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Unveiling the struggle of women in Moth Smoke

In the dark neighborhoods of Lahore, where patriarchy permeates each aspect of life, love

is classified as lust, and betrayal is considered common among the people, where the sunrise is

likely viewed as a frightening day than as a new opportunity, portrayed by Mohsin Hamid in his

novel Moth Smoke. First published in the year 2000 in Lahore, Pakistan, the story primarily

centers on Daru’s struggles to make a name for himself in society due to a rigid class hierarchy.

Hamid uses various aspects to showcase the uneven distribution of wealth and power dynamics

in the society through different characters like Ozi, Daru and Mumtaz. Mohsin Hamid’s Moth

Smoke uses symbolism, imagery and irony to portray the struggle faced by women in a

patriarchal society which is further impacted by the class system preventing women from

achieving freedom and self-actualization.

In a patriarchal society, where men manipulate women to conform to traditional gender

roles and societal norms, which acts as a barrier against fulfilling their desires and achieving

freedom and self-actualization.The first instance, we see this is when Mumtaz goes to Daru, to

fulfill her desires as her husband was not able to fulfill those “Daru, I’m married. I have a son.

I’m not looking to mate. I’m looking for a man to be with me for me, because it makes me

happy” (Hamid 208). This scene serves as an analogy for how South Asian women put the

demands of their families before their own needs. This excerpt points out women’s obvious role

in society. In the novel, women are treated purely as objects and for personal gain. It potrays,

women’s needs are never prioritized, just brushed aside so men can prioritize themselves over

women, and often men’s priorities include some form of objectifying women. Mumtaz’s role,

like other women, is to prioritize her husband’s desires and wishes rather than her own. She was

deeply trapped in the pressures of society, since she had to turn to other men in order to satisfy
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her desires. Continuing this trend of women being merely objects in order to further personal

gain, Mumtaz is also a victim of emotional and psychological manipulation from Ozi. He

manipulated Mumtaz into having a kid while she wasn’t mentally prepared for it. To force

circumstances to go his way, Ozi told his mom about the pregnancy, this resulted in putting

pressure on her and forcing her to keep the child. “And he did something I still haven’t forgiven

him for: he told his mother. She flew out to New York immediately, bringing gifts and advice”

(Hamid 150). Often times in South Asian societies, women being seen as lesser or something

that men can abuse or exploit forcing them to obey traditional gender roles created by men,

subjected to manipulation on psychological and emotional levels. Ozi understands that he can get

away with a sort of persistent on Mumtaz. She slowly gets conditioned emotionally and

psychologically by her husband to bear his child. This results in a guilt trip, slowly turning into a

cycle where Mumtaz forces herself to think that giving birth to his child will be beneficial. All of

these barriers placed upon women in society force Mumtaz to engage in practices where she has

to remain anonymous, since Mumtaz prefers to use a male name rather than a female name in

order to disguise her identity as a writer. “That’s a little complicated. Anyway, life is much easier

if I’m not working as a journalist and Zulfikar Manto is.” (Hamid 46). Due to circumstances in

the patriarchal system and societal roles present in South Asian societies, some jobs are more

male dominant and women are not allowed to take part in them because of gender roles created

by male dominant society therefore, Mumtaz finds it easier to write as a man, rather than as

herself. Choosing to hide her identity as the author explicitly shows the severity of how women

are treated. This reinforces traditional gender roles in society, pushing the narrative that women

are objects and used solely for personal gain or fulfillment. Mumtaz's story shows how women

face manipulation and pressure in a society where men control the rules. Her struggle
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emphasizes the importance of breaking free from traditional expectations so that women can

truly be themselves and pursue their own happiness.

Moreover, the struggle of female characters endavor symbolizes the power they hold to

fight against traditional gender roles. Another example of this is the depiction of Dularam's

suffering, characterized by mistreatment and social exclusion, provides a striking illustration of

the complex network of difficulties encountered by women within a patriarchal culture. The

village landlord invited Dularam to stay at his house, and upon her rejection leads to wrong

consequences. He took advantage of her being young, poor and naive “The landlord of our area

asked me to come to his house. I refused, so he threatened to kill my family, when I went he

raped me” (Hamid 50).Higher class men frequently coerce women into satisfying their sexual

desires, and when they refuse, they manipulate them. Social class, aided by gender, determines

one’s power over another and the ability to exploit one another. Traditional gender roles in a

social hierarchy will prevent women from acting out in defiance, forcing them to accept their

exploitation and abuse. Once Dularam was no longer needed by them, they sold her, and the

landlord physically mistreated her, forcing her friends and family to do the same, she was told by

the man who bought her that although she was free and could leave. The village will not accept

her since she has lost her honor, so she declines and continues to operate the brothel, the fact that

she is still running the brothel after enduring hardship is extremely ironic. After all the struggles

she had, she couldn’t go back home because of the societal pressure driven on her by villagers

“No he told me the villagers would not accept me back because I had lost my honor” (Hamid

51). This represents a patriarchal society where male figures in roles of power make rules. This

means they control and decide the lives of those under them, specifically women in their gender

roles. As a result, women are not given the freedom men are, this extends to all aspects of life,
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including their own sexual ones. It’s normal for male to engage in intimacy with other female

since they can visit brothels whenever they want and involved in sexual activity no one’s there to

question them, but on the other hand society ignores women who have been physically assaulted.

Another thing to note is the author’s use of diction and tone. In the following scene, Mumtaz

comes to Daru but the description of her given looks is over-sexualized “Mumtaz takes off her

shades and hangs them from the neck of her T-shirt between her breasts. She has broad shoulders

not too thick but wide” (Hamid 113). Mohsin Hamid explicitly uses language to reinforce the

over-sexualization of his female characters and judge them on their actions, exposing their

vulnerability and their roles in society. The sexualized description of Mumtaz. Class, gender, and

power dynamics intersect to shape women's lives and limit their agency. This is clearly evoked in

Moth Smoke, where the poignant story of Dularam and the complex portrayal of female

characters, like Mumtaz, serve as reminders of the ongoing obstacles faced by women within a

patriarchal society.

In conclusion, Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke uses symbolism, imagery and irony to

portray the struggle faced by women in a patriarchal society which is further impacted by the

class system preventing women from achieving freedom and self-actualization. The novel

highlights the mistreatment, manipulation, and social exclusion that women endure at the hands

of men from higher social classes through characters like Mumtaz and Dularam. The power

dynamics that deny women agency and uphold traditional gender norms are further amplified by

the intersectionality of gender and class. Hamid deftly crafts a story that reveals the complex web

of difficulties that women encounter inside the restrictive walls of a patriarchal society.
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Bibliography

Hamid, Mohsin. Moth Smoke. Penguin Books India, 2000.