
much is told about them. It could first, second, or a third person viewpoint.

The selection takes on a third-person omniscient point of view. It can be seen that from
the beginning until the end of the story, there is an all-knowing narrator who knows the different
sides of the character and the different situations they find themselves in. The narrator is not
limited to the point of view of only one or two characters.

This viewpoint technique allows the writer to effectively give life to every character of the
story. It allows the writer to help readers take note of certain information that the characters
themselves, might not know about each other. In the story, the narrator mostly takes on the
character of Sirajuddin, telling the story from his point of view. From time to time, the narrator
takes over another point of view such as that of the group of male rescuers. The author,
however, mostly focuses mainly on the thoughts and experiences of Sirajuddin as we can see
from the lines, “Many days had gone by and Sirajuddin had still not had any news of his
daughter. All his time was spent running from camp to camp looking for her. At night, he would
pray for the success of the young men who were looking for his daughter. Their words would
ring in his ears, “If your daughter is alive, we will find her.”

The choice of the author to use third-person omniscient point of view, readers are able to
see what the characters are doing when they are not interacting with each other. The lines of
the story shows that the viewpoint is that of a third-person omniscient.

5. STYLE ANALYSIS

The style of the story refers to how the story is being told as well as the literary devices
incorporated to make the story effective to the readers. Again, it is important to analyze the style
in order to have a deeper understanding of the entire story.

The selection uses a narrative style which incorporates literary techniques to highlight
the issues of the story. In this story, the literary technique In Medias Res was partly used. The
main meat of the story started in the middle when Sirajuddin regained consciousness, instead of
starting from the beginning. Because of this, flashbacks were used to give more context as to
what had happened to the characters.

“The special train left Amritsar at two in the afternoon, arriving at Mughalpura, Lahore,
and eight hours later. Many had been killed on the way, a lot more injured and countless lost.”

“It was at 10 o’clock the next morning Sirajuddin regained consciousness. He was lying
on bare ground, surrounded by screaming men, women and children. It did not make sense.”

The writer also used irony. This literary device may refer to the difference between what
was expected to happen and what actually happens or the meaning of something and its
underlying meaning. It is extremely ironic how a nation’s own rescue groups, who have the task
of alleviating the sufferings of the community, were the same people who committed such a
crime which causes more suffering to the family and the community, itself.

As for the finale, a Twist Ending was also used as a literary technique in this story when
in the end, it is revealed that the group of men who introduced themselves as good-hearted
rescuers of women and children turned out to be rapists.

The author used effective literary devices such as irony and in medias res to address the
societal issues that were relevant during that time.

6. PLOT ANALYSIS

The plot refers to the sequence of events that take place in a story. The plot is an
important literary element as it helps readers understand what is happening in the story. The
plot consists of five parts.

The sequence of events of this story are as follows:

a. Exposition

This portion of the plot refers to the beginning of the story. Here, the author establishes
the characters, setting, and the main conflict of the story.

In this selection, the exposition starts with Sirajuddin, the main character, waking up
dazed and confused in a refugee camp where he recalls how his wife died and how he lost track
of his daughter when the rioters attacked the train they boarded in as they transported from
Amritsar to Lahore.

Here, it can be concluded that the setting of the story was in a refugee camp. The events
lead the readers to understand that this story happened during the partition era of India.
Moreover, the exposition also tells us the main conflict of the story which revolves around the
disappearance of Sakina, the main character’s daughter. The conflict encountered by
Sirajuddin is his query on what had happened to Sakina and whether or not she is still alive.

b. Rising Action

In the rising action, the story moves forward and up. Here, the conflict starts to build up.

As for this selection, the rising action starts with Sirajuddin getting to know a group of
men who rescued women and children from the other side. The story line is as follows:

“A few days later, he had a break. There were eight of them, young men armed with
guns. They also had a truck. They said they brought back women and children left behind on
the other side.”

As days go by, Sirajuddin never hears about Sakina from these men who promised to
bring her back. Here, tension is building up within Sirajuddin as his hope of finding his daughter
alive is getting slimmer with each passing day.

The group of men finally finds Sakina in the roadside. After finding her and verifying her
identity, they withheld the information from Sirajuddin who continued to deal with the tension of
not knowing where Sakina is or whether or not, she is still alive.

The tension continues as Sirajuddin finds that a group of men brought an unconscious
girl to the hospital. He went to look for the girl in one of the rooms.

c. Climax

The climax refers to the turning point of the story. This is the peak of the events in the
story. Here, the tension of the story is at its highest part.

In this story, the climax takes place when Sirajuddin finally sees the face of Sakina.

“A light was switched on. It was a young woman with a mole on her left cheek. “Sakina!”
Sirajuddin screamed.”

However, at this point in time, he still did not know whether or not Sakina was dead or
alive as she laid on the stretcher motionless.

d. Falling Action

The falling action which occurs after the excitement of the climax has gone down.
 Here, it takes place in the part where Sirajuddin introduced himself to the doctor as the
father of the half-dead girl. In turn, the doctor tried to check Sakina’s pulse to see if he or she is
alive. He then asked Sirajuddin to open the window of the room.

e. Resolution

The resolution is the part of the plot whereby the problem or the conflict is resolved. In
this case, the last part of the selection is much unexpected. It reads as follows:

“The young woman on the stretcher moved slightly. Her hands groped for the cord which
kept her salwar tied around her waist. With painful slowness, she unfastened it, pulled the
garment down and opened her thighs.

“She is alive. My daughter is alive,” Sirajuddin shouted with joy. The doctor broke into a
cold sweat.”

At last, the question on whether or not Sakina is alive is finally answered in the
affirmative. This is concluded from the part where Sakina slowly moved her hands to open her
salwar. However, there seems to be more than the fact that she is slightly alive. Overwhelmed
by happiness, Sirajuddin fails to make sense of what truly happened to his daughter. The point,
made by the author in this portion, is, however, very clearly delivered to the readers.

7. CONFLICT ANALYSIS

The conflict of the story is the reason why the story is there in the first place. Without the
conflict, the story would have no purpose. This is the problem which the main character
encounters. It is important to determine the conflict of the story in order for the readers to know
why the story is moving in a specific way and what resolution must be expected in the end of the
selection.

In this selection, the character faces a conflict that is external in nature. That is, a conflict
which takes place outside the main character. The main character is battling an external force
that cannot be controlled. The type of conflict experienced by Sirajuddin is termed as Man vs.
Nature conflict. Here, the unfortunate turn of events during the travel from Amritsar to Lahore
caused the separation of Sirajuddin and his daughter, Sakina. Now, he struggles to find out
what happened to her and whether or not she is still alive.

“He could feel a bulge in his pocket. It was a length of cloth. Yes, he recognized it. It was
Sakina’s dupatta, but where was she?

“Other details were missing. Had he brought her as far as the railway station? Had she
got into the carriage with him? When the rioters had stopped the train, had they taken her with
them?”
 Another portion of the story which shows the conflict encountered by Sirajuddin states as
follows:

“Many days had gone by and Sirajuddin had still not had any news of his daughter. All
his time was spent running from camp to camp looking for her. At night, he would pray for the
success of the young men who were looking for his daughter. Their words would ring in his
ears, “If your daughter is alive, we will find her.””

It is, therefore, evident that the ultimate conflict is whether or not Sakina is still alive.

IV. CONCLUSION

This is, by far, one of the most impactful short stories ever. The author was able to
deliver the pain and innocence of the father as regards his daughter. The story clearly shows
the readers the evil effects of the partition of India. Although the readers might not know much
about the said partition, the story allows them to feel a little bit of what many Indian families felt
during that time.

It is also noteworthy how the author showed the reality of women being raped by men
both from the other side of India and those coming from their own land. This reveals that the
partition brought out evils from both sides of India.

Overall, the story hits home when it comes to addressing the theme of societal issues
women face not just in the partition era but even until now. It shows how women in the society
have been raped and left to die. But on a different note, the story also reveals how a father’s
love is above anything else.

When it dawned upon Sirajuddin that his daughter was still alive, he was in heaven.
Although at this point in time, a woman’s honor in India was so crucial, this did not matter to
Sirajuddin when Sakina disrobed herself lowering down her honor as a woman. Nothing
mattered to him at that moment except the fact that his daughter is still alive. This shows true
love from a father for his daughter.